What about an Emergency?
Birth is as safe as life gets…
that is to say, there is always risk,
no matter where you choose to birth.
Our job throughout both pregnancy and birth is continuous risk assessment in addition to holistic preventative care. This includes planning for emergencies and maintaining the necessary skills and supplies to manage them.
Our team is certified in Neonatal Resuscitation, the same training that hospital staff and other caregivers use to help a baby breathe who is having trouble transitioning. We practice drills regularly and carry resuscitative gear including oxygen and IV fluids to each birth we attend.
We carry the same medications used in hospitals to treat excess bleeding after birth. We work with plant medicine and herbs in addition to the pharmaceuticals common to pregnancy and birth.
Safety of Homebirth
Studies have repeatedly shown homebirth to be a safe and appropriate option for pregnant people experiencing a healthy, low-risk pregnancy and attended by a midwife.
Midwives are trained to recognize when labor is veering outside of “normal,” and would benefit from a transfer; the majority of transfers are non-emergency.
Planned homebirths in general have shown lower rates of preterm birth and low birth weight, less use of induction and augmentation of labor, fewer perineal lacerations and fewer primary cesareans.
