At this point, the majority of women have Braxton Hicks contractions, which are nothing more than pre contractions aimed to help your body prepare for labour. Most of the time they are random and while sometimes uncomfortable, not usually outright painful. Yes, real contractions with real labour are MUCH more painful.
Hey lady-who-is-going-to-give-birth-in-a-few-weeks, have you thought about where you want to have your baby? Yup, we said where. In this crazy modern world of ours, a woman has at three choices (not including taxis and airplanes): a hospital, a birthing center, or at home - all of which are perfectly viable and safe options; all of which have their very own pros and cons.
Hospital
Pro: In the chance that anything goes seriously wrong, you have immediate access to full medical staff and all the necessary resources to deal you’re your specific situation.
Pro: You will have (easy) access to pain medication in the form of an epidural if or when you need it.
Con: You can't sleep in your own bed, use your own bathtub or easily access food and other things as desired.
Con: Depending on where you live it can be very expensive to spend even one night in a hospital – especially if you don't have good healthcare insurance.
Birthing Centre (these have popped up in the last decade; some of which are located right inside of hospitals).
Pro/Con: They rarely offer epidurals, but often do have many unique pain management options including birthing tubs, birthing coaches, massage therapists, TENS units, etcetera.
Pro: They offer a home-like birthing environment for women not comfortable birthing at home and want a different environment than a hospital.
Pro: They're run by certified midwives and nurses who're trained to deal with just about every possible complication during labour and birth.
Con: You can't sleep in your own bed at night, use your own bathtub and food access is up to the Birthing Centre.
Pro: Birthing centres are women-built, women-centered labour-positive environments.
Home Birth
Pro: You're in your home.
Con: You're in your home.
Pro/Con: You're signing on the dotted line for a medication-free labour (might be a pro for some…might be a huge con).
Con: In the unlikely chance something goes wrong and your midwife is unable to resolve it, you will need to get to the hospital and get there quickly.
Pro: Postpartum sleep in your own bed, your own bathroom, your own food, your own space.
Ultimately, it's your choice and one you need to consider carefully because your labour in each of these environments will set a vastly different mood, which may be important enough to you that it could effect how your labour progresses.
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