Noted actor Kalki Koechlin has announced that she is five months pregnant with her boyfriend, Israeli pianist Guy Hershberg. The Sacred Games actor also added that she has decided she would be doing a home water birth to deliver her child.
Like much of motherhood, pregnancy and the delivery process, is something heavily debated. Everyone wants the best for their child, and with more options, the choice becomes harder.
Kalki has already begun reflecting on the changes within her, telling HT Brunch,
“I already feel the changes in the way I react to things. I am more deliberate, slower, more patient. When motherhood comes eventually, it brings with it a new consciousness to your sense of person.”Kalki Koechlin
Kalki only recently made her relationship with her partner public through a series of Instagram posts in September.
What is a Home Birth?
Kalki’s announcement of planning to do a home birth has led to increased curiosity about the term. What are home births, and are they better than regular c-sections?
Home births, as the name suggests, are deliveries based out of your own home and not a hospital. It was the way most births occurred especially before modern medicine.
If you choose to give birth at home, your midwives or birthing assistants will regularly be involved in your pregnancy right from the start. They will work with you and your gynaecologist to give prenatal care. They then also go back and help with postnatal care and breastfeeding help.
Most women who opt for home births do so to regain control of their birthing process and deliver in a comfortable, familiar setting, according to Mayo Clinic.
According to an earlier FIT article, in an evaluation of 15 different studies, it was revealed that women who choose this option were less likely to take medical intervention such as pain medication or even an epidural.
The study said that women who received midwife-led continuity of care were less likely to have an epidural. In addition, fewer women had episiotomies or instrumental births. Women’s chances of a spontaneous vaginal birth were also increased, and there was no difference in the number of cesarean births.
Home births are rare, but the natural birth movement is gaining ground, supported by mothers, doctors and activists.
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