Sacred Roots Birth Services

But researchers found that women who delivered in hospital were more likely to have interventions such as pain relief, labour augmentation, assisted va**nal births or caesarean births, compared to those who delivered at home. There was also a higher rate of episiotomy among women who gave birth in hospital. An episiotomy is a surgical cut made at the opening of the va**na during childbirth to ease delivery and prevent tissues from rupturing.

Hutton suspects the differences may arise because women who intend to give birth at home may be “more intervention-adverse. For example, in terms of pain relief, they’re more inclined to think ‘I can manage without this and I trust my body and I’m going to do it.’

“There’s also probably the fact that you are at home, and in your home environment the physiological process of labour may work better,” she said.

Midwifery, regulated in Ontario since 1994, is a publicly funded service; there are about 700 registered midwives in Ontario who provide neonatal care to pregnant women, attend their deliveries and look after mother and baby following the birth.

Midwives attend about 10 per cent of all births in the province, and about 20 per cent of those births occur at home.

“Home birth, I think, is a very contentious topic in many circles,” said Hutton. “We have good reason to support women’s choice of having a home birth, but often women are looking for information to validate that choice.

“So having studies like this one that can give us good information about outcomes for both the women and babies is important.”

Home birth with midwife just as safe as hospital, McMaster study finds | Toronto Star For women with low-risk pregnancies, the three-year study found babies delivered at home are at no greater risk than those in hospitals.

One of the most important things for all birthing women to know, is that they are powerful and strong.

As women, we are designed to create and birth life. It's what we do.

Our bodies are not broken, nor do they need "fixing" or western medicine to intervene in most cases.

In most cases, what a woman needs is a safe, loving environment and to be surrounded by people who fully trust in her bodies ability to bring her baby safely into the world.