First off, let me start by saying that there is no right or wrong way to birth your baby.
I despise mommy-wars, whether it’s about vaccinating or birthing or co-sleeping or breast-feeding or when to start your child on solids or whatever else we come up with to disagree about. The thing I firmly believe about (almost) every mother and parent is that we each truly want the best for our children, and I hold to that feeling even when someone does or believes something different than what I do or feel is best for my own family. I have friends who vaccinate and those who don’t; ones who co-sleep and ones who don’t; ones who breast-feed until a child self-weans and those who chose to bottle-feed. Do what works for you and your child and believe in the goodness of your fellow-mama’s hearts as they do what they think is best for them.
::i really liked this blog post from honey wild on stoping the mom-shame game. give it a read!::
We’ve chosen to have home births for both of our babies now, and we are completely sold on it. Granted, we have had two uncomplicated, straight-forward births, and I’ve had friends who have had difficult home births with complications that required a hospital transfer, so of course just because it’s a home birth doesn’t mean it is without risk and complication. But I just have to speak from my own experiences, and here are some of the reasons and thoughts behind why we choose to do home birth.
Home birth seems to be a lot more common and popular than it used to be, but when we first decided to do one with my first pregnancy, I had quite a few friends and family who were pretty concerned and wondered if it was safe. My answer to that question is always this: there is risk no matter where you chose to have your baby…risk in the hospital and risk at home. You just have to chose what risk you want to take and where you think you would be most comfortable and at peace. For most people, a hospital or birth center birth makes them feel safer and more at ease…and that’s ok. For others, a home birth feels safer and less risky, and that’s ok too. You just pick what you want and take what risk comes along with it.
For me, the idea of being in my home and in my own surroundings is just what I want for my labor and births. I’m super-big on atmosphere and want/need to feel like my surroundings are peaceful and calming, and my home is just the best place for that. I get to crawl into my own bed after it’s all over with and it’s quiet and calm and then Ayla gets to come crawl into bed with me in her jammies and meet her new sister and Ben makes me food from my own kitchen and it’s just nice…so nice.
Of course there is risk…you are at home without immediate medical help if something were to happen, but don’t discount the midwife and team who are there and come more prepared than you realize to intervene in anything that might come up. We were so blessed to work with Lauren from Haven Birth and Wellness, and if you are a Nashville local and are looking for a midwife or for women’s health services, you will love Lauren. She is one of the sweetest spirits I’ve ever met, and I mean, she was praying for me during my labor and gave me exactly what I needed to get that baby out safely and drama-free (i did get pretty loud at a few moments, but i don’t think you could really call that drama ;)). So find yourself a team that you can trust and feel safe with it. It makes all the difference, no matter what kind of birth you chose.
