This carries over into all other roles she assumes throughout life. However, contemporary approaches to childbirth focus only on the physical. We bend and shape the physical process of birth so that it fits neatly into a medically-defined model, while the emotional and spiritual implications are ignored. In response to these problems many families are returning to the non-technological, natural health traditions of midwifery and home birth. All animal species, including humans, have a tradition of home birth that can be traced back to the beginnings of time.
Home birth is a safe, responsible choice for many healthy, pregnant women today.
Most industrialized and non-industrialized nations alike continue to offer home birth services as a safe, affordable choice to childbearing families. The United States is one of the few countries in the world that temporarily lost its home birth tradition. The World Health Organization urges the United States to return to a midwife based, natural childbirth tradition of health care to improve outcomes for our mothers and babies. Since the 1960's the number of planned home births with midwives in the United States has consistently risen every year. The answer is different for every woman who chooses home birth.