Tips for Having a Healthy Homebirth

In the Aug. 7 issue of Time magazine, author Ada Calhoun writes about "Giving Birth at Home," a subject that is dear to my heart. I've given birth at home only once, but I was already a big fan of the concept when I had my older two children at birth centers. When I got pregnant with my third child in an area without a birth center nearby, I knew giving birth at home was exactly what I wanted. Birthing at home isn't for everyone, but for those of you who are considering it, here are some tips to having a happy and healthy homebirth.

1. Learn the laws of your state. In approximately 14 states, it is unlawful for a direct-entry midwife, for example, a certified professional midwife (CPM) or a licensed professional midwife (LPM) -- a midwife who went through midwifery training but is not necessarily a registered nurse -- to attend a birth, even though many of them are the most experienced, well-respected in the midwifery community. Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), on the other hand, all went to nursing/midwifery school, but even they have trouble attending homebirths in certain states. The Midwives Alliance of North America has a comprehensive chart about the state-by-state status of midwives.
2. Pick an experienced, recommended midwife. The best way to find a midwife is to ask other women who've had midwife-assisted births. Check homebirth-friendly discussion forums like Mothering.com or search online at sites like Midwifery Today, Midwife.org or BirthPartners.com. Once you have a list of names, start making initial consultations to interview the midwives. This is the perfect time to ask anything and everything you want to know. Be thorough, ask for and contact references and make sure you feel absolutely comfortable with a midwife before you hire her.
3. Make sure to go over the transfer plan. Nobody wants to think about a transfer when they are planning a homebirth, but they do occur, and you should know exactly which hospital is closest, whether your midwife has a back-up obstetrician or at least relationship with a particular hospital, and if your midwife will stay with you during your transfer. Although some midwives have very low transfer rates, they should still advise you on how they will proceed if an emergency should arise. Also find out what kinds of complications could lead to a transfer, not to scare you, but to make you (and your partner) aware.
4. Take a childbirth preparation class. It's even more important for homebirthing mothers and their partners to be prepared than for hospital-birthing mothers. There are many options: Bradley, Birthing From Within, HypnoBabies, Lamaze, and independent childbirth prep classes to name the major philosophies. Regardless of what kind of class you take, make sure you and your partner (or designated birth "coach") will attend with you. Even if you end up a completely internally focused birther who needs little support from your spouse or partner, at least they'll have a basic understanding of what your body is going through. My husband got off so easy he munched on Triscuits during my first labor!
5. Watch homebirth videos. My family enjoyed the popular Birth Day, a short documentary chronicling the third homebirth of Naolí Vinaver, a Mexican midwife. She looks so relaxed, and she's so at ease in her home, with her family and midwife surrounding her, you can't help but excited about your own birth when watching. But there are many homebirth videos on YouTube as well. Some are much better than others, but all provide a glimpse of what birthing at home is like.
6. Order all of your birth supplies by week 35. Most midwives will allow you to birth at home by full-term or 37 weeks. Although you aren't likely to have a homebirth before week 37, it's good to order whatever supplies are on your midwife's list a couple of weeks before-hand. Not all babies arrive at week 40, so if you wait too long, you might be short some useful supplies. My homebirth baby was born at 37 weeks, 3 days, and I'm so relieved I already had the items my midwife asked me to purchase in a big box.
7. Create a "birth space" in your home. This is important if you are using a birth tub. This way you and your partner know where to set up the tub, stash your birth supplies, etc. Just keep in mind that no matter where you *think* you will give birth, you might end up pushing on the bathroom floor, the living-room sofa, or like one close friend of mine, on a birth stool in her kitchen. Still, it never hurts to scope out a comfortable location and consider it your "birth space." For me, it was the basement rec room.
8. Hire a doula. If your midwife doesn't work with a birth assistant or back-up midwife, you might want to find your own doula to attend your birth. A doula is likely to come to your house even earlier than your midwife, and she can do a number of things -- from providing labor support and gathering supplies to taking care of your other children or calming nervous fathers. Doulas are an invaluable help to homebirthing mothers, and they complement the midwife's role.
9. Prepare older siblings. Repeat moms know that birth doesn't always happen on a convenient schedule, so it's crucial to take into consideration what you'll do with older kids as you labor. Do you want them to watch? Do you prefer them to stay with relatives or friends nearby until after you've given birth? What about late-night births? Investigate having the kids attend a siblings-preparation class. Explain that you will be giving birth at home, and if they're going to watch that you'll be doing very hard work to push out their baby brother or sister.
10. Don't listen to naysayers. Some people can't resist telling you horror stories about pregnancy and birth, no matter where you are planning to labor and deliver. But when you you are planning a homebirth, you get some interesting comments -- usually from people all-too-eager to tell you about friends-of-friends-of-friends who had emergency transfers and bad outcomes thanks to their "crazy" homebirths. Tune those stories out, or even better, assertively ask others not to share their scary second-hand stories.

Comments

Search RSS

GretaBlau   |2008-10-14 17:07:08 Thanks for posting this! It's great to see other moms home birthing and love your list, which shows that those of us who choose this are aware and planning ahead!

Only registered users can write comments!

Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.26

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."