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pen Arms Midwifery is a comprehensive midwifery practice providing
home birth to families in the Madison area. We offer complete,
|
|
continuous
prenatal care in the neighborhood. Women are often happier
and
in many
cases fare better having their prenatal care as well as giving
birth
in
their own
homes or somewhere just around the corner. |
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Most women will give birth some time in their lives. Yet in the United States little thought has been given to the entire process of pregnancy and birth as it is experienced by mothers, families, communities and our society at large. For many, giving birth is the first experience as a hospital patient. There is loss of autonomy implied in that role. For most, the role of hospital patient will produce conflict between their own desires, needs and knowledge, and the technology-driven, "doctor-knows-best" approach that the medicalization of birth has produced. In response to our current hospital birth culture, where intervention prevails, more and more people are researching other birth options.
The United States and all the technology that it offers has the second worst neonatal mortality rate in the developed world. The Netherlands and Great Britain, both with significantly better maternal and newborn outcomes than the United States, include home birth as an option for all families. While home birth is still a minority choice here in the United States, more and more families are choosing out-of-hospital settings for the birth of their babies. |
Over 1000 babies were born at home in Wisconsin in the past years and that number continues to grow. Studies prove that birth outcomes for planned home birth are as safe, if not safer, than hospital birth for low-risk pregnant women. It is not technology that offers these wonderful outcomes and higher rates of satisfaction; it is careful prenatal assessment, the cornerstone of effective, safe home birth and midwifery care.
Why Home Birth?
Home birth is an instinctive choice for many, a well thought-out and researched choice for others. Some will choose home birth because of a previous bad hospital experience, or because they have heard or witnessed horror stories from others. Some, like myself, choose home birth because they have been surrounded by the natural birth process and have had the privilege and honor of supporting other women and families birthing in their homes.
I hope the following pages will get you acquainted with services that Open Arms Midwifery offers and answer your questions about home birth. |
