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I owe a great deal of credit to a friend I made shortly after our first daughter was born. She inspired me not only to become a birth doula and childbirth educator, but she led me to learn about midwifery and the decision we made to birth at home.

If you had told me during my first pregnancy that some women still had babies in their homes, I would have balked. I had no idea and I admit to being skeptical, but genuinely interested. I had always been interested in birth, both the anatomy and emotions involved. In planning my own first birth, I had some expectations, but I don’t think I was rigid or unbending. I had an idea of what I wanted to come away with, but I realized that I had never given birth before. Even though birth is something that has come easily to my family, I knew it wasn’t necessarily guaranteed to be the same for me. Our plan was realistic, but we knew what we wanted. I think we were an ideal first time couple.

My first birth went quite well overall. She was four weeks early, but a healthy size. There were some complications, including a misplaced vacuum suction that caused a large hematoma on Kristyn’s head and an episiotomy that became infected a few weeks postpartum. I had a doula for my second birth, which took place in hospital with my obstetrician. It was very fast, very intense, but very normal. Not one complication.

I didn’t seek out more natural approaches to birth because I was dissatisfied with my OB or hospital birth in general (though I do know women who do so for these reasons). It just seemed to me that birth was not an emergency or medical drama, and I was looking for something a bit more low key.

By the time my third pregnancy came to be, I had become familiar with several local midwives, and began a completely different kind of care. In that care, I was given a great deal more responsibility for my own health. My diet was followed closely and a lot of attention was paid to my early nutrition. Every procedure or test was explained thoroughly and entirely my husband’s choice and mine. That said, situations did arise where my midwives were more authoritative, insisting I have a blood test or ultrasound, particularly when my blood pressure rose. On the whole, I felt more proactive in my care than I ever had before.

It was with my fourth pregnancy that I began to consider homebirth as a viable option. My health was good, and I was feeling wonderful. My midwives assured me that, as long as I continued as a low-risk client, homebirth was something I was welcome to consider. Convincing my husband was a bit of a hard sell, but the midwives encouraged him to ask questions – they had pretty much heard them all.

He was reassured to know that they carried emergency equipment with them, as well as some medications. Because only low-risk clients were able to attempt homebirth, their transport rate was low and a large percentage transported for pain medication or a sudden emotional need to be in a medical setting.

And so, we found ourselves planning our final birth as a birth to take place in our home. We were given a list of items to have on hand and encouraged to have a clean and open area for labour to take place. Once that was taken care of, we waited.

My home labour and birth could not have gone more smoothly. Alexander was a large baby, nearly ten pounds, but from beginning to end, labour was less than five hours. He was born by our bed and into my arms. The midwives tidied what little mess there was and we all climbed in to bed, tired and happy. Complete. It was one of the most memorable events of my life.

I understand that stories of homebirth abound. Positive stories. Negative stories. There are healthy outcomes and medical emergencies. Homebirth is a healthy choice, when approached sensibly and with careful planning. That said, homebirth is not an option for everyone, which I think is quite obvious. Besides medical complications, it is important to note that even some women who are perfect homebirth candidates should not birth at home. Some women need to feel safe in a medical setting, whether it is a birthing center or hospital. The vast majority of the transfers I’ve witnessed, as a doula, have been for that reason. Still, for the healthy, low-risk, and conscientious woman, homebirth has been proven to be very safe and very beneficial.

What are some of the benefits or homebirth?

Labouring and birthing in your own environment ensures your comfort and control over your surroundings.

Many women desire a medication-free birth. Being comfortable in your surroundings (and where the medication is not!) can help with that immensely.

Mom and Dad can decide who is present at the birth, and in what capacity.

Less chance of hospital-borne infection.

No separation of mom and baby due to routine hospital procedure.

The ability to more easily decline routine infant testing or procedures.

Because there is no separation, breastfeeding gets off to a much smoother start. Many midwives are also certified lactation consultants or breastfeeding counselors and offer incredible support.

Where can I get more information about homebirth in my area?

That does depend on where you live. Overall, I am not familiar with many of the differing laws from state to state in the US, but here are some excellent places to start, from reputable sources I’ve asked:

Wikipedia Page on Homebirth, which carries a lot of information on state to state laws.

The Midwifery Alliance of North America, a professional organization for midwives that encourages education and support of midwifery. Many links to other sources as well!

In Canada, midwifery and homebirth is legal, however, it depends, from province to province, what degree of their services are covered by our universal health care. For Canadian readers, go to: Canadian Association of Midwives, click on Across Canada to view the status of midwifery in your province. This status changes rapidly, and many opportunities are available in your province to make homebirth more widely available and supported!

In Europe and other parts of the world, midwifery and homebirth are considered more mainstream and there is no shortage of information and advocacy groups:

Homebirth in the UK

Homebirth Reference Site from the UK

Homebirth Australia

The Birth Centre Network of Europe

What if I just want to poke around, read some stories, and get inspired?

The story of Alex’s labour and birth is here, on my site.

Birthlove.com, the largest collection of birth stories online!

Birth Diaries

Birth Stories.com

Planning the birth of your child is the first of many in regard to parenting. Choice is the key and women have many. With information and encouragement women should birth where they are comfortable. Should that place be home, I can’t think of a better place to welcome a new little one!

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[tags]home birth, child birth, Pregnancy, doula, midwife, hospital, medication, parenting[/tags]