What do you think?
Rate this book
Pinter & Martin Why It Matters #11
Why Home Birth Matters
In the 21st century, women are supposed to have a choice about where they give birth. But when that choice is home, women often encounter obstacles, despite robust evidence that birth at home is safe, beneficial and should be available for women who want it.
Why Home Birth Matters is a clear discussion of the reality of modern home birth, which aims to show how the home environment supports and powers the birth process, while encouraging parents to consider how it might work for them.
Why Home Birth Matters is a clear discussion of the reality of modern home birth, which aims to show how the home environment supports and powers the birth process, while encouraging parents to consider how it might work for them.
160 pages, Paperback
Published April 19, 2018
13 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 6, 2018
I love the premise of this book, which is why I wanted to read it. I buy in the idea of home birth and I understand that hospital births are relatively new. However, despite everything, it is hard for first time mothers to visualise birth at home and even harder for their partners and family. Natalie Meddings brings a refreshingly balanced view to this conversation. Her style is quite clearly friendly and approachable, yet she brings across the nuances of the complexities of home birth rather well in this edition of the brilliant ‘Why it Matters’ series.
Natalie doesn’t paint an extreme and wonderful picture of home birth as a lot of books and proponents of this ideology tend to do. She does not dismiss the need and place for medical intervention and that makes this book stand out amongst the general chatter of hyperbole of either extreme when it comes to home birth.
I like the structure of the book very much. Natalie addresses the loaded nature of this conversation quite early on in the book. This makes the rest of her arguments a lot more comprehensible. I enjoyed reading the little personal stories that were interspaced in the book at relevant times to make the reader feel that home births have different sides, different flavours and in general unlike hospital births they don’t tend to follow a particular agenda. That’s actually one of the highlights of this book, it comfortably accommodates the variety of births that happen within a home setting.
The sections on planning and organising the home birth are brilliant. Natalie hasn’t forgotten any aspect of preparation or for that matter the need to not prepare when considering a home birth. Her guidance, issued in a calm inclusive manner makes the reader feel that home birth is for anyone, not just a certain type of woman and family. I was not at all surprised to find the fantastic teachings of Spinning Babies movement included here. They are peerless when it comes to understanding optimal foetal positioning and its impact on labour and childbirth. What was surprising however, was the lack of credit given to the organisation for their work. Spinning Babies does not even make the reading list.
At this point I would like to disclose that neither am I pregnant at the time of reading nor inexperienced at either home or hospital birth. I have had both. So, I am reading this book with the benefit of hindsight. This is perhaps an important aspect of this review. I see how all the elements in the book will help a mother consider her birthing environment. In that respect, I do depart from Ms Meddings on a couple of points, but these are just differences in opinion. I would have liked a bit more importance being placed on the topic of considering neighbours/landlords rather than a dismissive, ‘birthing sounds are deep rather than high pitched and thus the neighbours are unlikely to be an issue’. This is the kind of writing that sometimes makes women feel they might be unsuitable for home birth. If they are first time mothers, they may be unsure of what sounds they will make and if they have experienced birth before they are more likely to use that past experience to make judgement calls on how they will behave in subsequent births. Each birth is different and thus allowing for a roaring birth experience should be included in the normal repertoire of births, including home births. How else will we make women feel empowered with any birth experience they end up having?
Along these same lines is the advice of not telling people you are planning a home birth, does disservice in spreading the wonderful concept that this whole book is about! Why shy away from a chance to have a meaningful conversation and help other women consider this choice too? In fact, wouldn’t it be a perfect opportunity to recommend a gem of a book such as this one?!
Despite these omissions Natalie Meddings has packed a big punch in the conversation of birthing preferences. I would recommend this book for the little simple tips alone if you are considering birthing your baby at home. Along the way you will find a strong evidence-based argument in favour of home births that will empower you to spread the word and bring back the confidence we women need to speak up about our choices when it comes to our bodies, our babies and our wellbeing.
Natalie doesn’t paint an extreme and wonderful picture of home birth as a lot of books and proponents of this ideology tend to do. She does not dismiss the need and place for medical intervention and that makes this book stand out amongst the general chatter of hyperbole of either extreme when it comes to home birth.
I like the structure of the book very much. Natalie addresses the loaded nature of this conversation quite early on in the book. This makes the rest of her arguments a lot more comprehensible. I enjoyed reading the little personal stories that were interspaced in the book at relevant times to make the reader feel that home births have different sides, different flavours and in general unlike hospital births they don’t tend to follow a particular agenda. That’s actually one of the highlights of this book, it comfortably accommodates the variety of births that happen within a home setting.
The sections on planning and organising the home birth are brilliant. Natalie hasn’t forgotten any aspect of preparation or for that matter the need to not prepare when considering a home birth. Her guidance, issued in a calm inclusive manner makes the reader feel that home birth is for anyone, not just a certain type of woman and family. I was not at all surprised to find the fantastic teachings of Spinning Babies movement included here. They are peerless when it comes to understanding optimal foetal positioning and its impact on labour and childbirth. What was surprising however, was the lack of credit given to the organisation for their work. Spinning Babies does not even make the reading list.
At this point I would like to disclose that neither am I pregnant at the time of reading nor inexperienced at either home or hospital birth. I have had both. So, I am reading this book with the benefit of hindsight. This is perhaps an important aspect of this review. I see how all the elements in the book will help a mother consider her birthing environment. In that respect, I do depart from Ms Meddings on a couple of points, but these are just differences in opinion. I would have liked a bit more importance being placed on the topic of considering neighbours/landlords rather than a dismissive, ‘birthing sounds are deep rather than high pitched and thus the neighbours are unlikely to be an issue’. This is the kind of writing that sometimes makes women feel they might be unsuitable for home birth. If they are first time mothers, they may be unsure of what sounds they will make and if they have experienced birth before they are more likely to use that past experience to make judgement calls on how they will behave in subsequent births. Each birth is different and thus allowing for a roaring birth experience should be included in the normal repertoire of births, including home births. How else will we make women feel empowered with any birth experience they end up having?
Along these same lines is the advice of not telling people you are planning a home birth, does disservice in spreading the wonderful concept that this whole book is about! Why shy away from a chance to have a meaningful conversation and help other women consider this choice too? In fact, wouldn’t it be a perfect opportunity to recommend a gem of a book such as this one?!
Despite these omissions Natalie Meddings has packed a big punch in the conversation of birthing preferences. I would recommend this book for the little simple tips alone if you are considering birthing your baby at home. Along the way you will find a strong evidence-based argument in favour of home births that will empower you to spread the word and bring back the confidence we women need to speak up about our choices when it comes to our bodies, our babies and our wellbeing.
July 28, 2018
This is a great, easy to read book which gives women a lot of information about home birth and natural birth that is missing from mainstream pregnancy books. Whether a woman is planning to give birth in hospital and just curious to find out a bit more about home birth (or even just get ideas for her natural birth in hospital), or a woman is dedicated to the idea of home birth and has previous experience of it; this book is packed with information and guidance.
It is instantly apparent on beginning this book that Natalie Meddings is extremely knowledgeable about birth and home birth, and in this book, she aims to give pregnant women the information they need to make an informed choice as to where they give birth to their babies.
I loved Meddings description of what happens to a woman during birth, it was excellently written, and I think that every pregnant woman should be given this book just for that description if for nothing else.
Meddings points out that home birth ‘provides the highest chance of a straightforward birth, which in turn brings the benefits of optimal wellbeing and bonding for you and your baby.’ This is such an important point and characterises the whole book.
I enjoyed the real women’s experiences interspersed through the book, it’s great to hear different people’s perspectives and recognise that not all women who choose to give birth at home are ‘that type’.
I didn’t appreciate Meddings constant comparison of giving into labour and birth as being like giving into sleep. I suffered terribly towards the end of my pregnancies with insomnia and restlessness, I didn’t sleep, I couldn’t even relax. So the mental image of giving into birth being just like going to sleep was disturbing for me!
I don’t know that having the section about overcoming local birth planning barriers so early in the book was the best idea as this could seem like a massive hurdle to overcome, especially to a woman still unsure if she should go for a homebirth, and in some areas of the country this worry is completely irrelevant. So whilst it is important to have the ‘keep pushing your point’ and ‘be aware of your rights’ section, I would have preferred it later in the book, probably in the ‘Forks in the Road’ section.
At times I found Meddings description of the home birth experience a little too aspirational. Midwifes come in many different shapes and sizes and their knowledge and experience can greatly affect how well a woman’s birth goes (in hospital or at home). However, it is good that the general benefits of home birth over hospital birth are made clear, and this section covered a lot of them.
Meddings gave some great advice for pregnant mothers (wherever they are planning to birth), including things not usually mentioned, such as hearing out good birth stories; not every woman has a horrific birth, but more often than not when they do they shout it from the rooftops and it adds to our background belief of the horrors of birth, along with sensational tv portrayals. Also advising women to walk a lot during their final trimester is excellent advice, it is such a simple thing to add in, even when a woman has other children, and it works wonders for getting her baby into a good position, keeping her body fit, and getting outside and clearing her head.
Meddings comfort kit for labour is great in that there is no mention of drugs, it is all what a labouring woman can do to help herself, and it is wonderful to read an expansion of an area of pregnancy books that it usually just a paragraph followed by pages of information on drugs and their accompanying procedures.
The ‘Forks in the Road’ section of the book was great and Meddings gave sound advice encouraging women to take responsibility for their pregnancy, although it could have been expanded to include much more, but then where do you end, there so much that could be discussed.
Other things that this book spoke about that are usually omitted from pregnancy books were things such as resisting induction, researching things that can high-risk a pregnancy and making a decision for yourself (such as being GBS positive), ignoring the first phase of labour for as long as possible so as to allow it to work more effectively in the background rather than concentrating on each contraction.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book and think it would be very beneficial to anyone looking for an alternative to highly controlled and medicalised birth, which of course home birth can offer. Even if not having a home birth, there is a lot of practical advice in this book to support women opting for a natural birth. I will definitely be passing this book on to pregnant friends.
It is instantly apparent on beginning this book that Natalie Meddings is extremely knowledgeable about birth and home birth, and in this book, she aims to give pregnant women the information they need to make an informed choice as to where they give birth to their babies.
I loved Meddings description of what happens to a woman during birth, it was excellently written, and I think that every pregnant woman should be given this book just for that description if for nothing else.
Meddings points out that home birth ‘provides the highest chance of a straightforward birth, which in turn brings the benefits of optimal wellbeing and bonding for you and your baby.’ This is such an important point and characterises the whole book.
I enjoyed the real women’s experiences interspersed through the book, it’s great to hear different people’s perspectives and recognise that not all women who choose to give birth at home are ‘that type’.
I didn’t appreciate Meddings constant comparison of giving into labour and birth as being like giving into sleep. I suffered terribly towards the end of my pregnancies with insomnia and restlessness, I didn’t sleep, I couldn’t even relax. So the mental image of giving into birth being just like going to sleep was disturbing for me!
I don’t know that having the section about overcoming local birth planning barriers so early in the book was the best idea as this could seem like a massive hurdle to overcome, especially to a woman still unsure if she should go for a homebirth, and in some areas of the country this worry is completely irrelevant. So whilst it is important to have the ‘keep pushing your point’ and ‘be aware of your rights’ section, I would have preferred it later in the book, probably in the ‘Forks in the Road’ section.
At times I found Meddings description of the home birth experience a little too aspirational. Midwifes come in many different shapes and sizes and their knowledge and experience can greatly affect how well a woman’s birth goes (in hospital or at home). However, it is good that the general benefits of home birth over hospital birth are made clear, and this section covered a lot of them.
Meddings gave some great advice for pregnant mothers (wherever they are planning to birth), including things not usually mentioned, such as hearing out good birth stories; not every woman has a horrific birth, but more often than not when they do they shout it from the rooftops and it adds to our background belief of the horrors of birth, along with sensational tv portrayals. Also advising women to walk a lot during their final trimester is excellent advice, it is such a simple thing to add in, even when a woman has other children, and it works wonders for getting her baby into a good position, keeping her body fit, and getting outside and clearing her head.
Meddings comfort kit for labour is great in that there is no mention of drugs, it is all what a labouring woman can do to help herself, and it is wonderful to read an expansion of an area of pregnancy books that it usually just a paragraph followed by pages of information on drugs and their accompanying procedures.
The ‘Forks in the Road’ section of the book was great and Meddings gave sound advice encouraging women to take responsibility for their pregnancy, although it could have been expanded to include much more, but then where do you end, there so much that could be discussed.
Other things that this book spoke about that are usually omitted from pregnancy books were things such as resisting induction, researching things that can high-risk a pregnancy and making a decision for yourself (such as being GBS positive), ignoring the first phase of labour for as long as possible so as to allow it to work more effectively in the background rather than concentrating on each contraction.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book and think it would be very beneficial to anyone looking for an alternative to highly controlled and medicalised birth, which of course home birth can offer. Even if not having a home birth, there is a lot of practical advice in this book to support women opting for a natural birth. I will definitely be passing this book on to pregnant friends.
October 21, 2018
I liked this book, overall. Short and mostly to the point. However, the bit about home birth provision in some areas being poor, and how to fight for the home birth you want, felt far too early at chapter 3. It made it sound inevitable that home birth is something you will have to fight tooth and nail for, when in many trusts, it’s perfectly accessible. I would move that bit to the end. And I would get rid of the last chapter that’s there at the moment - completely pointless, lots of waffle about home birth being totally perfect and brilliant and how with word of mouth recommendations, soon EVERYONE will be having a home birth. I agree with the sentiment, but it’s just incredibly biased and I think detracts from the book’s factual credibility.
I really liked the discussion about how labour FEELS, rather than how it is measured by observers. It was clear, but not out to terrify pregnant women. Also the signs of progress in labour - looking for a change in the sensations you feel, rather than in the measurements of frequency or length of contractions. It empowers women to not need support so early in their labour journey, which gives labour the best chance to happen normally and without interference.
Would recommend this, as long as people skipped chapters 3 and 9, and read chapter 6 at least three times instead!
I really liked the discussion about how labour FEELS, rather than how it is measured by observers. It was clear, but not out to terrify pregnant women. Also the signs of progress in labour - looking for a change in the sensations you feel, rather than in the measurements of frequency or length of contractions. It empowers women to not need support so early in their labour journey, which gives labour the best chance to happen normally and without interference.
Would recommend this, as long as people skipped chapters 3 and 9, and read chapter 6 at least three times instead!
February 3, 2019
Great resource for pregnant women
When I bought this book I was considering home birth, I was slightly nervous but after reading I feel more than capable of planning a home birth. This is a very informative read of the benefits and risks of having your baby at home as opposed to hospital or birth centre and delves into how the body and mind work in labour and how you can cope when there is a change to your birth plan. I’m delighted to have read this as I’m more confident than ever about trusting my body to birth my baby at home.
When I bought this book I was considering home birth, I was slightly nervous but after reading I feel more than capable of planning a home birth. This is a very informative read of the benefits and risks of having your baby at home as opposed to hospital or birth centre and delves into how the body and mind work in labour and how you can cope when there is a change to your birth plan. I’m delighted to have read this as I’m more confident than ever about trusting my body to birth my baby at home.
January 13, 2024
I read this book as recommended by my community midwife whilst 40+6 pregnant, hoping for a home birth. It's not as large as other books which makes it easy to digest, but this makes the information provided no less useful. It is packed with helpful information, reassurance, statistics and guidance as well as practical advice.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to others hoping for a homebirth.
It provides a no-nonsense summary of the benefits of homebirth, but note if you are looking for hyponobirthing this isn't what you need to read.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to others hoping for a homebirth.
It provides a no-nonsense summary of the benefits of homebirth, but note if you are looking for hyponobirthing this isn't what you need to read.
October 4, 2018
Informative, evidence based read
Easy to read, positive, evidence based book about giving birth at home. Recommend for those looking to make an informed decision about homebirth
Easy to read, positive, evidence based book about giving birth at home. Recommend for those looking to make an informed decision about homebirth
January 7, 2021
Comprehensive and informative to help anyone looking at that birth choices in the UK
March 5, 2023
Fantastic resource. Demystifying the myths surrounding birth
August 24, 2023
I already knew I wanted to plan for a home birth, so maybe this was a bit like preaching to the choir, but reading this book has made me even more certain of my decision to birth at home
November 24, 2020
Honestly the most comprehensive and short guide on home birth that I've read. I've done a lot of research on this subject and this encapsulates all the major research in a succinct and clear way. Thoroughly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews