so, homebirth.

sounds a little weird, right?  maybe you’re thinking at this point that my mom really is crazy with her onion juice in our ears and obsession with water and sleep.

as i said before, my mom was never dead set on homebirth from the beginning.

my aunt, my mom’s older sister invited her to her third child’s birth. at home. my mom was there and supportive. she thought, that’s cool, but i won’t do that.

when she was pregnant with my oldest brother, she started reading. she read about 10 different books on the subject of birthing and she became convinced that birthing at home was the best choice for her. when i was talking to her about it, one thing she said stuck out to me. she said that she felt that birth wasn’t a disease to be managed  but a natural thing that women were made to do. a pediatrician and author, dr. mendelson was one of her main influences. he wrote a book called how to raise a healthy child in spite of your doctor which was also an influence in deciding not to vaccinate her children.

it was after she researched and found a great midwife that she fully decided on having a homebirth. my mom would say that getting connected with the midwife, claudia that delivered most of us was a total God-thing. her sister’s midwife did her training with claudia and connected her to my mom. this really solidified her decision.

another reason her decision was solidified was an unpleasant experience with a doctor during a check-up. my mom’s midwife had encouraged her to see a doctor in case of an emergency during the birth, it’s always good to have a back-up plan. so my mom saw a doctor after making the decision to homebirth. unfortunately, the doctor she saw was not at all understanding or helpful. she had simple requests in the case of a hospital birth, like getting to hold her baby right after it was born instead of having it taken away right away. he just said, i don’t know where you’re getting your information, but you’re wrong and that’s not how things work.

so, my mom had six successful homebirths, some better than others. i know my little brother adam gave her the hardest time and she was on bedrest for several weeks after he was born. alyssa, who was coincidentally the biggest child at 11lbs. 4oz., was her shortest labor-she was born in just a little over an hour!

i remember sleeping on top of my dad on the couch after alyssa was born. it was so cool to see my baby sister in my parents room the morning after she was born.

i know it’s very counter-cultural to think about having a child at home and not in a “safe” environment like a hospital. but my mom really considered her options and decided that home would be the safest option for her. she was able to labor as she desired and progress naturally and she had great help and support from her midwife, my dad, my grandma and others! she never felt scared or regretted her decision to birth at home.

and i just want to say, that she’s amazing because she gave birth to six enormous children. i was the smallest at 9lb. 8oz!

homebirth is definitely not for everyone and i in no way want you to read this blog and think i’m saying that this in the only right way to have a baby. but it’s often not even considered an option. i do think that this is not something that was just done in the eighties when my mom was having kids and it is a safe option to be considered.

so, i’m sure you’re all wondering, will i have homebirths? well, maybe. i’m not pregnant and i have no idea how i’ll feel about being pregnant and birthing a child when i am. so, i’m not expecting any such commitment from myself about these matters. and that’s the great thing about my mom, she’ll be there cheering me on either way!

and also, here comes the shameless plug…my mom is a doula now and loves it! she’s so great at helping others have natural childbirths. if you’re looking for a great doula in the central iowa area, you can email her at:
greatbeginnings123 @ gmail.com [remove spaces]