Hospital Birth
From Encyclopedia of Sex and Sexuality
In the early part of the century most babies were delivered at home by midwives or birth attendants. Only a small percentage of babies was delivered by a doctor. By 1935, however, 35 percent of births in the United States occurred in hospitals. The proportion of hospital deliveries increased to 88 percent in 1950 and peaked at over 99 percent in the early 1970s. Today, most women deliver their babies in a traditional hospital labor and delivery unit. However, alternative choices for childbirth have evolved in recent years with respect to facility, birth attendant, and degree of technology used. In traditional units, women are in labor rooms while in labor, and then move for the actual birth to a delivery room, closely resembling an operating room. Alternatives include in-hospital birthing rooms, also known as labor/delivery rooms (LDR). These rooms are usually located within the traditional labor and delivery unit, but constitute a compromise between the traditional hospital facility and an out-of-hospital birthing center. Rooms in LDR units are usually equipped with furniture, providing a home-like setting. When delivery is close, they can be changed to resemble traditional delivery rooms. For normal deliveries, mothers deliver in the same LDRs in which they labor, and the babies usually stay with the mother afterward. Mothers and babies are then transferred to postpartum units. Most recently, labor and delivery/postpartum units have been developed in which the mother stays with the baby overnight, and is then discharged from the same room. Other options for childbirth include hospital-based birthing centers, directly connected to a hospital but separate from the labor and delivery unit, and free-standing birthing centers, that are not physically connected to a hospital. Only a few women still choose to deliver at home (see Home Birth).
The primary advantage of delivering a baby in a hospital, compared to home birth, is that equipment is available for ensuring the best potential outcome for the mother and her baby. This includes electronic fetal monitoring equipment and equipment for cesarean sections. If the mother develops a complication, trained professionals are available for her care. If cesarean section is needed, an operating room is available and no time is lost. In addition, if the baby has a problem, other doctors, including pediatricians, may be called on for help.
