SO… with everything going on in the world when I got pregnant with my 3rd, I knew I wanted to have a home birth but it was all so overwhelming. just hearing I need this and that and don’t forget this and that. Plus how do you find a midwife who will do a home birth? So much goes into a home birth and not only that but most insurances don’t cover that. I had preeclampsia with my daughter (8 years ago) and I was terrified I wouldn’t have that option.
So, It took me a long time to finally say okay i’m going to do this. I wanted to get the okay from my obgyn just because she knew my previous pregnancies, deliveries, etc.
I ended up not even seeing her until I was around 22 weeks. I failed my glucose right before I switched to a midwife. (I knew nothing was wrong with my levels but they had me eat before which was crazy to me since they always told me NOT to eat before) Either way I thankfully switched to my amazing midwife and she just had me prick my finger for 3 days 4x a day and sure enough my levels were perfect!
Honestly a lot goes into a home birth and it may sound very complicated but it’s really not all that bad. For someone like me who literally had NO IDEA what I was doing… yeah stressful. That’s why I bring you this blog. Top Tips for planning a home birth. Let’s get into it. Tip one would be……
You absolutely want to plan ahead. Sit down and make a list or what you’ll need to do, if you can afford it, etc. Most insurances will NOT cover a home birth. You’ll be looking at around 4k for a midwife alone. This typically includes the newborn testing, all your prenatal appointments and even after care for 6 weeks. doula, etc is all out of pocket as well. I sat down and planned okay, I want a midwife(obviously) a doula, photographer, videography, and most importantly a water birth. Making sure my midwife did water birth was huge to me. Most of them love water birth’s so that’s a plus. Make a list, plan ahead & don’t get overwhelmed.
Finding a midwife was really hard for me which brings me to tip #2.
I made sure to really connect with my midwife before paying. I talked to a few and didn’t feel the connection like I did with my midwife,Jetta. I asked her a bajillion and one questions and made sure she knew my history with preeclampsia. Just talking with her I felt so at peace, so at home and so connected which is so crucial when having a home birth. it’s meant to be zen, comfortable and when you have a midwife you aren’t 100% certain on or don’t trust you wont truly enjoy the experience. I can’t stress this enough, take your time finding a midwife, really feel confident and ask a bajillions questions as well.
So when I first decided to have a home birth, I was sooooo overwhelmed thinking about what I need, etc. I literally had no idea what I was doing, I’m so used to having birth in a hospital where they have everything you need! Most of the time your midwife supplies you with everything or tells you where to buy it etc. Thankfully my midwife did. I grabbed most of my stuff from Walmart besides the kit she had me buy and she also supplied the tub for my water birth. You can definitely order the stuff yourself online and your midwife will tell you where. This was probably the most stressful part for me because I like to be prepared and I already didn’t hire a midwife or photography etc until I was over 20 weeks pregnant. I didn’t use some of it so I ended up being able to take it back.
If you want a pretty area to give birth in as well (i didn’t have time haha) then grab some twinkle lights from amazon, some greenery & write some birth affirmations. The perfect calm vibe. Grab your essential oils, make a playlist and do what you’re body is meant to do.
I can’t stress this one enough, I honestly knew that anything could happen but for some reason I still had this entire vision in my head and just assumed it would go as planned. I was so late on everything. I didn’t have the adapter for my water birth so therefore I couldn’t have my water birth as I wanted. I feel like planning for anything to happen will help a lot so if it doesn’t go as expected you aren’t upset like I was. I also wanted to have a home birth to be AT HOME with my kids and husband, yet I almost bled out and ended up spending my first night in the hospital.
It’s really so hard to know what is happening. I wasn’t sure if i was in active labor and by the time I was it progressed so fast, my doula/photographer didn’t have time to get to me to get photos, video, etc. All in all just plan for literally anything, know it can go wrong at any moment. Make sure all your supplies are ready, your bed, your tub, etc. It came so fast and I had zero time for anything.
This one is honestly so important, I mean all of them are but THIS. Being someone who’s always given birth at a hospital & had an epidural. I really had to mentally prepare myself for this. The contractions, feeling every single bit of it. After all our bodies we’re made to do this so I knew I was capable. I have a pretty high pain tolerance but I still needed to prep myself for what was to come. I read a ton of home birth blogs, searched instagram and even read a book. You can find so many books on amazon and even some for kids so they better understand. My daughter loved the experience and my son ehhh. He wasn’t so sure.
I honestly am so grateful I got to have a home birth even though nothing really went as planned. I know if I ever have another baby, i’ll know exactly what to do, to plan ahead, to get prepped early on, etc. I hope this blog helped you. Feel free to check out my blog on my Home Birth Experience HERE.
If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me here or on any other platforms.
If you’ve had a home birth, what’s the best tip you can give a mama who’s looking into it? Comment below!
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xoxo until next time, Cheyenne.