Which is better having your baby at home w/midwife or in a hospital?

[klvcaudillo]

How many of you have had a home birth vs a hospital birth?  What helped you make you decision?  Did anyone feel forced to choose one or the other?

[mrisha]

For me there was no choice to make.  I knew from the moment I became pregnant I was going to the hospital.  Too many things can happen or go wrong with you or the baby and the midwife may not have the necessary equipment or meds to help with a difficult birth.

[mangomiata]

Never a question that I would give birth in a comfortably staffed hospital with all the latest equipment at their disposal.

I had 4 and they all ended up needing some form of assistance before, during or after birth.

[cloudsoup]

i would like to know the reasons that people choose
to have a midwife in the first place. what are the pros
and cons? i have never known anyone to give birth
outside of a hospital, so i'm curious...

also, can anyone be a midwife or do you have to be
certified? hmm.

[Valerie1979]

when i researched this most midwives are certified and many are of nursing background.  Why I researched it was because it is someone with more time and attention to focus on you as a new mother as well as the baby.  They are there to help you breastfeed immediately, etc.  Many midwives also work with hospitals.

My husband wasn't too comfortable with the midwife.... and my son was born at 29 weeks and needed to be in the NICU so we were comfortable with our decision -