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Home V. Hospital: Power And Birth, An Examination Of Control Within Birth Models In The United States, Sarah W. Rosene

SEWSA 2016 Intersectionality in the New Millennium: An Assessment of Culture, Power, and Society

In this paper I examine why some women in the United States choose midwife attended homebirth over the medical model of birth. Why do women make this decision and what are the outcomes? I examined both qualitative and quantitative data on homebirths and have identified key reasons why women chose to give birth outside of the hospital. I focused on how the mother's feelings of control impacted her satisfaction with the birth experience, and how women’s control is affected in home versus hospitalized birth. My findings reveal that home births allow the woman more agency and an environment in which …