17 Days Old

Act V (The final installment)

   Having a home birth was not an option that even entered my mind until my wife brought it up months ago.  But I could not imagine doing it any other way.  We were fortunate.  Everything went exactly according to plan (except for the birth pool) and we were able to bring our baby into the world in the comfort of our own home. 

   I’m glad there are hospitals and procedures to save the lives of mothers and infants when necessary.  But after hearing the birth stories that take place in hospitals versus those taking place at home and witnessing my child being brought into the world under our roof, I am confused as to why more people aren’t informed and educated about the possibilities of home birth.

   Days after Von Bebe’s birth, our midwife informed us of the procedures that likely would have taken place had we chosen or ended up with a hospital birth.  The labor took so long and the contractions never got closer together than 3 or 4 minutes so it would have been classified as non-progressing and Pitocin would have been administered.  A C-section possibly could have resulted due to the length of labor.  Also, the baby was crowning for so long that an episiotomy would most likely have been done requiring at the very least stitches if not more intervention.

   It took a long time.  But our baby was born at home, drug free and only a minor second degree tear requiring NO stitches.  We were in our own bed within 10 minutes after the birth and she was kept warm lying on top of my wife giving them the chance to bond from the very beginning.

   No interventions took place.  No drugs.  No monitors making beeping noises.  No hands poking and prodding where they weren’t welcome.  No one telling us what we could or could not do.  No one forcing my wife into uncomfortable positions.

   In short, we delivered our baby daughter in our own home and I will never forget it.

Week 36 Day 2

   Our child is going to be born at home. 

   If you haven’t been able to deduce from my earlier posts, we are pursuing a home birth for our child.  My wife has 3 siblings all of whom were born at home so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when she told me that she’d like to have a home birth. 

   I’m a pretty easy going kind of guy who tends to roll with… well…. whatever.  So I thought, “Sure.  Why not?”

   Things have been great.  She found a midwife that we both love.  She regularly sees a doctor to ensure that this will remain a low-risk pregnancy.  And we live 15 minutes away from a major hospital… just in case.

   There are lots of reasons to have your birth at a hospital just as there are lots of reasons to have your birth at home.    

   Here are the reasons why we’re having a home birth:

·        Enhanced bonding from the moment of birth

·        Home environment to relax both me and the mother of our child

·        Limited exposure to everything in the hospital

·        Dim lighting

·        Privacy

·        Control

·        Mobility – for the mother

·        Wearing our own pajamas

·        Going to sleep in our own bed

·        One on one attention from the midwife – if we need it

·        No rush to cut the cord or weigh the baby (the weight is not going to change dramatically in the first two hours of life)

·        Eating what we want, when we want

  And there are probably many more that I’m not remembering right now.

  But what it comes down to is we have to make our own choices.  We weigh the pros, cons and possible consequences and make the best educated choice we can.  We will trust ourselves with this choice.  We can only ask others to trust us with this choice as well.  Everyone trusts us to not be an ass with a child.  Why is the choice of childbirth any different?