The Hard Truths of Home Birth
While I love talking about the warm and fuzzy parts of home birth as much as the next midwife, I sometimes feel that I’m doing a bit of a disservice by not also highlighting the topics people tend to glaze over. I hope that having an honest discussion about what’s hard about birth could help you feel more prepared and ready for whatever shape your birth takes!
Home birth does not equal easy birth.
It’s hard work having a baby! Most people make noise, whether moaning, singing, or roaring, and labor and push in a variety of positions. Having a home birth doesn’t mean you can lie in one position and expect a baby to slip out! However, being at home means you have the time and space to do that hard work at your own pace, with all of the comforts of home. Movement, periods of true rest and even sleep, and eating and drinking consistently can be the key to getting through a physically demanding labor.
When you hire a midwife, you’re not paying for a guaranteed home birth.
Unfortunately, midwives don’t have control over the health of your pregnancy- we monitor your health closely and give advice on how to remain healthy and considered low risk for a safe delivery. If your pregnancy deviates from normal, it’s your midwife’s job to send you to a higher level of care. Sometimes if the condition resolves before labor, you can return to your original birth plan. If you must transfer in labor, remember that’s part of why you hired a midwife: to help you determine when it’s no longer safe to be at home!
Your dedication to your birth plan could determine how it plays out.
Mindfully building your diet, supplement, and exercise plans for pregnancy can make a significant difference on the overall health of your pregnancy and ease of your labor. Placing an emphasis every day on preparing for birth can help your body and mind to be in the right state to handle the hard work of birth when it arrives. If you neglect to eat well, hydrate, or follow suggested treatment regimens, you may find yourself facing complications or hurdles along the way that could even change your birth plan. If you’re dedicated to doing the work to prepare for a home birth, you’re giving yourself the best chance at having one.
Every birth comes with a challenge.
While there’s usually no way to know what your individual challenge will be until we arrive there, it’s helpful to expect that labor will push you out of your comfort zone, every time. Whether your labor is days long or barely an hour, whether you push for hours or not at all, and whether you stayed at home or transferred to the hospital, your baby’s unique story is designed to push you in ways that prepare you for parenting them. Opening your perspective to accept the challenge that is presented to you may be helpful in overcoming it with ease rather than a struggle.
My hope is that these truths can be a starting point for you to accept all of the pieces of your labor and birth - however simple or complicated you find it to be - and that you can look at your birth as a growth experience that prepared you for the honor of parenting your particular little one. I would love to encourage a discussion around this… What other things are hard about home birth? Do you disagree with any of these ideas? Why or why not? Let’s open up the table! Let me know your thoughts, and feel free to share with a friend who’d like to join in.
