Being Pregnant
10 Home Birth Lessons For The Hospital
When it comes to talking about birth there can be so much divisiveness: home VS hospital, epidural VS natural, etc. Though these polarized debates can cement an opinion for some, they are confusing as hell to many others. The truth is, most women would be very content with the best of all possible worlds.
As a wise friend once asked, Why can’t we get the freshly baked bread AND the epidural?
I think it’s a great idea to take what you can get from both the hospital and the hippies, and cobble together the kind of birthing support that’s just right for you.
On that note, I’d like to throw out some ways home birth practices* can help in a hospital birth setting.
1. Stay home in early labor.
In first births this is especially important. There’s no reason to rush off to the hospital at the very first sign of labor. Stay home until you’re in active labor (this starts when contractions are 3-5 minutes apart). And do what home birthers do. Dim the lights, keep random people away, get in the bath, get in the shower, moan, groan, get on all fours, rock back and forth, eat and drink lots of water or Gatorade.
2. Think of hospital procedures and medications as “back up” as opposed to essential.
Birth may be difficult or hard or downright painful but most often it works. We are designed to do this. And in the instances where something isn’t working out we have fantastic medical technology to back us up. Home births work on the assumption that, in low-risk pregnancies, all will be fine and in the case that something does come up, you can transfer to a hospital. You can get into the mind-set that hospital care is a “back up” even if you do know you’ll be going there for the actual birth. This can build your confidence both in normal labor and in medical technology. Both have their place.
3. Learn some other ways to cope with pain than the epidural.
If you’re giving birth at home you can’t get an epidural, so you’re forced to really educate yourself about other options for reliving pain in labor. Even if you know you want to get an epidural in labor, you might benefit from learning these other techniques– massage, changing positions, vocalizing, hypnosis, etc– as you may go through some portion of labor without pain medication for any number of reasons. In general, learning lots ways to cope helps build confidence.
4. Get a midwife.
In the US most babies born at home are delivered by home birth midwives. But midwives deliver in birthing centers and hospitals, too! And they are often covered by insurance. There are lots of myths about midwives circulating, but the fact is certified midwives are trained medical professionals who can prescribe tests, sonograms and medications. The only thing they are not trained to do is surgery. But we have doctors for that.
5. And/or a doula.
A doula provides continuous labor support, something not offered by hospital staff or obstetricians or even (some) midwives. This continuous support has been shown to reduce the chance of medical interventions including c-sections and even shorten the length of labor. Doulas are often used in home births as a primary source of comfort and support.
6. Labor in your tub and/or a hospital shower as much as possible.
Women giving birth at home often rent or buy a birthing tub to help with pain in labor. Being fully immersed in warm water can be as effective for coping with pain in labor as an intramuscular shot of narcotics. Birthing centers and a few hospitals have tubs for laboring, if not there will be a shower which is a good runner up.
7. Read about what normal birth is like.
Pick up one of Ina May Gaskin’s books or another book about how normal birth works, and read it. Gaskin’s enthusiasm for the female body can be infectious. It can give you just the reassurance you need.
8. Avoid people and websites and books and movies that make you feel overly anxious about birth *including movies that make you feel anxious about the hospital.
Reality television shows that feature dramatic medical emergencies and terrified pregnant teens get ratings but are they instructive or inspiring when you’re expecting? Maybe not. I’d also caution against watching documentaries or TV shows or reading birth books that highlight things that can go wrong in the hospital. It’s time to be skeptical, sure. But it’s also time to build confidence and minimize fear.
9. Focus on ways to make the hospital birth a more intimate experience.
Labor hormones tend to flow when mom feels safe and protected. Birth, it turns out, is kind of an intimate experience. So have people with you in labor who believe in you and who believe in birth (partners can read positive birth stories, too). Play gentle, repetitive music on headphones if you want to. Turn down the lights when you get into your labor and delivery room. Bring your own pillows. Go to the bathroom and just sit on the toilet for a while. Talk to your partner in advance about how he or she can support you and help buffer you from all the logistical hoo-hah of checking into the hospital and getting settled.
10. Eat and drink AND MOVE in labor.
Some hospitals still have an outdated policy about not eating and drinking in labor. Some don’t. Most hospital staff won’t care of you have sips of Gatorade or water in labor. They’ll also turn a blind eye to snacking. Home birthers tend to eat and drink through labor to help maintain hydration and much needed energy. And they tend to move around a lot. Just because there’s a bed in the middle of the hospital room doesn’t mean you have to lie down on your back. If you’re not being monitored, get up and move! Or squat. Or lean. Or kneel on the bed. All this helps labor progress and it can take the edge off the pain.
Finally…
I wish this cobbling together wasn’t up to us. Wouldn’t it be great if all hospitals had equal amounts of midwives and doulas as doctors and nurses? And wouldn’t it be nice if we could all labor in tubs with the option of an epidural if we needed it? Birthing centers attached to hospitals offer this complete package but there are pitifully few in the US. So, until we make big changes to our maternity care system many American women have to be proactive when it comes to getting the best of both worlds…and as you can see, there are lots of ways to do it!
* It’s worth noting that having an actual home birth is the most effective way to have a home birth-type birth. But home births are not for everyone for reasons to do with safety or just personal preference.
This is the first in a series of posts I’ll be writing on various themes in the “natural” birth movement– stay tuned for more this week. Please feel free to comment as to how you (plan to) bring together the best that both midwives and medicine have to offer.
[Post #2 in the series is up: "Are Natural Birthing Supermodels Miranda Kerr & Gisele Bündchen Inspiring Or Smug?"
Post # 3 in the series, "1o Things I Learned From Ina May Gaskin" is also up.]
Go Back To Being Pregnant
47 Comments
[...] Women who get epidurals tend to get them at some point during active labor. (This is a part of a much larger tip about coping with labor pain, but, in general, the more things you learn to do before labor they more prepared you’ll [...]
Challenges Of Labor Part 1: When You Hit Active Labor | Being Pregnant commented on Jun 01 11 at 1:32 pm[...] one in particular got me thinking about how I’d like it to happen- at home or in the hospital, or where else. [...]
Getting Prepared « Stardust commented on Feb 13 12 at 2:23 pmSteph commented on Mar 06 11 at 7:32 pmThis is how my experience was with my daughter. We live in a small (island) community where a home birth was never an option (which was a shame as we thought we were going to be going back to the Netherlands to have our baby, where many births, if not most, are at home attended by your own midwife). But we had a trusted doula and I stayed at home for the first 9 hours with my husband and went to hospital for the harder work. I was there about 3 hours before my baby was born. It was intense for the last hour or so, but I was thoroughly happy with the level of care and support and options and I felt great about having had a very hands-off natural birth in a hospital, where I also felt very safe if things didn’t go so smoothly. I had a truly great experience. I’m just hoping the second baby, due in a few months, is as easy an experience. I think we’re lucky in this way to live in a small community with great medical care – our OB and doula know us well and there is a real continuity of care. (Actually the only bummer about the hospital birth was the rude/abrupt midwife, but as things were progressing very well and they had an unusually high number of births that day she didn’t bother us much – and for the bits where she was annoying I was already very internal and didn’t notice when she blustered into the room and threw on the lights and generally disrupted the calm atmosphere we had going).
Steph commented on Mar 06 11 at 7:34 pmI wanted to add that having a doula with us was the most amazingly comforting aspect of my experience and made ALL the difference in my confidence and ability to not freak out. Which I’m so sure I would have if it was just me and my husband in the room – how would WE know what was normal? The fact I was so relaxed and unworried, I’m sure, made all the difference.
NavelgazingMidwife commented on Mar 06 11 at 9:29 pmThe staying at home in early labor can be so scary for many couples, dads, especially. And depending on *how* long a mom stays home, the baby might very well be having coping problems with the contractions, no one knowing at all until mom gets into the hospital.
This is one of the main reasons I’ve chosen to leave homebirth midwifery behind (at least for now) and be a full-time Monitrice & Doula. As a Monitrice, I monitor mom and baby as mom labors at home. This way both the laboring woman and the baby are well-taken care of and are able to stay home, with qualified care, well into labor’s active phase. And if anything untoward happens, I’m there to help keep them safe as we await EMS. With or without an emergency, I alert the hospital of our arrival and the status of both clients through the part of labor that’s already happened.
Once we leave the mom’s home, I become her Doula, remaining with her in the hospital as her experienced support person.
I wish there were many more Monitrices out here.
ceridwen commented on Mar 06 11 at 9:35 pmNavelGazingMidwife. Fascinating. Monitrices aren’t very well known. I think it would be great to have more out there.
FangedFaerie commented on Mar 06 11 at 9:53 pmI’d add #11, be familiar with the C-section procedure. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst, because an emergency C-section is a lot scarier when no one has time to explain to you what’s happening and you don’t have time to absorb it. Also, a little knowledge can help prevent bullying.
ceridwen commented on Mar 06 11 at 9:57 pmThanks Fangled Faerie. In fact, maybe it’s worth expanding #11 to include familiarizing yourself with all the medical stuff. Known unknowns!
liss commented on Mar 06 11 at 10:10 pmI wonder navelgazingmidwife if you had a particular event that has shaken your faith in supporting families at home as a MW?
The article is how I encourage women to labour, a compromise btwn home or hosp.
In NZ though over 75% of women choose midwives as their carers here. We are so blessed to have as many MWs as we do. Montrice is unheard of here and would not be taken to nicely by MW.. Even Doulas are not appreciated by some MWs here.
Heather commented on Mar 06 11 at 11:49 pmThank you for this great article! Most women do not realize they can have many of the “home” comforts in a hospital setting! In my case, hospital births are a must (high risk pregnancies and previous Stillbirth, our firstborn son, so I rely on constant fetal monitoring during labor and the option to yank that baby out asap if necessary) but I’m hoping to go without an epidural for our 3rd child and planning on hiring a doula, with as natural a labor as possible. It can’t be 100% natural since I’ll be induced again in hopes of preventing another stillbirth. My living daughter was born after an induction at 37 weeks.
Marlene commented on Mar 07 11 at 12:57 amI am not a hippie and had great homebirths. I really don’t like the labeling of ‘hippie’ to parents who just want to birth at home.Just wanted to add that I really wish you hadn’t assumed homebirth is only for hippies. :)
Christy Hunt commented on Mar 07 11 at 1:17 amI cant wait to read more!! We are due in three weeks, but went into labor Friday night. I did go in because I thought my water was leaking, but when I found out it was not, I told them I was going home… thank god I did not have to worry about AMA… This is actually my 5th pregnancy and the first that will be done the natural way! The last pregnancy ended up in c-section at 31 weeks with twins. It was the most horrible experiance and I will not go through that again. The first three I made sure I had an epidural before real labor got going so I feel now that I missed out on a lot. Before we got pregnant with this baby, I studied Ina May like crazy and we signed up for a whole birth / birthing from within birthing class locally.
So, I now have two days that labor has been stopping and going. Making sure I am eating and drinking and lots of bath time with my other kids! This has been so much better even though I have been laboring for a few days, but so far it is totally manageable! :) So thankful I decided to finally educate myself! Wish I would have done it before we started, but so thankful we did it in general! better late than never…? lol! :)
ceridwen commented on Mar 07 11 at 8:32 amMarlene– I meant to be funny and casual to say “hippies.” I think you bring up a great point and I’m going to give it some thought. Many people do make that assumption about home births– they also use the word “crunchie”– so sometimes when you’re appealing to large groups of newly expecting people it can help to make jokes about these stereotypes. I am clearly in favor of home birth and I think that comes off as the larger point. Also, I think hippies, like Ina May Gaskin, have made some great contributions to birth culture. She’s adamantly and clearly a “hippie” and yet I’ve seen all kinds of non-hippies devour her book. Most of us women could use a lot more hippie in our detached lives (detached form community and from our bodies, etc, etc). Still, I know what you mean, perhaps next time I use the word I can put it in quotes!
ceridwen commented on Mar 07 11 at 8:34 amChristy, Good luck! It sounds like you’re prepared yourself very well. Chime back in here with your birth story, I have a feeling it’ll be ready to be told very soon ;)!
erin commented on Mar 07 11 at 9:33 amThis is a GREAT article. With all the derisiveness surrounding birth, many people seem to forget that the whole point, no matter how you do it, is an ideal outcome for mom and baby. This ideal outcome may even change during the birth if there are problems, and that is OK as long as mom felt that she was listened to and taken care of. For some reason, people don’t fear their level of care when being treated for cancer or getting open heart surgery, but pregnant women often have to fight for appropriate care for their situation.
I did a natural birth and find myself telling people all the time that I DID NOT do it for the recognition/empowerment/bragging rights/to prove something, or any other superficial reason. I did it because after I read all I could and determined what my ideal outcome was, (my goals were avoiding an unnecessary c-section, since hospital rates in my area were very high and successfully breastfeeding) natural birth was the right fit for me. I never thought I would willingly do a natural birth. I just found that you just make different decisions when birth is a reality, than when you are speculating on what you would do at another point in your life. If I wanted a medal, I’d run a marathon! Cheaper, easier, and you get a full night’s sleep afterward.
Michelle commented on Mar 07 11 at 12:13 pmGREAT article! I’ve kind of gotten ‘fed up’ with people dogging the hospital scene so much and making it sound like nothing but horrible things happen there. I really loved how you made it clear that one can have a positive experience at a hospital as well. THANK YOU!
My second daughter was a planned c-section because she was breech (and I had a midwife), and I just had my third daughter VBAC at the hospital just a few weeks ago (again with my midwife). I couldn’t be happier with how things went. My nurses were awesome and so caring, and my epidural went great, too. The anesthesiologist gave me just enough medicine so I didn’t feel the contractions, but I still had great control over my legs. My daughter is even the best nurser out of 3 kids! I feel like shouting my experience from the rooftops that yes, “You can have GREAT experiences at hospitals, too!”
I fully get and understand that some people want to do home births. It’s when they’re ‘scared into’ it that I feel sorry for them. So thanks for the great article! Now it’s time for me to share it and pass it along!
Sarah commented on Mar 07 11 at 2:10 pmThis is one of the best articles I have seen in a long time. I love how if focuses on what a woman CAN do to have a successful birth experience while removing all the politics. Well put.
ceridwen commented on Mar 07 11 at 2:28 pmI’m thrilled with these comments. I’m so glad this article struck a positive note with you guys– As a teacher I’m finding more and more I have to detox students from a fear of normal birth but ALSO a fear of the hospital. It’s too much. We need to change the system, but we have to keep pregnant women in mind in the meantime. And speak to them in an empowering way. Thanks to all of you for this warm feedback!
emjaybee commented on Mar 07 11 at 2:49 pmI would add: Know Your Rights. Once you get to the hospital, you need to know that you have the right to refuse interventions and even practice doing so, as well as be on the lookout for any being done w/out your knowledge. Unfortunately, some hospitals will not respect you the way they should or honor your wishes unless you stand very firm.
Jo Brown commented on Mar 07 11 at 5:02 pmI thought the hippie line was funny. But you are right, you don’t have to be a hippie to homebirth.
Jennifer commented on Mar 07 11 at 5:37 pmI might be a bit sensitive here-but as a L+D nurse-I bust my hump to provide emotional and physical support to all of my patients (if they can afford a doula or not). And I help them all advocate for the labor that they desire. I understand that there are a lot of medical interventions in hospitals (side note; think about those elective inductions) but having a birth in a hospital can be a warm, homey,safe expierence. And yes! Please stay at home for early labor!!!
Jenny commented on Mar 07 11 at 6:56 pmI think it’s wonderful that some women can have a happy birth experience in the hospital following this advice, but I don’t think I could. My first baby was born in the hospital and, although we were both healthy and safe, it was a very scary experience for me. Over the years I’ve learned that some of the things the nurses and doctors did to us were unnecessary and maybe even dangerous. My second child was born at home with a midwife. Night and day difference. If I went back to THAT hospital again, I would probably be panicked to the point that I couldn’t have a normal birth. I’d always be looking for someone to do something wrong to me and trying to protect myself. There are better hospitals, but I’d be going a long way to get to one. So, homebirth it is for me. I really feel for women who don’t have the option of a homebirth for medical/health reasons. If I hadn’t had such a bad experience the first time I might never have had a homebirth.
Lindsey commented on Mar 07 11 at 7:02 pmI understand that saying “hippies” can add a bit of humor. However, that’s a stereotype that a lot of us are working hard to shake. I’m a midwife and probably the furthest thing from a hippy. I’m also not “crunchie” Most of our clientele aren’t hippies or crunchie either. ALL kinds of people choose to birth at home. Using labels doesn’t do anything to help.
cornelia commented on Mar 07 11 at 7:06 pmLove it! It’s really about being informed about how birth works best, feeling cozy and confident. Definitely read lots of Ina May! Wish there were more birth centers too, though…I had my daughter at The Maternity Center in Maryland (it has since closed due to the cost of insurance) and got to float in the Jacuzzi for several hours, then gave birth on the bed. We celebrated by eating home-made quiche and drinking Gatorade. I swear it was the best meal I’d ever eaten :) A few hours later, when all was stable, we drove home to be in our own bed together, just the 3 of us. I recently found a great book on combining the best of both worlds…
Home Birth in the Hospital by Stacey Marie Kerr
Melissa commented on Mar 07 11 at 7:31 pmI think the “casual” comment that only hippies birth at home adds to the divisiveness–it sets us homebirthers up as the “weird other” and those who choose the hospital as “normal.” My son is 2nd generation born at home… and I’m an accountant!
redisbest commented on Mar 07 11 at 7:55 pmFirst, thank you for this empowering and positive article. I’m very anxious about having a second child because my first birth was not a good experience. And now I’m on a military base where the medical care has a pretty infamous reputation. I would like to have a natural vbac with a midwife, doula, and hot tub in a military hospital. Is that even possible?
Annie commented on Mar 07 11 at 8:06 pmFurther to what Liss said, I have never heard of a Montrice here in Australia. I am planning a HBAC. I just had a midwife group decline to support me because I was going to have a qualified doula to support me with an other one as back-up if needed. Paraphrase “you have a great support group around you, you don’t need us”.
(Jennifer, I had PTSD after my DS was born, some of my midwives were great, some were real bitches and between them and the doctors – well, let me say that I know I am taring everyone with the same brush but now I have really bad trust issues regarding medical personal).
I think this blog should be compulsory reading for all expectant parents.
Janet commented on Mar 07 11 at 8:57 pmThank you for this empowering article. I think by forever arguing for or against one type of birth over the other, we lose the opportunity to work towards making the best decisions for individual births and individual women. Educating people gives them power and takes away the fear.
Kimberly commented on Mar 07 11 at 9:28 pmGreat article. I did as much of that as I could at home with my most recent birth (6 months ago). Though it was late at night and I didn’t feel like eating, I ate and snacked all the way up until “serious labor” started. I wish I could have labored at home through transition…that was the toughest part for me and being in the hospital, I was in triage, laying on the bed, trying to get comfortable, but nothing I did made my comfortable in that tiny little room. (Which is ultimately where I gave birth, not in a delivery room). But, I’ve lived and learned and had a much better experience with my second birth than my first (even though my first wasn’t horrid — epidural at 6cm, necessary episiotomy — my daughters head was stuck and my midwife need just a little more room to help her turn her head), and I plan to make the birth of my third child, when it happens, even better than my second.
Jess commented on Mar 07 11 at 9:39 pmThank you for posting this! We just found out we are expecting our first baby together, but my second child (had the first one before I met my husband). With my first child, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with a midwife and have him in her free-standing birth center and was able to have a waterbirth. She has since closed down her birth center and I was freaking out at the thought of having to go to a hospital! My husband is adamantly against a homebirth, which I can understand where he is coming from. This article has really helped calm my raging emotions and put things into a better perspective for me! I’m encouraged that I will still have a wonderful birth experience, even though it might be in a different setting than I initially thought of! Thank you!
TheFeministBreeder commented on Mar 08 11 at 12:19 amThe system is so very polarized in my neck of the woods. Hospital “policy” and an incredibly negative attitude toward normal birth make birthing in most hospitals a total crap shoot. Honestly, I have left most hospitals thinking “I’d honestly rather give birth in the parking lot.” There is ONE hospital that has an “Alternative Birth Center” owned and run by CNMs and that one is amazing about supporting the natural birthing process, and respecting a mom’s choice.
But in the other? If she wants to be out of bed, the nurse accuses her of trying to kill her baby. If she wants the Pitocin turned down? They tell her she’ll never progress. I’ve seen nurses stand at their stations laughing and making fun of my clients before they notice me walk up. I’ve seen women literally forced to sign an epidural consent form who have explicitly stated that they didn’t even want anybody mentioning the word Epidural in front of them (that particular hospital has a 98% epidural rate – go figure, but I’m happy to say my client STILL didn’t get the epidural that they tried for force her to accept.)
Man, I wish it weren’t this way. If it weren’t, I’d be perfectly okay with birthing in a hospital again. I like being waited on. I like having close backup. But the kind of birth I want (where I can drink fluids during labor, move around, and birth in a tub) simply are NOT offered in my many local metropolitan hospitals. And it’s just too bad.
This article really was wonderful, though, for women in better hospital situations that I’m in.
jncsmommy commented on Mar 08 11 at 4:55 amUCSD in San Diego has the best of both worlds. A Birth Center run by midwives to give women a beautiful birth with the back up of the MDs and NICU 2 floors away if needed.
ceridwen commented on Mar 08 11 at 8:45 amFeminist Breeder– I live in NYC and teach students about some of the hospitals here (40+% c-section rate!) so I am not naive about the shenanigans you describe. I’m not a doula but even when I have attended births– even at the NYC birthing center– the obstacles to just letting a woman do what she needs to do are significant. This is why the BYO support, knowledge, etc, etc does make a difference. It’s such a fine line b/c you want to arm the mother against the BS she may face but at the same time get her into a place where she feels safe. Being a doula in a hardcore metropolitan hospital is one of the most important and difficult jobs. (I hope to do it when my kids are a little older, but I know it’s going to make me even tougher than I am now). Thank you for your comment though– I was wondering where you live? Are you in NYC?
ceridwen commented on Mar 08 11 at 8:46 amI am taking the hippie comments seriously. I may need to write a post soon about who has home births to make that point very clear! Thanks you guys.
norberg829 commented on Mar 08 11 at 9:25 amTo the poster redisbest, yes your type of birth is totally possible. Were currently at Fort Lewis, where ill be having a water birth, with a doula, and a midwife. Just look into your local military hospitals l and d and ask ask ask. They approve them for anyone who is low risk, no high risk pregnancies because baby needs to be monitored. Btw my first birth was also a pretty crummy experience, and even tho some of our obs here have had a very unnecessary rude attitude, a good portion more have been very supportive of our choices. Good luck.
TheFeministBreeder commented on Mar 08 11 at 10:15 amI’m in Chicago, and the huge mistake that many parents here make is thinking that hiring a doula will “protect” them from hospital policy. A doula’s scope of practice does not (cannot) include being a bodyguard to fight off rude medical staff. Doulas who irritate the doctors or nurses can be kicked right out of the room – and let’s not forget that some hospitals are now “banning” doulas. It’s a horrible position to be in. Dr. Marsden Wagner said that doulas probably have the hardest job in maternity care. Having said that, I most certainly have protected my clients against many things (all doulas here have at one time or another, we can’t NOT, but it has to be done in the slyest way possible – a situation neither the parent or the doula should ever have to be in.). I’ve seen institutional birth rape. I’ve been in rooms where I felt like I should be calling the police. I’ve watched women threatened and belittled (and been that woman.). And as a doula, all I can do is try to support her, which helps, but it doesn’t make the experience home-like. I really wish we had more hospitals that could honor the things you described above. It’s just a shame.
Danielle V commented on Mar 08 11 at 2:13 pmThank you for this article! I delivered all three of our precious children in a hospital, although I had hoped for a homebirth with our second and third! I have a very rare clotting disorder that has me on anti-coagulation therapy (blood thinners :() I cannot be selfish and do what I wanted and stayhome. I have an amazing OB and a very supportive hospital that knew what I wanted. And so although I could not stay home it was as close to home as I could be! I was very happy with our experience and am discussing with hubby a forth:) He was NOT comfortable staying at home with a wife who may not clot! I appreciate your article being so open minded to both ways! So many are closed minded to the other side! Thank you again for bridgeing the gap!
stephen.chen28 commented on Mar 09 11 at 2:31 amthis would entrish the world..thank you. for old hospital equipment at http://www.green4care.com
Elizabeth commented on Mar 10 11 at 1:34 pmI love this article! It has such great tips. I had a planned homebirth with my son, but even if I hadn’t planned it, he would have been born at home.
I used the Bradley Method to relax during my contractions. I was so relaxed that I didn’t even know that I was in labor until my water broke an hour before he was born (during rush hour on a Tuesday). The midwife made it to our house just 19 minutes before the baby was born.
Lindsey D. commented on Mar 10 11 at 10:15 pmThank you for this article!
I live in Alabama where midwives and homebirthing (unless it’s an “accident” and you are alone) are illegal. Since we have to go to the hospital, it’s nice to know the homebirth tips that can help.
I had a c-section with my first (was trying to go natural) and a natural VBAC with my second. I love telling people that a natural VBAC in the hospital is possible. (And having a doula with me was absolutely the difference! Really for me more than “standing up to the hospital”)
Julie commented on Mar 10 11 at 11:34 pmGreat advice! I did most of those things during my homebirth. I admit, hospital horror stories were part of the reason I opted to birth at home. I never heard a single positive review of our local hospital’s maternity department until after my daughter was born. As I educated myself during pregnancy, I began planning arguments for the hospital staff and preparing to be a bad patient — and that wasn’t how I wanted to bring my daughter into the world. Kudos to those hospital staffers who do support women’s choices in birth, and boo on those that frighten and intimidate their patients. I think we have a large supply of both in America.
Amy commented on Mar 12 11 at 4:32 pmI had midwives deliver my second and third babies and the whole experience was so much nicer. Both were in hospitals (one was in a birth center contained in the hospital and run by midwives). They also provided support during labor. It was like having a good friend take care of me who happened to know more about women’s health than I did. I wish I had known about midwives with my first baby. I wish more women knew midwives delivered in hospitals. I didn’t have epidurals with those births, but I knew it was an option if I wanted it. Also, women should know they can switch providers even if they are in their third trimester. Listen to your instincts.
Amy
Mom to 3
http://www.sofiabean.com
Tiphanie commented on Mar 13 11 at 10:27 pmI have 2 girls and am 7 months pregnant with my 3rd one. I alwyas try to go natural, but my second delivery freaked me out. I stayed home till my contractions were 2 minutes apart. Thought i was going to die from the pain. Had to lie on my back till Dr got to hospital. Then pushed and freaked out when baby crowned and refused to push her out. So i got a spinal block along with the awful spinal headache. I had to have a blood patch afterwards. My labor was only 6 hours long and i fear this 3rd baby is going to pop out. My friend gave me an INA Gaskin book to read to help me out, but i think this time i’m going to go in and get an epidural even though id rather not.
Carla Wright commented on Mar 21 11 at 10:35 amThe most important lesson from this article and these comments is to educate yourself-read all you can from reliable sources about childbirth, breastfeeding and caring for your infant- attend your hospitals childbirth and breastfeeding classes so you know what to expect and why there are certain policies. If you want a birthplan, don’t just copy it from the internet-put some thought into it after attending childbirth classes so it makes sense, then be sure to get it approved by your doctor and your childs pediatrician.Make sure that your situation is appropriate for the kind of birth and labor you want-your health issues may call for more care or monitoring. And remember, complications do happen and hospitals have to be prepared-thats what you expect from them. Sometimes there are only seconds to save an infants life, long explanations have to wait. I had 3 perfect, unmedicated births in 2 different hospitals and was always treated with respect from the doctors and nurses-it does happen !
Stoich91 commented on Mar 24 11 at 11:51 amOh good gracious! A birthing article that doesn’t instill fear! Empowers mommies-to-be! Speaks of labor as the natural and serious process it should be! No Hollywood drama?! I think this is heaven. Two thumbs up for one of the best birthing articles I’ve ever read ever… ;D
melanie commented on Mar 25 11 at 8:22 amI had to negative hospital experiences. I want to birth at home simply to be free of the hospital and the unwanted pressure and proceedures. But I haven’t found a midwife, so my choice is hospital or unassisted. I am not sure that I am ready to go unassisted…
I might rent a tub or use my shower to help me stay home as long as possible. I don’t intend on gettting to the hospital till I am ready to push…barring any complications…
Nicolle commented on Jul 01 11 at 7:28 amcheck out “at home in maine”, a film series that presents 10 authentic, artistic portraits of the homebirth experience:
http://www.mainehomebirth.wordpress.comnot just for mainers! and not just about homebirth, but about normal, natural, woman-centered birth…
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Kristin Ruiz 
Rebekah Kuschmider .jpg)
CaitlinHTP (Caitlin Boyle) 
Lauren Hartmann 
Michelle Horton 
Ceridwen Morris 
Katie 
Devan McGuinness 
Lauren Jimeson 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
47