Yes, my home birth experience, which saved me from an 8-week C-section recovery, wasn’t technically legal in my state. If you missed my story, I had a breech home VBAC for my one-year-old daughter, who had perfect APGAR scores at birth.
This post is a bit different from my usual ones. I’m reaching out for your support today. In our state, medical facilities didn’t offer the option for a natural birth, and I need your help to ensure other women can choose home birth in the future!
In Kentucky, home birth isn’t officially supported by the laws, unlike in 31 other states. Although it wasn’t illegal to give birth at home, Kentucky doesn’t currently license Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs). This makes it challenging for midwives, often certified elsewhere, to safely provide services and access necessary supplies here.
Certified Professional Midwives are nationally recognized and provide essential maternity care, specifically trained for out-of-hospital births. Their approach is evidence-based, focusing on health promotion and preventive care, avoiding unnecessary drugs and interventions. While 28 states license CPMs, Kentucky has yet to do so. Licensing is crucial to ensure families choosing out-of-hospital births receive quality care.
Many women in Kentucky, and across the US, are opting for home births. Last year, the percentage of home births in Kentucky exceeded the national average. However, women looking to birth at home face challenges, often relying on word of mouth to find midwives or even going without one if they can’t find one nearby.
In a state with one of the highest C-section rates, home birth midwives offer a safe alternative, and we are working towards changing the current laws to support this choice in Kentucky. Organizations like the World Health Organization, the American Public Health Association, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in the UK all recognize home birth as a safe option. Nonetheless, some US states make this choice difficult or unfeasible, even though it’s proven safe.
With the WHO urging the US to reduce its unnecessarily high C-section rates, supporting home birth is increasingly vital. Women are already choosing this path and will continue to do so. Providing them with lab testing, ultrasounds, and necessary medications will help ensure their safety. Consider comparing intervention rates in home births versus hospital births.
While home birth isn’t the right fit for everyone, it should be a supported choice for those who want it. My birth wouldn’t have been possible in a hospital setting in my state due to the restrictions. My midwife’s VBAC success rate is 99%, whereas the local hospital’s rate is below 20%, and its breech rate is near zero.
Regardless of the birth method you personally choose, I encourage you to join me in advocating for women in my state to have the right to choose their own birth options. I’m more than willing to support you in similar efforts if needed.
