Home birth safety

Obstetrician & Gynecologist Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, MD, shares advice on how to have a safe home birth and the most important things to have in order to be safe during a home birth
How To Have A Safe Home Birth
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Home birth safety

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So homebirth is a really hot topic right now and homebirth, in a word, can be safe for the right person with the right team. That’s the key. I think the other key here is what do you consider an acceptable risk or surprise. Because the truth is that obstetrics is pretty much always a surprise. You know, I’ve been delivering babies for a long time, I’ve delivered a lot of babies and I have been surprised. And I deliver babies in the hospital where I know that I can get away with certain amount of flexibility, because I’ve immediately available medical interventions in an emergency. The deal with having a homebirth is that it is for a person who is considered a low risk patient. A patient who is otherwise healthy, is having no medical complications during the pregnancy and has really, really outstanding, skilled assistants in that home birth. The attendant, in my opinion, should be a midwife, a skilled, experienced midwife. One of the most important skills that the homebirth attendant has is that sixth sense about where things are going, because you don’t want to be dealing with the emergency now. You want to be anticipating, “Is this going in the right direction? And can we continue to be here or should we go somewhere where we’re going to have all the safety nets available?” It’s really about setting up an environment where you’re going to feel safe and then again surrendering, knowing you don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s going to happen anywhere.

Obstetrician & Gynecologist Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, MD, shares advice on how to have a safe home birth and the most important things to have in order to be safe during a home birth

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Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, MD

Obstetrician & Gynecologist

Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz completed her undergraduate education at Wesleyan University and post-baccalaureate pre-medical studies at Mills College. She earned her medical degree in 1996 from the University of Southern California School of Medicine, completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and has been in private practice of obstetrics and gynecology in Los Angeles, CA since 2000. After many years of a personal yoga and meditation practice, she completed her Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist degree at California College of Ayurveda in 2010 and was board certified in Integrative and Holistic medicine in 2008.

Suzanne is involved in women’s empowerment and public education, and appears frequently as an expert in women’s and integrative health on TV, online and in print. She is co-founder of Cedars Sinai Medical Center's Green Committee and is deeply committed to the promotion of healing that involves individuals, families, communities and the planet.  She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children in a "green" renovated home with a sustainable native plants garden and organic “urban mini-farm”.

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