Reasons to stay at home to give birth
Blessed be the day......
You can take as long as it takes to have your
baby. You will not be rushed to dilate by a
certain time. You can take a nap for an hour or two if you have been working
hard, but it still might be a while. Sleep, shower, change clothes, have a small
meal and get back to work.
No interventions. Hands,
heat, massage, changing position, moving around....all these help to get through the next
contraction and back on track. Epidurals slow labor and often make contractions
ineffective. Good labor support and skilled midwifery make progress and good
outcomes. One intervention generally leads to another. At home, I have not
been asked for medication for pain. There has been a commitment made and a trust
inside has been acknowledged that you already have everything that you need inside
yourself to birth your baby.
Free from outside germs and infection. All people build immunity to viruses and other
substances that could cause infection, allergy, and harm. You and your family are
familiar and safe in your own environment, free from foreign germs and bacteria that you
have no immunity to.
You can have a VBAC. Women who have given birth by cesarean and want to
have a subsequent vaginal birth are now traveling to hospitals about one hour from Bangor
to find a hospital that will allow them to birth their babies vaginally.
You can birth in water. Many women are choosing to set up pools in their
homes, labor and give birth in water. Water has soothing properties and is known to
comfort the woman in labor. It improves circulation, reduces swelling, can
increase mobility and has properties of bouyancy that can ease the labor.
No strangers present. You have chosen the people closest to you to
participate. You have been meeting regularly with one midwife and one assistant, who
you now know well. You have made decisions together and you trust that a common
understanding respects your wishes. You have an equal relationship with your
care-givers. You are at home and the attendants are your guests and your guides.
The midwife assists you during the labor and
birth. You are familiar with one midwife
and one assistant that you have now known for 9 to 10 months. You have always known
that you will all be together on the birth day. There will be no one else "on
call" or no "partner" attending. The team you have known and counted
on will be there, and has been there, for the entire prenatal period, the the entire labor
and birth, and for the weeks ahead.
The familiarity and comfort of your own home. You are in your space, private and comfortable.
You can make any noises you need to and feel safe there. Your environment is
familiar. You are surrounded by your favorite things and familiar smells.
You wear your husbands shirt that smells like him and comforts you. You are
positioned with your favorite pillow that feels soft and familiar.
Privacy. You feel relaxed
and peaceful. The sign on the door lets friends know you will not be enjoying their
company now. You feel secure and comfortable. You have intimacy and are
surrounded by your loving community of closest family and friends. You have time
alone and have privacy for nipple stimulation and sex to nudge a stalled labor.
The family is together. The whole family has participated in the prenatal care.
Young children have read books and seen videos, now knowing what will unfold.
Children are allowed to participate or not as desired, being accompanied by someone close
to them who will answer their questions as the birth progresses.
Mother and baby are never separated. Birth is seen as a continuum and not an isolated event.
Mother and baby are a symbiotic pair. Each are dependent on one another
to be at their most optimum health postpartum.
