I posted this over on Natural Birth, but thought you ladies may be interested too.
From an article in USA Today:
Home births increased 20 percent from 2004 to 2008, accounting for 28,357 of 4.2 million U.S. births, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in May.Pretty interesting! I know I used to think HB was not for me, but I'm considering it for next time.
Re: XP: HBs up 20%
but I had lo at a stand alone birthing center and LOVED it. I never had to go to the hospital, no iv, no meds, nobody except one nurse and the midwife there. It was great and I highly recommend an out of hospital birth.
Unfortunately VBAC @ a birth center is almost impossible in SC. It's illegal for midwives to attend a VBAC unless there is an attending OB. There is on center that is providing that right now, but our state health dept is trying to make attending an out of hospital VBAC illegal now too. There are some midwives that will do HBACs on the down low though. What's really crappy is that I don't have more options, but that's a whole 'nother post.
Last time I was ALL about the hospital and the epi. It really sucked for me and I was in pain downstairs for months and months PP. I'm really really pushing for a HB this time because I want to be in control of my situation; I'm just having a really hard time getting DH on board.
Good news for me is the hospital is literally 2 mins away from my house, so I feel really comfortable.