So we home school, which is becoming more accepted and mainstream as more people realize the benefits…but home birth?? Goodness, this was a bit foreign to me as well a few years back. Our first child is adopted, our second was born in the hospital. All natural and with a doula, but still in the hospital. With #3 I felt confident I could improve upon the experience. We still had a doula who had had some experience and living out in the toolies, we were a long ways from anything. I didn’t tell too many people because 1) it’s not anyone’s business, really and 2) I didn’t want to hear anyone’s (unwanted) opinions.
I did my research, you’d better believe that! I’ve worked long and hard to get these kids I wasn’t going to do something stupid just because it might be popular in the “crunchy” world or because it sounded cool/fun/empowering, etc. Did you know that home birth is actually safer in most cases than a hospital birth? And a year later, thinking on the differences in my experiences, I can see how that could be! I’m not sure it is always in the best interests to have a baby in a place where sick people congregate. Think about that. I read books, I interviewed midwives (four to be exact…or was it 5?). I talked to friends who had home birthed. I read about people who had a negative outcome and would do it again. I read about people who had a negative outcome and wouldn’t do it again. I watched documentaries. I became familiar with Ina May Gaskin and “The Farm”. I talked it out with my husband (who, by the way, hates hospitals). We hired a lovely Christian doula who had also had some midwife experience (just in case the midwife we chose didn’t make it in time). Then we hired a midwife who had over 1000 births under her belt. I can almost assuredly say my MD doesn’t have that many births under his belt, maybe 20% of that.
I continued care with my MD and also saw my midwife. She was 90 miles away so we wanted to have continuity of care for both providers should she not make it and/or should I change my mind or need to be transported to the hospital.
In the end, my labor started at 4:30 (ish)pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013. I called my doula at 5:30 and the midwife at 6pm. I labored at home on the couch and as soon as my husband was done installing the front light (sarcasm, but yes he was doing this for real) and had the birthing pool slightly filled (things were happening fast!) I jumped in. Our doula arrived at 7:30pm. I delivered and caught my own baby in water at 7:50pm and six minutes later the midwife arrived.
Our baby had to spend some time at Sacred Heart Pediatric Unit which I will write about another time, but he is fine and I would home birth again in a heart beat. If that is not an option, they’d better leave me in a dark corner in the hospital room and not touch me or talk to me. 🙂 I know I can do it by myself now and interruptions are annoying. LOL
Belly Acres Ranch 