MOONDRAGON ARTICLES
First-Time Moms Ideal Candidates for Homebirth
First-time moms are much less likely to have the more serious complications of
placental retention and postpartum hemorrhage because the uterine muscle tone is better
in a first-time mom.
The "problems" they are more likely to have are that their
labors may take a little longer. This is more of a problem in the hospital, where they
like to see your labor progress at a certain rate and can get aggressive with
interventions if your body doesn't naturally keep things moving along. (Which is made
harder with all that pressure. Alas. The increased probability for a first-time
mom to end up with pitocin or an epidural and eventually a cesarean might
actually make the hospital a significantly more dangerous place for a first-time
mom than one having a second or third.)
So, the "problems" with first-time moms are likely to be that things are "taking
too long", either labor or pushing. Fortunately, that isn't an emergency. It
might mean that you end up transporting to the hospital, but it's not going to
be life threatening.
Really, it's hard for me to imagine why anyone would say that homebirth isn't
appropriate for first-time moms? If anything, you know they aren't having a VBAC.
And if they plan a homebirth with the first, they reduce their chance of a
cesarean, which can make it harder to plan a homebirth with your second.
This Web page is referenced from other pages containing related information about
Parents Share Information About Homebirth and
Homebirth Safety/Advocacy
Primary Midwife Archives site at gentlebirth.org
Mirrorsite at virtualbirth.com
MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information
MoonDragon Birthing Services - Holistic Homebirth Midwifery
MoonDragon's Health Index Page
MoonDragon's ObGyn Information & Discussion Index by Subject Order
MoonDragon's ObGyn Information & Discussion Index by Alphabetical Order