If all goes well, I’ll be giving birth at home in January to our 9th baby! My official due date is January 24th, but I have always delivered early. When it comes to labor and delivery, I’ve experienced everything from a surprise c-section to a medicated/hospital VBAC to six natural deliveries at a midwife-run birth center.
I decided to try at home this time because the birth center’s policy changed and they could no longer take VBAC’s. And after six natural deliveries with a midwife, my husband and I just didn’t want to go back to a hospital setting, with all the red tape and rigid policies. We chose a local midwife who was highly recommended by friends and has a lot of experience under her belt. Throughout this pregnancy, Rachel has been a kind and attentive care-giver, and she is a wealth of information when it comes to dealing with pregnancy complaints. I have the utmost confidence in her abilities, and that is a very important factor when you’re giving birth at home.
Rachel gave us a list of things we would need for the big day, but every midwife is different in terms of what they bring and what you’ll need to have on hand.
Supplies we already had: sheets, towels, washcloths, mattress protector, receiving blankets, thermometer, newborn cloth diapers, hydrogen peroxide, tea strainer, cloth postpartum pads (I’ll be trying Oko and Buttons)
Supplies we had to buy: gauze pads, disposable bed pads (i.e. Chux), peri bottle and electrolytes
Rachel will be bringing her tricks of the trade, of course.
As part of my preparations, I’ve been reading a lot of home birth stories from my blogger friends. A little shot of virtual encouragement for me! You’ll love reading them, too.
- Olivia’s home birth story – her husband came very close to being the emergency midwife
- Maria’s home birth story – DIY tub birth complete with the screen shot of the announcement text to her surprised husband
- Heather’s last trimester and home birth story – intense and very quick, she delivered standing up
- Lucy shares one of her reader’s home birth stories – a water birth with a little help from her mama and the midwife
Do you have a home birth experience or piece of advice to share with me? I’d love to hear from you!
