As far as I know, pregnancy is not an illness. Women delivered babies without going to doctors for a very long time? I understand there can be life-threatening complications, but I don't see why we use up valuable hospital space with maternity wards.
I think if I were going to design a system from scratch I would encourage the development of birthing centers that were located near hospitals and had emergency access to those hospitals when a life-threatening emergency occurred. But for the normal childbirths it would be far less expensive and far less stressful than going to a hospital.
If I were running such a center, I'd have lots of thick socks, warm bathrobes, skin creme, places for siblings-to-be to play, and a good atmosphere for friends and family to visit the laboring mother right up until the time when clothing becomes a bad idea.
For the record, Mrs. ArGee wouldn't believe she was in labor with our first, then took a long time to get ready to go. When we finally got to the (military) hospital she was 7cm dilated. Our son was born within 2 hours. THAT's the way to do it. Even though the hospital was positively barbarian with stirrups and silver nitrate and all sorts of horrible, antiquated things, it was the best L&D experience she had because most of it was at home.
My first grandson was born at Davis-Monthan AFB, by a Midwife (military) in a birthing center. It was all low key, and I was there for the Blessed Event. It was awesome. I was the first civilian to hold that baby!
Las Vegas Valley has several birthing centers, and though they are “attached” to hospitals, they do lessen the stress. And you are correct: pregnancy is NOT an illness, although during the first trimester, the body seems to think so!
I know what you mean about not believing you need to go to the hospital. I stalled around because I figured being there would be boring and had been regaled with stories of 36 hours in labor, etc. Got there @ 1130 and baby was born @ 1330. 4.5 hours total labor for first baby. The bad part was that the resident thought I wasn’t in labor and tried to send me home. (I was one of very few Caucasian women in the hospital and he obviously felt that I wasn’t making enough of a fuss.) Fortunately, the head nurse knew what she was doing and he respected her opinion enough to give me benefit of doubt.
NnB, your family had it right!