A great debate has started in this country over the best place to give birth. The options include home, hospital, and birthing centers. This debate has not always existed however. A little over a century ago, nearly all children were born at home. As medicine has expanded, the approach to childbirth has evolved with it.
History of the Home Birth Versus Hospital Birth Debate
Only one in twenty births was conducted in a hospital as recently as 1900. A publication was released in 1915 by Dr. Joseph DeLee. DeLee had been commissioned in part by The Association for the Study and Prevention of Infant Mortality to identify factors that influenced childbirth mortality rates. In his publication, DeLee explained his opinion that childbirth was not a normal function that should be left to home care. At the time, the good doctor had published the most widely used obstetrics textbook in the nation, so his word carried a great deal of weight.
Further, DeLong outlined many of the procedures still routinely exercised in hospitals today according to a strict philosophy of “active control over labor and delivery.” Those procedures included the standard use of sedatives, routine episiotomies, and forceps for delivery of the baby. Many of these strategies still live on today.
By the end of 1915 (the year of his publication in The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology), there were over 500 childbirth facilities across the country. Likewise, the landscape of childbirth in America has been completely changed and the debate had been officially kicked off. By 1939, the total percent of babies born in hospitals had grown to over 50%. That figure continued to grow to 88% by 1950.
Childbirth Today
Healthcare practitioners including midwives are far more educated today. Additionally, medicine has grown by leaps and bounds. Childbirth has become a much more routine business although expecting parents need to be aware that the experience you have may still vary greatly depending on what approach you take.
