I haven't always wanted a home birth. My firstborn son was born by an unexpected C-section despite my thorough preparation for a natural birth. When I got pregnant with my daughter, I wasn't sure whether my attempted VBAC would be a success. The thought of having a home VBAC didn't even cross my mind then. Sophia's birth turned out to be perfect & healing. I delivered her quickly, easily & without complications, & that's when I started to trust my body again.
By the time I watched the Business of Being Born & found the blog of Gina, the Feminist Breeder, who was planning her first home VBAC, I knew I wanted my next birth to take place at home.
I also read about Danelle's home water birth (see Peaceful Parenting blog) & watched Rixa's home water birth on video (see Stand & Deliver blog). Both of these women are highly educated (in fact, they both have PhDs) & made an informed decision to deliver their babies at home. Most recently I watched online home birth video of chiropractor Dr. Nancy Salgueiro from Your Birth Coach. The deal was sealed.
In my mind there wasn't even a choice between hospital & home birth. After I learned about the kind of birth a woman could have, hospital birth was simply not an option anymore. By the time I did my research, I knew that home birth was the best choice for me & that experience would by far outshine anything I could expect (or settle for) in the hospital setting. I wanted to give myself & my next child that gift. Although it was important to have a healthy baby in my arms, my birthing experience had to matter too.
After talking to my husband (who was reluctant in the beginning) I set the wheels in motion by finding my midwife through the Mothering magazine online community (It's difficult to find a provider willing to do a home VBAC). Gradually, everything else slowly fell into place.
As I now have about 2 weeks left before my official due date, I wanted to write down the reasons I chose a home birth for my 3rd child. They've been floating in my head for many months now just waiting to be expressed.
1) I view birth as a natural & perfectly normal process, not a medical event or illness that needs lots of monitoring & interventions in order to proceed safely. While "medical model"/conventionally trained OB providers are indispensable in emergencies, few of them have ever witnessed an intervention-free home birth. Having experienced my share of hospital protocols (both as a nurse & a patient), I decided that the safest place for me to birth was my home. I trust my body & want to avoid an environment that looks for pathology at every turn.
The knowledge of how to give birth without outside interventions lies deep within each woman. Successful childbirth depends on an acceptance of the process. ~ Anonymous2) Although I had relatively good pain control with my last two labors & one natural delivery (thanks to hypnobirthing), I truly believe I can be much more comfortable in the security of my home & through birthing in water. In a hospital environment women often produce the stress hormone adrenaline in response to their conscious or subconscious fear. As a result, the release of the hormone oxytocin is inhibited causing the labor to slow down, which usually leads to a cascade of potentially harmful medical interventions.
3) In my own home, I am in charge while everyone else is a guest. I would not need to ask permission to eat, get a drink, use a restroom, change positions, wear clothes or be naked, dim the lights or turn on music. If I feel strong & powerful, my labor will be more likely to progress as expected.
The parallels between making love and giving birth are clear, not only in terms of passion and love, but also because we need essentially the same conditions for both experiences: privacy and safety. ~ Sarah Buckley4) I love the idea of not having to travel anywhere in the middle of the night (that bumpy car ride when you are almost fully dilated is pretty uncomfortable). It's so convenient to have people come to my house instead (no one needs to go pick up grandma from Tacoma or wake up the kids). I can also labor on my own for a while without waking up my husband (once he finds out I am in labor, he usually can't sleep & his anxiety can interfere with my concentration). Thanks to careful planning & preparation, everything I may need is at home.
5) I will be assisted through labor & delivery by highly-trained & competent providers I chose & with whom I have established therapeutic & caring relationships (there will be no strangers in the room), facilitating smoother & less stressful delivery through their support & continuity of care.
6) The chances of my birth plan wishes being respected are far greater at home than in the hospital. Being at home I am less likely to be coerced & make decisions out of fear, intimidation or desire to please someone else (something I often struggle with).
7) Multiple studies have confirmed that home birth was safe. The American College of OB/GYNs doesn't support planned home births (even for low risk women), & their position is that the only safe place to have a baby is at the hospital with access to the latest technology. However, this access hasn't brought us better healthcare outcomes. The US ranks only 43rd (!) out of 196 countries in the infant survival rate, according to the United Nations. So the smartest thing to do is to "get the hell out of the hospital" (an actual quote from the Business of Being Born documentary).
8) By staying at home I eliminate my chances of getting a hospital-acquired infection (such as drug-resistant bacteria).
9) My kids can be a part of this birth, or at least see the baby just minutes after he is born. This is something Gerritt (who is 4 years old) may remember for the rest of his life. I can even pet my dogs while in labor (even though I'll probably have my husband take them to grandma's house a week before my due date to eliminate constant barking at birth assistants coming in & out). I am thinking peace & serenity here...
10) After the birth, my baby will not be taken away from me for such routine hospital procedures as eye ointment application, vitamin K shot & first bath. My kids, husband & I can all climb into a family bed for emotional bonding & cuddling.
11) My placenta will not become a biohazard waste. Instead, it will be lovingly preserved as part of the placenta encapsulation process.
12) I can take as many photos as I like & also videotape my birth without having to ask for special permission.
Although I have a few anxieties as I approach my due date (it's my first home birth after all), it would be a shame not to even try.
Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers ~ strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength. ~ Barbara Katz Rothman
Additional Resources:
1) 161 Reasons to Birth at Home!!! by Informed Parenting
