The parents are not on "home ground" and do not have the same control they would at home. Hospitals are primarily associated with illness. Hospitals can seem impersonal and intimidating. As a large institution, the hospital has rules, policies and red tape; they are rarely altered to accommodate an individual. Less privacy is available. The father is often less actively involved in a hospital setting, and may fell like an "outsider". The mother's birth is usually managed by experts trained in pathology, not normal births. The risk of iatrogenic complications and infection to the mother and baby is greater among mothers who deliver in hospitals, than among those who give birth at home or in a birthing center. The mother is at a significantly higher risk of having an unnecessary cesarean section. Some routine separation of the mother and baby is almost unavoidable. Most hospitals do not allow the mother much rest.
