Exploring Homebirth : Part One

I wanted to take a few days and highlight a subject that is very near and dear to my heart; homebirthing. While I have not had the privilege of experiencing a homebirth myself, I am convinced, that for some women, this is a very positive and viable option. And when proper measures are in place, homebirth has proven to be just as safe as a hospital birth for low risk women. My goal here is not to change your mind, or to denounce hospital birth, but to educate you on an alternative. I am not a doctor, so do not take this as medical advice; every family must make the decision that best suits them. This is just a group of women sharing our experiences and opening our hearts. So with that in mind, please welcome Hannah as she shares her homebirth experience.

Although it may seem like a radical choice to many, for a mother with a low-risk pregnancy, homebirth is a safe, healthy option. Studies continue to show that homebirths are just as safe as hospital births, with the benefit of fewer complications.

But regardless of the statistics, one of the most important things an expectant mother needs to decide is where she will be most comfortable giving birth. For some women, that’s a hospital, and for some women, that’s at home. Each mother has to weigh her particular circumstances – risk factors, physical location, and what she hopes the birth will look like.

There are numerous reasons why a mother may choose to give birth at home.

• Most mothers in a homebirth setting experience less pain, simply because they are more relaxed. Just setting foot inside a hospital can cause anxiety that may heighten the perception of pain.

• There is no need to leave older siblings. They can be close to mom and dad throughout labor, though usually families will arrange for a relative or friend to come and help with childcare. With births that take place at night, older siblings don’t need to be disturbed, and will often sleep through birth, then wake up to greet the new baby in the comfort of their own home.

• Mothers have more autonomy and freedom to labor however they are most comfortable. At home, a mother can move freely, eat and drink as she feels the need, and choose any position she’d like for both labor and delivery.

• Often, homebirth provides the best chance at a natural labor and delivery. When a mother chooses to labor at home, she has an assurance that she won’t be pressured into any unnecessary interventions, and the likelihood of a c-section is greatly reduced.

I can share my particular story and my particular circumstances as an example of how one mom, in one setting, has enjoyed two wonderful homebirths. And let me be very clear that I don’t regard homebirth as the superior choice, but it has been the best choice for me and my family.

I had an overall good experience giving birth to my first baby attended by a certified nurse midwife in a hospital. We had planned for a completely natural, intervention-free birth, and that’s exactly what happened. Our daughter arrived 27 hours after my water broke, after an hour and a half of pushing.

When we found out we were pregnant again a couple of years later, the memory of my previous birth stood out in my mind as long and tedious, no doubt because of the many hours I had spent pacing in our hospital room. As I began to read and research homebirth, it just made sense to me. If I didn’t want all the drugs, needles and monitoring that come with a hospital setting, then why give birth in a hospital? Why not labor in the place that I would be most comfortable?

Because of strict laws in our state concerning midwives, we had difficulty finding someone to attend a homebirth. We finally settled on a practice of doctors that attend homebirths, and though we would have preferred a midwife, figured that this was the next best thing.

Leading up to our first homebirth, there was the normal pre-birth anxiety. But this time around there was also some nervousness about our choice. Pretty much everyone around us thought we were at least a little bit crazy for giving birth at home, and I’m sure some people thought we were really crazy. Friends and acquaintances either said very little, or made a comment like, “Wow, you’re so brave!” Which I knew actually meant, “Wow, you’re nuts!”

But we were still excited and confident about our choice to birth at home, and we gathered all our supplies and made plans for the big day. I made plans and lists for all that I could do around the house to keep me busy while I labored, and set aside all the things we would need for the birth itself.

Once the day arrived, our homebirth was everything that I thought and hoped it would be. I labored throughout the night, and our baby boy made his appearance in the early morning hours. I still remember that I was shocked at how quickly the labor had passed, and was in utter disbelief that I was already holding this little baby in my arms. I couldn’t stop smiling. We had done it. We had our healthy baby boy, born in our very own living room. Our toddler had slept through the whole thing. A nurse made it to the birth in time, but the doctor on call arrived shortly thereafter, with a bit of scolding for not calling them sooner.

When we found out we were pregnant with our third baby, our choice to birth at home was an easy one. Once you’ve had a positive homebirth experience, it’s hard to imagine giving birth anywhere else. We had a direct-entry midwife attend the birth this time around, and she and her assistant arrived in plenty of time, so we chatted with them while we waited for labor to progress. Once it was time to push, I squatted at the edge of our bed. After about 20 minutes (this was my biggest baby by more than a pound!), another baby boy greeted us, this one chunkier, and with a bruised purple face from his slow exit. (You can read the full, LONG birth story here.)

It was about 8:30 in the morning, so I immediately sent my husband to bring in our other two children. I was so excited for them to finally get to meet the baby that we’d been talking about for so long. One of my favorite moments was having my big kids pile into our bed with me to admire baby brother.
We are expecting our fourth little blessing at the end of the summer, and we are planning for another homebirth. Because when it comes time to welcome a baby into the world, for me there’s no place like home.

Hannah is a mom to three children and expecting baby #4 at the end of the summer. She and her husband have found parenting to be an exhilarating, exhausting, joyous ride that leaves them thankful for their blessings each day. You can find her blogging about it all at Mulberry Spot.