Introduction to Homebirth

I'm about to reintroduce a radical concept. I say 'reintroduce' because it is only in the last century or so that we've lost sight of this option. After several generations, we're now so cluttered with false and misleading information about childbirth that we don't even look at this option as realistic.

What is this option? Homebirth.

Ah, the word 'home'. It brings up such good feelings, doesn't it? There's no place like home, after all. That's why when we're away from it we end up homesick.

Home is just better. Think about it. Homegrown, homespun, home cooking. It seems everything is better with the word 'home' in it, so why not homebirth? Some people would like you to believe another cliche, that you can never go home again, but it's not true. Some people don't understand why on earth people would WANT to deliver at home, and they list off a million things that can go wrong...but we'll get into that.

The first thing we need to understand is fear. Fear is a powerful force that can compel us to make decisions in order to alleviate that feeling as quickly as possible. The problem with fear is that it doesn't tell you facts, it just tells you to be afraid.

Fear can be a good thing. It can alert you to danger so that you can get yourself out of that situation as quickly and safely as possible.

Fear can also be a bad thing. If you have bad information about something, your fear can drive you to make bad decisions. When you don't know the facts, your fear can limit your options based on what you think you know. This can hurt you.

We fear what we do not understand.

Why is this important to start out with? That's simple.

If I told you that I enjoyed camping, you would call up everything that you'd heard or experienced in regards to camping to try to understand what I was telling you. If you'd enjoyed camping, you would look at my experience in a positive light. Even if I had a bad experience, you would say 'Oh it's not always like that!' and I'd probably say that you were right and we'd laugh about it as I told you my camping horror story.

If you'd never been camping but had heard lots of wonderful things about camping, you'd want to hear more about what happened when I went camping because camping sounds like something you'd want to do. After all, lots of other people have done it, and you know because of what you've heard that camping is fun.

Now imagine that all you'd ever heard about camping revolved around stories of people stuck in bug-infested tents. They were freezing, hungry, bored and lonely. They were scared and isolated. Strange noises kept them up all night and wild animals roamed free. That doesn't sound fun, does it?

If that was all you had ever heard about camping, and I tried to tell you that I had fun, that it wasn't like what you've heard at all, your fear would most likely tell you to write me off as a nut because everything you've ever heard told you that camping is dangerous business. Regardless of whether I actually had fun, or you would have had fun with me, you would believe that camping is something that you'd never want to do because of what you've heard and experienced. You would probably try to tell me that I was 'lucky' that I had fun camping, because most people don't. You would probably tell me how dangerous camping is in order to get me to understand why you would never do something like that, and to let me know that you think camping isn't something that I should be taking so lightly.

End of analogy but the point is this: How many birth horror stories have you heard? How many have you seen on television, on the news, in movies, and in books? You may even have your own birth horror stories to contribute.

Even stories that end with 'Now we have our healthy baby and that's all that matters.' are horror stories. It's just like saying 'We survived camping though and came back in one piece!'

Let's face it, from the time you were born and your own mother got together with her friends and told them the birth horror story that ended with you in your mother's arms, you have heard horror stories so often that it's ingrained into your mind. So ingrained that if someone tries to argue, you whip off all of the stories that you remember to prove that person wrong.

What if they're not wrong? What if birth can truly be an awesome experience, without constant fear, unrelenting pain, and hopefully the good ending that involves a healthy baby? What if there is more to birth than just surviving through a grueling experience just so that you can have a child? What if birth can be an empowering physical, emotional, feminine, and spiritual experience? Wouldn't you feel cheated if no one had told you?

That's why I'm telling you.

Now, I wasn't always a homebirth advocate. I've had 6 children in hospitals and I have my own fair share of horror stories. I dealt with complications and unrelenting pain and I know all about pain relief for birth but after all that, I was able to change my mind. I suppose you could call me a 'born again homebirther' and take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I may be onto something here and you won't know unless you free your mind.

I don't get anything if you 'convert' to homebirth. I'm not asking you to send in $5 for superawesome benefits that only the homebirth guru can provide. I'm telling you to think about it...for you, for your family, for your babies-to-be or your friend or whomever. I'm asking you to open up just a little bit and say 'What if?'. It's not for me, it's for you and everyone affected by you.

Sounds like a cult, huh? We're harmless, I promise.

I hope to write a series of articles about homebirth to address the questions that many people have about birth, how homebirth is different, how and when homebirth is safe, your options when considering an alternative- or homebirth, and the limitless benefits that homebirth can bring to your life...not just during your pregnancy, but at parenting stages throughout your child's life.

Here are some topics I'd like to address:

Is homebirth safe? (The answer will surprise you)
Is homebirth a feminist issue?
I'm not a religious or spiritual person, wouldn't the spiritual benefits of homebirth be lost on me?
I'm thinking about a homebirth, but my husband/partner thinks I should think again.
What about pain?
What is a water birth?
How do I find a good homebirth midwife?
What are my options for prenatal and postnatal care, and how do I find a practicioner that will respect my options?
What supplies do I need for a homebirth?
How do I talk to my family about my choice to have a homebirth?
How can homebirth help me to be a better parent?
Homebirth after a c-section. What is HBAC, and do I qualify?
I'm disabled. Is it still safe for me to consider homebirth?
What about all those prenatal tests I could be missing? Aren't those important?
What if there is something wrong with my baby?
What if something goes wrong at the delivery?
Where can I go to learn more about my birth options?
What books about birth do you recommend and why?
Trimmings and trappings. Breastfeeding, circumcision, attachment parenting and more. How homebirth can affect your newborn's life for the better.

If you're interested, let me know and I'll keep writing. I wouldn't want to hand you a flashlight and then keep the batteries for myself.