So many moms today love home births, but man, for me, I loved my hospital births. I don't mean I love medical interventions and sure, the idea of staying home in comfortable surroundings is definitely appealing, but I chose the hospital route four times and I honestly don't regret it.
I will admit that I've never been married to the idea of having a "perfect" birth. I always wanted to have a safe delivery for both myself and my child, and how I got there was less important to me than it is for others. I did choose a VBAC for my three births after my initial C-section (both because I wanted to experience vaginal birth and I also didn't want another major surgery), but that was the extent of my birth plan.
In fact, after I had my babies, I loved the rest of the stay. Being able to hunker down in a quiet, homey room, with my family and my new baby, was vacation-like, and dare I say it? Resort-like. My meals were brought to me (and forget the old adage that hospital food is nasty — I happen to like it), I had a sweet TV that played movies and people brought me presents and treats.
In the hospital, I had help just a beep away, and a baby nurse would change my infant's diaper while I tried to poop. Nobody would care if I dropped clots in the shower, and I could kick all of my sheets onto the floor because of night sweats and they would be picked up by someone else. I could snuggle with my newborn and leak colostrum all over my nightgown, and I could get a new one with no fuss or fanfare.
Also, when you already have a child, you can spend your time in the hospital focusing completely on your newborn baby. You can sleep when she sleeps, and you don't have to wrangle your toddler off the changing table or try to keep him entertained when you're nursing your newest babe. You will likely miss your older kids, but those precious few days are all about you and your new baby.
I'm not disparaging home birth at all, and I know that many moms have all these luxuries and more when they stay home for labor and delivery. And I also am aware that not every hospital provides a comfortable experience. Liking a hospital birth is definitely not a popular confession, but there you have it — I liked birthing in a hospital and if I were going to go down the whole pregnancy-and-baby road again, I'd happily have another hospital birth. Am I alone here?
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