Birth, Delivery, and Our Options

Dr. James Goetz

Each day, millions of babies are born unto this earth. Most survive child birth and unfortunately some do not. At times this cannot be prevented and at times it can.

The following has been written in order to inform you of the many options available and that you must keep an open mind and do what is best for you and your child.

What is written here may or may not effect the decision you make with the delivery of your child. I hope it does at least open your mind a bit and realize there are other choices one can make when it comes to decisions each day.

My grandparents were born at home. My great grandparents were born at home. Their parents were born at home. My parents were born in a hospital. I was born in a hospital. Why is it that many generations have been born at home yet only recently it has become the norm to be born in a hospital?

Many hospitals do have an excellent staff. They are trained in medical procedures and drugs and know what to do when it comes to drugs or surgery. Some people have wonderful birth experiences due to a kind staff. Others have horror stories due to the staff. One has no idea what they will get until they are already in the middle of labor.

In US hospitals, 5 out of every 1,000 newborn babies die. Other newborns are handled perhaps a little too harsh in many cases whereas their eyes are rinsed with a silver solution and their skin scrubbed quite hard. They are injected with vitamin K immediately after birth (even though they are not bleeding). This is a very traumatic experience for the child.

Hospitals are not the cleanest of places. They are disease ridden and full of germs. A child’s immune system is not fully developed and thus susceptible to disease. Being so young this can damage a child’s immune system before it develops.

Why then with these conditions present does one not consider a birthing center or even a home birth? The reason is that their parents did it and thus they will do it. When then if our grandparents did it at home did our parents do it in the hospital? This is most likely due to media. Media tells us each day there is a drug for this and a drug for that and if we think for ourselves we are bad.

Hospitals can be excellent for if something goes wrong. What though did our ancestors do for all those millions of years before us when "something went wrong"? Millions of years of "something went wrong" was alright but a couple decades has seemed to change that.

When having a child one should be personally prepared for everything. Too often people in life believe someone will do that for them. Someone will mow their lawn for them. Someone will change their oil for them. Someone will cook their food for them. Someone will deliver their child for them. Even if you have someone to deliver your child for you (which is fine), you should still know what you are doing (just in case). Take pride in yourself and what you do and your child. Have a mind. If delivery in a hospital is right for you then do that. If delivery in a home or a birthing center is right for you then do that. Do not let others influence your decision as the one it will effect most is the most innocent child that you birth.