The Home Part of Our Home Birth

I already wrote out Miles' home birth story, which was a life-changing and mind-blowing experience all on its own. But there is so much more "home" that we experienced before and after the actual labor and delivery that mattered so much.

We had looked into having a home birth with our first two pregnancies but for one reason or another it didn't happen. I think that after having two healthy normal and natural births David and I both felt confident enough in the process of labor and delivery and also in the hands of a capable midwife that we were ready to go for it. I realize it's not for everyone, and even birth without pain medication isn't for everyone, but I hope that by reading this perhaps someone out there might be encouraged to look into a different kind of experience for mom and baby for their next birth.

The most convenient difference for us this time, since we already had two kiddos was that all of my appointments were at home. Our midwife, Sally, would usually come while Gemma napped and Aveny watched a movie. Several times both girls would be able to participate and listen to baby's heartbeat which made them feel a part of things before my belly even got very big.

Each appointment lasted at least an hour. Not one minute of that was spent waiting in an office or driving anywhere. And if either one of us had to reschedule it was as simple as texting or phoning the other person. Easy. We would talk, I'd ask questions, she'd give me advice on herbs and nutrition. During each appointment she'd check my weight, blood pressure, pulse, urine, check for any swelling, listen to baby's heartbeat, measure my uterus. I was even able to do an iron screening and glucose screening at home. She did all of my prenatal blood work at home. I hate getting stuck, but it was a lot easier to deal with in my living room than in a hospital! One of my favorite things midwives do is touch pregnant bellies! She would palpate and feel the baby's position, showing us how to tell which part is the baby's bottom or his head. At one of our last appointments, Sally felt my baby still in utero and said how cute he already was. :) Oh, and did I mention, no internal exams at all until I was already in labor and pushing? Much better than the doc's office. :)

By just our second prenatal appointment I already felt so cared for, heard, and important. Our first two experiences with prenatal care and midwives were positive, but this was different. It was so much more personal and our interactions felt more meaningful, probably because of the amount of time we would spend with Sally and that she remained so accessible to us throughout the entire pregnancy.

My girls grew to love her quickly too! This day, they wouldn't let her leave without reading them a book. She graciously complied. The other day Gemma hugged her and then after Sally had left, she insisted on going outside and giving her a kiss! It wasn't until after Miles was born and I was recovering on my bed that it hit me, "You do this all the time!" I told Sally. Not just that she is present and catching babies all the time, but that she becomes a unique and important person intertwined with so many families, so often! It amazes me how patient and loving and serious she was for us when we needed her to be just those things, but that she is also that for so many other women and babies and dads and siblings... all the time! If you've never hugged a home birth midwife and told her how great she is, do it soon!

After Miles was born Sally stayed and did all of our after-care for a while. I'm not sure how long, but it was at least three hours, maybe four. She had another midwife assist as well, and between the two of them they fed us, cleaned up, made an herbal sitz wash, helped me with all of those non-fun necessary post-birth things, let us spend some time alone with our new baby, did Miles' newborn exam, and were so kind and upbeat and loving the whole time. Sally ensured we were all stable and came back the next morning.

The post-partum visits are the most fun. She checks baby boy, me, and we talk and love on the baby. I don't think I can adequately express how wonderful the whole experience has been. My understanding of what prenatal care can be has been forever altered. Home birth for us was so much more than me simply giving birth in our house. The whole journey of pregnancy was infused with such love and care and became a little sweeter, a little more like home.