Home Birth

We recently watched "The Business of Being Born," an interesting and good movie for anybody planning on having a baby :) And I realized after watching it, and talking about it that still not a lot of people really know about/consider home birth. So I thought I'd write a little something about it - since that is our plan :)

Probably the most common question is "Isn't that dangerous?" A lot of people tend to assume that having a baby at home means having it alone without the help of any medical professionals. While that's possible, of course, it's not the usual or recommended way to do it. We're having a midwife (Katie) at the birth, as well as her assistant (to help with birthing stuff), and a doula to help with any other support we might need. We'll have a birthing tub, and birthing ball here, etc. and it will be lots of fun... I'm sure... nothing but fun.

The thing that worries most people is how often, in hospitals, people "need" c-sections, pitosin, epidurals, etc. and that this medical support wouldn't be available at home. In some cases, a c-section may indeed be necessary - but the reality is that most c-sections are not necessary, and the rate of successful home births without c-sections is much higher than that of hospital births. This may be partly because the c-section is less readily available, but mostly because many c-sections are recommended by doctors when they are not necessary, or as a result of an epidural that makes it much more difficult for the mother's body to perform the birth naturally. If a c-section or other medical support is required, it will usually be discovered before the mother goes into labor (at prenatal visits, etc), and if not, as many procrastinating fathers have probably learned, it IS possible to transport a laboring woman to the hospital.

Given that there is a small risk associated with it, the next question most people would have is "Why bother?" What is the benefit of a home birth that would make you want to have one? There are a few reasons that we want to have a home birth. The first one is to avoid all that hullabaloo they put you through at the hospital, obviously! The second, is that our midwife, Katie, is doing all our prenatal visits, and the delivery. She has been very attentive and helpful in everything so far, an always does a great job of helping us understand and talk about everything we might have questions about or want to talk about regarding the baby. Granted, I have never had a baby at a hospital - but from what I've heard, this is quite different from typical OB/GYN visits. She also plans to be there for the duration of the birth and won't try to rush the birth or recommend a c-section if it's taking longer than the hospital has scheduled for it, and/or insurance wants to pay for. In a hospital, if you stay "too long", you may end up with a different doctor you've never met suddenly performing the delivery of your baby.

Of course there are the other, more concrete benefits, like the fact that Breezy can eat... the fact that I can eat. The fact that we are at home, in a comfortable place, with nice lighting, a kitchen, a private bathroom, and all our favorite music and blankies, etc :) The fact that we don't have to get up, pack the baby in a baby seat, get Breezy in the car and drive home the next day, and the fact we will be with people we really trust to have our best interests in mind throughout the whole process, and be there to call, or check up on us afterward. That is probably one of the most important things, and the reason I would recommend to anyone, even if you plan to have your baby in the hospital sometime, that you find a midwife or a doula to meet with and to be there with you at the birth, and afterward.

Also, I'm super excited about the birth, knowing that we're planning it in our home - I feel like I wouldn't be so excited if it were in the hospital - where I'm not used to being, and we feel less in control, and more... sick! It's pretty cool planning it at home. If you have any questions, I'll be HAPPY to answer them - or look them up for you :)