By this I mean do you want an epidural or not? It’s an increasingly complex question. The majority of the pregnant women I meet today want to try for a natural delivery, with the option of an epidural standing by, just in case. But the question for women in NYC is a lot more complicated. The question is really: Do you want a hospital or a home birth? At opposite extremes and with limited middle-of-the-road options, most of us will lean very strongly in one direction or another. A home birth was out of the question for me, because it just sounded waaaayyyy too scary; so scary I wouldn’t even read about it! But now, when I speak with midwives who deliver babies safely at home every day, and hear countless beautiful home birth stories from women who’ve successfully delivered healthy babies at home, it makes me wonder if perhaps I should have considered it? Certainly knowing what I do now, I would, but I would still be scared.
If you’re on the fence about a hospital or home birth, check out Ricki Lake’s film, “The Business of Being Born” below. It will open your eyes to the possibilities that, like me, you may never have considered….
