Home Water Birth - one mother's informed choice
This is written by one of my recent clients sharing her decision to have a home birth. Thanks for sharing this Vivian.
‘Seven years ago, when I got pregnant with my daughter, I did not know anyone who had a home birth but I knew I wanted to have my baby at home without knowing why. Things, however, did not go as planned. There were complications. I was transferred to the hospital and my daughter was born with more medical interventions than I ever imagined. I had wanted a peaceful and natural birth for my baby and the birth was far from what my partner and I planned.
A few years later as I was learning about the ideal conditions for a woman to give birth, I came to understand why I had instinctively chosen a home birth. Emotional safety has always been extremely important to me. It was news to me that a woman needs to feel safe in her environment and with her care providers in order to labour and birth comfortably. Otherwise, our bodies tighten and constrict when we are supposed to open to make space for the baby to be born. Well...I was not entirely comfortable with my midwife which may have played into why things did not progress smoothly at home. I became even more uncomfortable when I arrived at the hospital. While I will never know if I could have avoided the medical interventions all together, I know that my discomfort at the hospital made the birth more difficult.
Armed with all this new understanding, I made very different choices when I got pregnant with my second baby. I shopped around to try to find a midwifery group that I was very comfortable with. I made sure that I found a knowledgeable and supportive doula so that both my partner and I would be well taken care of. I used acupuncture, Spinning Babies (Debra's wonderful suggestion) and hypnosis to better prepare myself for this birth. I am so glad I did all that and I was able to have my baby in the comfort of my own home this time.
Having a home birth and without any medical intervention has made big differences in numerous ways. I was able to go from the birth pool to my couch to my bed. I didn't need to put my tiny new born baby into a car seat and drive home! My daughter was able to be present for the birth of her baby brother. And I got to feel and experience how miraculous birth really is in ways that were unavailable to me the first time around. This experience made me feel much more connected to my baby from the beginning. My baby also got to just lie comfortably on me until he was ready to feed. He latched on well and has been breastfeeding without any issues.
Moreover, Debra and the midwives were so efficient that our place was cleaned up within an hour (they even took all the garbage out for us) even though they all brought bags and suitcases full of medical equipment with them. Thank you Debra for all your support. Avry's birth would not be the same without you. “ Vivian and Cornell 2015
‘Seven years ago, when I got pregnant with my daughter, I did not know anyone who had a home birth but I knew I wanted to have my baby at home without knowing why. Things, however, did not go as planned. There were complications. I was transferred to the hospital and my daughter was born with more medical interventions than I ever imagined. I had wanted a peaceful and natural birth for my baby and the birth was far from what my partner and I planned.
A few years later as I was learning about the ideal conditions for a woman to give birth, I came to understand why I had instinctively chosen a home birth. Emotional safety has always been extremely important to me. It was news to me that a woman needs to feel safe in her environment and with her care providers in order to labour and birth comfortably. Otherwise, our bodies tighten and constrict when we are supposed to open to make space for the baby to be born. Well...I was not entirely comfortable with my midwife which may have played into why things did not progress smoothly at home. I became even more uncomfortable when I arrived at the hospital. While I will never know if I could have avoided the medical interventions all together, I know that my discomfort at the hospital made the birth more difficult.
Armed with all this new understanding, I made very different choices when I got pregnant with my second baby. I shopped around to try to find a midwifery group that I was very comfortable with. I made sure that I found a knowledgeable and supportive doula so that both my partner and I would be well taken care of. I used acupuncture, Spinning Babies (Debra's wonderful suggestion) and hypnosis to better prepare myself for this birth. I am so glad I did all that and I was able to have my baby in the comfort of my own home this time.
Having a home birth and without any medical intervention has made big differences in numerous ways. I was able to go from the birth pool to my couch to my bed. I didn't need to put my tiny new born baby into a car seat and drive home! My daughter was able to be present for the birth of her baby brother. And I got to feel and experience how miraculous birth really is in ways that were unavailable to me the first time around. This experience made me feel much more connected to my baby from the beginning. My baby also got to just lie comfortably on me until he was ready to feed. He latched on well and has been breastfeeding without any issues.
Moreover, Debra and the midwives were so efficient that our place was cleaned up within an hour (they even took all the garbage out for us) even though they all brought bags and suitcases full of medical equipment with them. Thank you Debra for all your support. Avry's birth would not be the same without you. “ Vivian and Cornell 2015
To learn more about my home birth doula care, visit my website: www.vancouverhomebirthdoula.com
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