Written by Michelle Chen
As wondrous a phenomenon as childbirth is, we often view it as a form of medical purgatory --hours of drug-dampened agony under starched sheets and sterile lights. But more women today are thinking outside the box about labor. Home-based births have shot up in recent years. Advocates across the country have persuaded governments to broaden medical coverage for out-of-hospital birth services.
And in the shift toward more natural childbirth, midwives are at the forefront. Born of a movement to reclaim the childbirth experience from the medical establishment, today's professional midwives are a modern incarnation of an age-old vocation, defining themselves as an alternative to the hospital ward. Yet the workers who undertake this unique labor of labor long struggled for respect and equality under healthcare laws.
Midwife-assisted births at home or at a birthing center -- a facility specializing in childbirth and pregnancy care -- allows many women with low-risk pregnancy to give birth safely without interventions like surgery. Advocates say this process provides a more holistic experience for a woman in a familiar setting, sans the medications or presence of a gaggle of strangers in scrubs.
Home-based births jumped 29 percent between 2004 and 2009, though they are still a small percentage of births nationwide. Government data suggests that "Home births have a lower risk profile than hospital births" in terms of low birthweight and preterm babies.
Several states have policies that support some medical coverage for out-of-hospital birth, though access to midwife care remains inconsistent. National healthcare reform legislation marked a small breakthrough by allowing federal Medicaid coverage of midwife care at birthing centers. Legislation has been proposed to further expand Medicaid coverage of certified professional midwives.
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