Birth at Home in the Time of Covid

Have you ever considered home birth?

Why or why not?

Are you like me, armed to the teeth with the benefits and facts about birthing out of hospital? Or are you with the 99% of Americans who choose to trust the hospital as their go to birth spot?

Either way - knowing the “right” thing to do lies in asking yourself what you expect out of your experience.

Home birth is not for everyone.

And I say that as one of the biggest home birth advocates I know (I know a ton).

How to know if it is for you lies in asking yourself where you feel safest. I would personally start with that question. Do you typically feel comfortable and safe at the doctors office and in hospitals? Some people sincerely find relief around doctors and the awareness that medications and surgeons are RIGHT THERE if needed.

Or do you feel more comfortable at home? In your space, with your clothes and your bedding and your shower? For lots of home birthers we tend to be attracted to the familiar atmosphere of home. Knowing I don’t have to load up in my car while having contractions or put a brand new baby in the car to get them home after is super appealing.

So start there - “Where am I comfortable and safe?”

Then onto the logistical questions

Are we near a hospital in case of transfer? (The majority of hospital transfers are non life threatening but are due to baby positioning in the birth canal or exhaustion in the birthing parent)

Do I have a great support team? (Midwife, doula, partner, family)

Am I considered a “low risk” patient? (This is something to be discussed with your chosen provider)

Do I want narcotic pain relief options? (Valid ask, dig in and see if you are comfortable with alternative pain relief measures, and then find out what those are.)

Depending on how you answer those, you are that much closer to finding out if homebirth is right for you. I have personally seen amazing, textbook, “easy” births at home, and I have seen transfers and changes in birth plans. Leaving ourselves with the flexibility to make whatever decision will keep us safe and supported is an important part of making any birth plan.

Now to bust some myths about homebirth

• “Home birth isn’t safe” - In low risk pregnancies with your certified licensed midwife, home birth is just as safe as hospital birth.

• “An OB is more qualified to deliver a baby” - Comparing an OB to a CNM is like comparing a dog trainer to a dog walker - OBs are surgeons trained to fix problems when presented, midwives are experts at guiding a normal and natural occurrence.

• “But I will get more attention at a hospital” - Nope, not at all. Your OB and Nurse staff have a whole labor ward of patients to see and treat, when I am with my clients at the hospital I am the only one present from beginning to end as their doula. In a home birth - you are the only one your midwife is there for, so you get all the focus and care.

• “I won’t have pain relief options” - The wonderful gift of homebirth is often also the most negatively viewed aspect. Not having access to narcotic medications sometimes turns birthing parents off of the idea. You have to decide if that is something you need in advance, but know in labor you can change your mind if fatigue sets in and you decide you need a break and want to transfer. At home pain relief options are plentiful and something your doula and midwife can tell you more about! The tub, showers, heat and cold packs, TENs Unit, massage, movement, all things that carry zero risk in contrast to the standard use of the Epidural in hospitals which can cause itching, nausea, fever, decelerated heart rate, fetal distress, lack of mobility and feeling, vaginal tearing, low blood pressure or nerve damage.

Ultimately you have to do what works for YOU - it is your birth, not your families, friends, not that mommy bloggers, not your coworkers, nobody’s but yours.

Hiring a birth doula is a great way to get this process started so you can collect the information you need to make the right decision for you, and a doula will support you wherever you go! If you are in the Seattle area, and need birth support or questions answered in any capacity, reach out to me for a free consultation!