It is true that women not just in Tamilnadu, but across the country delivered babies in their homes from time immemorial till some decades ago, with the help of elders and midwives. However, growth in healthcare system and facilities paved the way for hospital deliveries, thus bringing down the infant mortality rate to a great extent and TN is now one of the leading States in the country in health index. At this point of time, going back to home birthing is similar to reaching out to people through telegrams and travelling from one to place to another on bullock carts.
It is good to go back to one’s roots and follow methods used by our ancestors, but not at the cost of lives. That, too, the life of both the mother and infant is at stake when it comes to home birthing. What is even more shocking is that a few couples prefer to watch YouTube videos to give birth to baby without any proper assistance and care.
While the Tamilnadu Health Department has started a crackdown on people opting for home delivery, concerns raised by stakeholders should also be taken into consideration. Hospitals forcing pregnant women to go for C-Section and skyrocketing charges are said to be the main reasons behind couples opting for home births. It is high time the government issued a strict warning to hospitals in this regard. Also, it will be good if our private hospitals follow our auto drivers in ‘Prasavathukku Ilavasam‘. If they do it, there can be no better service than this to society.