When I got pregnant with my second child, my daughter Keira, I wanted a home birth, but did not know where to look or to whom I could go. My insurance did not cover home birth and I ended up having a second hospital birth. When I found out I was pregnant with my third child I dreamed again of a home birth, but never looked into it seriously because I felt it would not be financially smart to pay out of pocket.
During the last part of my second trimester my daughter Keira had a severe diaper chemical burn reaction. Her poor bottom peeled like a bad sunburn, and her entire body got extremely dry also. My daughter’s pediatrician said I needed to change diapers. I was upset by the pain my daughter was in and I decided I would use cloth diapers for my children. I knew nothing about cloth diapering, and to be honest the process of washing them terrified me. I searched Google and found a couple of local ladies who sold cloth diapers from their homes and through their websites. Christy from Gorgeous and Green had a daughter who was five months at the time when I made my diaper purchases. We talked while I was there and she told me how her daughter was born at home. I was 30 weeks pregnant by this time and the desire for a home birth grew stronger. A couple of weeks later I was at her house again to buy more diapers, and I asked again about her home birth experience. She gave me the name of her midwife and told me not to hesitate to call her because she was wonderful.
I went home and that night I told my husband about the conversation with Christy. He said I should at least call the midwife and see if she even had any spots available in her schedule. I prayed she would not be booked, because I really did not want to worry about my other children while I was in a hospital, and who would be available to take care of them if I went into labor. I dialed the midwife and told her I was referred by Christy. She asked me a lot of questions and said she would love to meet with me and my husband. I was almost at 35 weeks in my pregnancy by now and we were cutting it close. She normally wanted more time to get to know a patient’s body, but I was a great home birth candidate with a perfect pregnancy. The next week we had a three hour meeting with her and we finalized all the details. I finally would have the birth one of my babies in my way and on my terms. No one would yell at me and be rude. No one would bully me into interventions I did not want, and I could birth my baby, keep her always by my side, sleep in my own bed, eat my own food, and not stress about what I would do with my children.
Happy and at peace I got my home birth items I would need on hand like extra towels, bed sheets, the medical kit, and many other items. It was fun to know I did not need to worry about getting to the hospital on time. I nearly had my daughter Keira in our car on the way to the hospital, and my midwife on-call for my daughter’s birth was unfriendly and treated me like I was an idiot who did not know her own body. The experience as a whole was stressful and not one I wanted to repeat, and I might as well had a physician do it.
I am thankful that even with the horrible chemical diaper skin burn my daughter had that God made something good come out of the bad experience. Everything happens for a reason and buying cloth diapers crossed my paths with Christy who is now a good friend of mine and the reason I had a home birth. Everything in life happens for a reason and I finally got my peaceful home birth.
If you live in an unfriendly home birth state like I do, finding a home birth midwife will be more difficult because they operate in the grey area of the law, and must do home birth under radar of general public. Here is a list of people who can help you find or contact a home birth midwife:
- Local Doulas
- Birth Class Educators
- Local Cloth Diapering Owners
- Search out local birthing groups on Facebook to find a midwife who does home births.
Home birth is not for everyone, but not all births need be in a hospital either. Many factors must be considered for each individual case. Consult with a number of valid resources before making a decision. To hear more about my home birth experience come back for my next post on this topic about the story and birth of my beautiful daughter Ayla.
XOXO,
Amee
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