I was recently featured in an article on Babble.com in an article on Kourtney Kardashian’s statement about not being comfortable with homebirth. I was quoted as the only pro-homebirth mommy and while I’m okay with that, I wanted to take the time not to share my story (I’e already done that here and here), but to share my decision.
I know homebirth is not right for every woman (though I do think it should be every woman’s right to choose it if she wishes) and I would never tell any woman she should do it. It’s something a woman has to want for herself and something she really believes in, as I do.
My first birth didn’t go as I had planned (the full, long story here) and my second went pretty much exactly as I wanted aside from a long labor at the hospital.
With my first baby, I didn’t even consider homebirth. I wasn’t very well educated and started seeing an OB that was recommended by a friend. It wasn’t until I signed up for a Bradley class that was cancelled that I really started thinking about how I wanted the birth to go. Despite my best efforts, my first birth was an unwanted (and unnecessary) induction which left me feeling angry and like a victim of circumstances outside myself.
When I started thinking about another birth, I immediately knew homebirth would be a great option for me. I wanted a birth that was as intervention-free as possible and after an (almost) natural first birth despite the induction, I knew I could do it. Unfortunately an overseas move in the middle of my second pregnancy took homebirth out of the realm of possibility.
But with my third, homebirth was the only option I even considered. I did have to face the possibility of another hospital birth an possible c-section midway through when it was discovered I had a complete placenta previa (more on that here) but even that didn’t change my mind about wanting a homebirth.
I chose homebirth for me, my baby and my family for many reasons and always felt comfortable with my choice because:
- We live near a hospital with maternity care. Two actually. The closest maternity unit with a level III NICU is a mere 2 miles and less than 5 minutes from our home and the hospital where both my girls were born is less than 5 miles from our home. (And even a third that is about 6 miles away).
- I trusted my midwife. My chosen midwife is state licensed, has a good reputation in my community, has attended tons of homebirths and has backup support from local OBs, including those at the practice I saw with my first two pregnancies.
- I trusted my body. I gave birth naturally twice before and trusted my body to be able to do it again. Even with the placenta previa, I listened to my midwife and neonatologist (who stopped treating me midway since I wasn’t seeing an OB) and never felt the need to switch care because it wouldn’t have made a difference (and the condition cleared up on its own by the third trimester).
- My family supported me. Hubby was open to the idea (though understandably a bit less confident than me). My girls were excited to be involved and my parents were willing to be there to help with the girls. Everyone in my life supported my decision even if they had private reservations and concerns about it.
- I wanted an easy birth. I hated being stuck in the hospital for days after my first uneventful birth and had to fight the system to get out in less than 24 hours after my healthy second birth. I wanted to have my baby and snuggle down in my bed with him and go about our lives.
And that’s exactly what we’ve done.
Homebirth may not be right for every woman, but I can’t imagine doing it any other way!
