I think flexibility is the key.
Homebirth is an option for an uncomplicated pregnancy and I think it might be particularly good for people who find hospitals scary places. Personally I feel safe and reassured when surrounded by qualified professionals and equipment trained and designed to keep me safe but I know lots of people don't like it.

My sister wanted a home birth with her first but her dr was a bit negative because he'd recently had a baby die during a homebirth. Perhaps as a professional he shouldn't have let this affect him, but as a human being it clearly did and she changed her mind.

I think if you're close to a hospital it's less of an issue than if you're a long way away.

Oh - and I think that eating the placenta is by definition cannibalism as it is human flesh. But I don't think that's a problem - it's one of the reasons I was tempted to do it - how shocking! :)
Lots of cultures in the past, and I think a few in the present (!), practiced cannibalism - at least this way you don't have to kill anyone to try it...!

Most animals eat the placenta because if left on the ground it attracts predators/scavengers that might harm the baby. It is a protection thing. I don't know about the health benefits, but the idea of eating my placenta grosses me out completely! Just my own opinion, not meant to judge anyone else.

I have heard of lots of folks who take it home, bury it and plant a tree over it to commemmorate their child's birth. I have to say, no one ever mentioned anything to me in my 3 hospital births about keeping it.

Yeah, eating a placenta grosses me out too!

AbiW, you crack me up with your comment on cannibalism! But I am not sure that this IS cannibalism, as per Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placenta_eating

Placentophagy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Placenta eating)

Placentophagy (from 'placenta' + Greek , to eat) is the act of mammals eating the placenta of their young after childbirth.

The placenta contains high levels of prostaglandin which stimulates involution (an inward curvature or penetration, or, a shrinking or return to a former size) of the uterus, in effect cleaning the uterus out. The placenta also contains small amounts of oxytocin which eases birth stress and causes the smooth muscles around the mammary cells to contract and eject milk.

There is also a school of thought that holds that placentophagy naturally occurred to hide any trace of childbirth from predators in the wild, though the amniotic fluid not similarly ingested by the mother seems to discount this theory. Most placental mammals participate in placentophagy, including, surprisingly, herbivorous ones. Pinnipedia and Cetacea are exceptions to mammalian placentophagy, as is the camel. Placentophagy has been observed in Insectivora, Rodentia, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha, Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla (with the camel as a noted exception), and Primates. Marsupials, which are an order of metatherian (pouched) mammals, resorb rather than deliver the placenta, and therefore cannot engage in placentophagia; they do, however, vigorously lick birth fluids as they are excreted.[1]

The most general benefit of placentophagy, according to recent research, is that placenta and amniotic fluid contain a molecule (POEF, Placental Opioid-Enhancing Factor) that modifies the activity of endogenous opioids in such a way that produces an enhancement of the natural reduction in pain that occurs shortly after and during delivery.[2]
[edit] Human placentophagy
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Placenta
human placenta

Although the placenta is revered in many cultures, very few customarily eat the placenta after the newborn's birth. Those who advocate placentophagy in humans, mostly in modern America and Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, China, and the Pacific Islands, believe that eating the placenta prevents postpartum depression and other pregnancy complications. A variety of recipes are known to exist for preparing placenta for eating in spite of the extended taboo against eating human body parts.[3] Consumption of uncooked human placenta carries risks associated with other human blood products, primarily risk of hepatitis B,C and HIV infection. However, eating one's own placenta does not carry those risks.

Humans eating parts of a human body is usually considered cannibalism. Technically, however, according to at least two sources[4][5] the definition of a cannibal is of a person who consumes the flesh of another person. Flesh is further defined as being composed of muscle tissue and fat. A placenta is not composed of muscle tissue. It is a temporary organ developed specifically for the growth and maintenance of a fetus during gestation. After the birth of the child the placenta is expelled from the mother's body. Using this line of reasoning and definitions, placentophagy would not be considered cannibalism (or self-cannibalism) any more than fingernail or hair eating would, though see hyper-texts for further discussions, above. However, at least two other dictionaries[6][7] define flesh as being simply the edible parts of an animal, in addition to the definition above. Such a definition would be applicable to the placenta within the context of placentophagy.

Obstetrician Maggie Blott disputes the post-natal depression theory. Blott, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, says that there is no medical reason to eat the placenta; "Animals eat their placenta to get nutrition - but when people are already well-nourished, there is no benefit, there is no reason to do it."[8]

Human placenta has also been an ingredient in some traditional Chinese medicines.[9]

Note that Latin placenta meant a kind of flat cake and is the origin of the Central European pancakes named in Romanian plcint, and in other languages Palatschinken, palacsinta and palainka. It was applied to the human organ by Realdus Columbus in 1559[10] The German word for placenta is Mutterkuchen, the Dutch word is moederkoek, the Danish word is moderkage, the Swedish word is moderkaka and the Norwegian word for it is morkake. All five words literally mean "mother-cake".

Um...yum. Bon appetit!

For those who may want to see the home video of Chloe's birth, it is now on YouTube!

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?&next_url=/watch%3Fv%3DHhYde6G-Vus

I also agree that there are instances when a Homebirth would be contraindicated....The same mid-wife who delivered Chloe actually suggested a hospital birth to me, given my prious history.

Birth your way!

http://mamachildbirtheducator.blogspot.com/2010/02/if-you-are-happy-with-your-choices-why.html?showComment=1266360459906_AIe9_BEsKXi2x7V4iH94JREX8OTaIdovWLZ4xPfJPGl1zU38JB5YoQxFR1uonHgPLFTdPa7sAj4DjFZEdv-kOKRwiggPtVVFaZIgy3WKzYKD9AdE0nCAkZL9lx-18X3Xv8nwbm2MIYEZl2Oj8_VnGC9TLV2yWGGYwSeKOrQO2p9AvGmpgRK-FdrAvBmqGBuYg3OT5RW3Htofqo2_9w0lrFyy4r9pwnCI-wuQ42enhwkcM2EDhWbvbtUsSTxgLT5As1GaL88DCqQw#c1877097651292554396

bump for a lovely birth story. Our bodies are amazing, and capable of doing amazing things!

Thanks for sharing this :)