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Ever So Britty

Home Birth – Tips, Prep and Why I Love It

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Natural Home Birth with Baby Number 2!

We’re weeks (or maybe days, say whaaat) away from our third home birth! Considering most women only give birth a handful of times, I think of myself as relatively clued up on the topic now from a mother’s perspective. I LOVE home birth and am thrilled that its been growing in popularity over the past few years. Give me a chance and I could talk all day about it!

How I Came to Choose Home

All my life I’ve been quite terrified of birth. I was a breech baby born naturally and although everything was fine in the end, the experience was relatively traumatic for everyone involved. I grew up hearing the story of my birth, listening to other women talk negatively about birth, and watching how media portrayed birth on the TV too. It was all the same. Fear, danger, screaming, pain, loss of control. I held a lot of fear but figured I would have to cross the birth bridge at sometime later in my life.

Planting Seeds

Fast forward to my early 20s, and I found myself on an app called Periscope where you could watch people live stream. I followed a bunch of mums in the U.S. who would speak about topics they were passionate about. Some talked about child safety, others about essential oils, and others about birth. I remember one saying she LOVED birth and my jaw almost hit the floor. I had NEVER heard those words come out of someone’s mouth before. LOVED birth?! I watched a home birthing mum called Erin chat with her midwives where she talked about how the body naturally works in labour and how your environment helps the process. This was completely new information to me and I was fascinated. It planted a seed!

A few years later, I was pregnant with my first baby I was SICK. Like HG kinda sick. I spent the first months in bed and watched a lot of Netflix, chewing through four seasons of Call the Midwife. Although a fictional show, I watched how women could give birth peacefully in the comfort of their own home, with the guidance of experienced midwives. It was simply the norm of the time. Very different to what we see in most modern movies and tv shows and hear about from others.

When it came time for my first midwife appointment (in NZ having a midwife is standard care) I joked about the show and home birth. I said casually that I’d love to birth at home but I could never because of my location (45 minutes from the hospital). My midwife immediately told me that I could birth at home, a maternity centre, or the hospital. The choice was mine and all were fine. I assumed that I lived too far away for home birth to be a safe option, but my midwife assured me that it was ok. Usually they have plenty of warning when things aren’t going quite right, they have two midwives at a home birth, and they’re are well equipped to handle a variety of emergencies themselves.

My Decision

Over the next few months I educated myself on birth and the body. The more I read, the more it made sense for me to be in an environment where I was most comfortable… home. I read studies about how your birth place affects your outcomes, and how home was not only safe, but actually provided BETTER results for low risk women than at the hospital. The rates of intervention were less, and the rates of normal vaginal delivery greatly increased.

I explained all this to my farming husband who took very little convincing. As someone who sees (and assists) hundreds of mammals birth a year, he already respected and well understood the natural process of labour and birth. He was 100% on board! Other friends and family weren’t as keen on our choice, but I was the one that had done the research, and I would be the one having to experience it, so I politely dismissed their concerns. If you’re planning your first home birth you may want to be cautious of who you tell beforehand too.

I went on to have a lovely, calm home birth on Christmas Eve delivering a beautiful daughter under the light of the Christmas tree. Almost two years later I chose home again, and gave birth to a baby boy. You can read by birth stories for my first here and second here. I can’t imagine giving birth anywhere else now, which is why I’m once again, picking home for baby number three!

Why I Love It So Much

There’s obviously a tonne of evidence as to why it can be a great option for low risk women, but here’s why I personally love it so much.

  • I feel most comfortable in my own home and know that being relaxed helps labour to progress.
  • I feel calm and in control in my own environment.
  • I have control over who is present. In my case I have my husband, two midwives, then anyone else I like to include (like my Mum and sister).
  • I have all my own comforts like my couch, bed, and bathroom.
  • I am able to easily get into a state of relaxation.
  • I don’t have to travel during labour.
  • I can move freely around the house without being confined to monitors and beds.

Tips for an Unmedicated Birth

I’ll start by saying that there is no prize given out to women that birth unmedicated. I think everyone should look into the benefits and the risks and decide what’s right for them. With birthing at home, medicated pain relief options are extremely limited. Medicated pain relief comes with risk and risk requires additional monitoring, making it only available at hospitals. Some midwives are able to access gas/air but I believe its very uncommon. Instead, we have to look at other tools to manage pain during labour and birth.

Some Options to Look Into:

  • Hypnobirthing: this is most definitely my favourite tool. I read/listened to The Calm Birth Method by Suzy Ashworth which equipped me with tools and techniques to use in labour. This has been the BIGGEST factor in helping me to achieve a calm and positive birth.
  • Breathing: using the breathe as a tool for relaxation is super powerful! Take this to learn breathing techniques for labour and practice in the weeks leading up to birth.
  • Water: warm water can be magic for relieving pain. In the earlier stages of labour, we don’t want to be in a bath or pool as labour can sometimes stall, so make the most of the shower. A birth pool is incredible for the later stages of labour and birth and something I’d highly recommend.
  • Heat: heat packs are great to have on hand, especially for mamas experiencing back labour.
  • TENS: This is a machine that sends mild electrical currents into your body. The idea is that it distracts you from the other pain. I haven’t personally used one before but have heard that they work best when used from the beginning. You can purchase or hire these.
  • Combs: this is a newish one and something that I’m trying this time. I have wooden combs that I’ll hold in my hands during contractions. They press on acupressure points and help to distract from pain elsewhere too.
  • Essential oils: oils like Clary Sage can be helpful in encouraging contractions. I like to use oils like Balance and Wild Orange for emotional support. See more on oils for birth and postpartum here.
  • Position and pressure: for the most part, I think that you’ll naturally find positions that are most comfortable. Some women use a rebozo/scarf to provide relief in certain positions. At times during my labours I like firm pressure being applied to my back too.
  • Education: I’d highly recommend THIS video for a more in depth look into non-pharmacological pain management techniques

How to Prep for a Home Birth

This is something that needs to be done in consultation with your midwife, as each midwife provides different things. Mine comes equipped with a birth kit of tools, resuscitation equipment, waterproof pads, etc as well as medication for emergencies. This time she has provided a birth pool with everything required to empty and fill it. In the past we purchased a large paddling pool and used a garden hose to fill it up. We put a large tarp underneath to protect the floor. I would highly recommend having a practice run pumping up and filling the pool. Its good to get an idea of timing and if your home’s hot water system can cope. You’ll likely want a shower after birth so make sure you don’t use ALL your hot water.

Things to Have on Hand:

  • Buckets: to throw clothing or towels in or be sick in
  • Large tarp
  • Small fish net or something to scoop poop with- it happens and its FINE. Nobody cares.
  • Bowl for catching the placenta.
  • Snacks and drinks for those attending the birth. I always have these out in the living area for people to help themselves to.
  • Snacks and drinks for yourself. I like to have Poweraide and lollies on hands but typically don’t like to eat much in labour. Poweraide bottles are great to reuse as peri bottles too.
  • A packed hospital bag. If you change your mind or plans change, it’s good to have a pre prepared bag. I leave a list on top of it for all the things to grab to add to it.
  • Waterproof picnic blanket: if you’re not using a pool, this is a great option to birth on then throw away.
  • Towels: my midwife hires a whole bunch of these which are really the only things that get messy. We use them for the baby when first born, and for me after labour too. She collects them afterwards and returns them to be laundered so neither her nor us have to deal with messier items. It’s great!
  • Baby arrival basket: I like to pop a few things in a basket for when baby arrives like clothing, nappies and a muslin.
  • Something to birth in. Loose t-shirts are great. I like to wear a sports crop/bra in the pool. If your partner wants to hop in too then some shorts and a singlet would be handy to have available as well.
  • Things for setting the mood: Oxytocin is a powerful hormone that helps labour progress. It’s also produced during love making, so think about what kind of environment you’d want for that, and replicate. Think dimmed lights, fairy lights, and battery powered candles. You may want to have a calming birth playlist playing in headphones or a speaker too. I like to have the diffuser on with some of my favourite oils.
  • Maternity pads/adults diapers: you’ll want to have these on hand for afterwards. Pop them in your bathroom along with undies and something comfortable to wear. I make up boxes of pads for each bathroom.

What Happens After

Ok, the main even has happened, now what comes next? I always like to chill in the birth pool for a bit after the baby is born. A rest is GLORIOUS. You can choose to deliver the placenta naturally or with drugs (the midwife brings these). The beauty of a home birth is that as long as things are going well, you more or less get to decide your timeline. Once the placenta is birthed I like to get checked down below, stitched if required, then showered. Midwives come equipped with all the equipment to do stitches as well as local aesthetic.

The linen is gathered by my midwife, and the birth pool siphoned out and emptied by my husband into the garden. It’s a pretty easy job and doesn’t take long. After my first birth, we stayed at home so tucked up in bed after feeding baby under the midwife’s guidance. Following my second we went to a maternity centre for postpartum care for a few days which is the plan this time too. Being a farmer’s wife, it’s good for both him and I to be forced into resting.

Great Resources

Courses and Websites:

Books:

Podcasts:

People to Follow on Instagram:

That’s a wrap! I love getting to share about home birth and inspiring others to have their own calm, positive experience. Feel free to message me on Instagram anytime if you have questions!

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I’m Brittney Guise

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