Megan from Holistic Homesteading with the Hursts answers questions about her experiences with home birth.
Megan is a beautiful mother of two kids both of which were born by home birth. On Megan’s blog Holistic Homesteading with the Hursts, she shares about her holistic lifestyle and experiences as she learns to homestead with two littles in tow.
Megan has shared on her blog How to Prepare for a Home Birth and today she is sharing a little Q and A about her home births for Firsts & Thirds.
Why did you decide to have a homebirth?
“I have always wanted a natural birth. I never wanted shots, especially one in my back, so I had always thought I would just do a natural birth in a hospital. When I started approaching my health in a holistic way at the age of 23, I started seeing so many different options that were more natural and homebirth was one of them. It really intrigued me and it honestly looked so romantic. Once I found out it was available in my area and I wouldn’t have to rush to a hospital to deliver my child, I was sold.”
What were your fears before having a homebirth (if any) and how did you overcome them?
“There were so many unknowns that made me feel a bit on edge with having a homebirth. Would I be able to deal with the pain? What if there was an emergency? Is it really safe? All of these questions and more kept running through my head. I was able to overcome these fears by asking my midwife about emergencies, researching the safety and benefits of a homebirth and finally realizing that ultimately God is in control of my life and the child’s life inside of me. Equipped with faith and evidence of home birth safety as well as surrounding myself with positive friends and family, I was able to overcome those fears and deliver both of my babies at home.”
What benefits do you feel homebirth gave you?
“Having a home birth was very empowering and freeing. I learned that there was a natural instinct inside of me that knew what to do when the time came. I was also allowed to make medical decisions for me and my children that are not usually options inside of a hospital. I was relaxed at home in my own environment and I was free to do what felt natural and comfortable. My children were born into stress free environments and both births were amazing experiences.”
If you had complications in your pregnancy would you opt for a hospital birth?
“Yes if the complications were severe enough. Throughout my pregnancy, the midwife did frequent check ups and we were sent to an OBGYN for a 20 week anatomy ultrasound to make sure our babies were developing correctly. If at any point during the pregnancy something was not right, I would have chosen to deliver in a hospital for safety reasons. Thankfully, there are usually signs of complications prior to delivery and we could choose to deliver in a hospital.”
Was your husband on board from the start? If not what changed his mind?
“He was. We had both begun our holistic health journey around the same time so when I showed him all of my research and the benefits for me and the baby, he was completely on board. After our first birth though, he was a bit traumatized. I am not a quiet laboring woman and our daughter was coming out forehead first so it was not the easiest for him to sit through when there was nothing he could do. But even after that he was still ok with a home birth because he knew the benefits and I was still desiring that.”
What are the main things you would recommend looking for in a midwife for homebirth?
“This one is a bit hard to answer because my midwife was the one who trained so many midwives and had delivered over 2,000 babies when I was with her. That is a bit hard to measure up to. I will be looking for a new midwife with my next pregnancy since my other midwife is now retiring so here are the things I will be asking her when the time comes.
How many babies have you delivered?Have there ever been any complications with any of the deliveries? If so, how did you handle them?If I am in labor at the same time as one of your other patients, do you have someone you work with to respond to me?How far away from my address are you?
I would also make sure that our personalities would do well together. You want to feel free to ask questions, voice concerns and opinions when it comes to your home birth. If any of that is not welcome, then you may need to find someone else.”
What were your birthing essentials if you had any? (oils, music, massage roller, hot packs)
“With both births, warm water was my best friend. I had prepared calming essential oils like lavender and had soothing christian music on but when it came down to it, all I was wanting was to be in the water and I would hum low during each contraction. The other items were not necessary for me when I was in the moment.”
Final Thoughts
“I loved both of my home births for different reasons. With my first it was so comfortable to be in my own home and with my second I was glad I already had experience with a home birth because he came too fast for even the midwife to show up. Home births are not for everyone and that is completely ok. I do wish that more women could experience it though. It’s so beautiful to me.”
Looking for more on birth? Check out my post about having a natural labor in the hospital here.
Ada
This is a beautiful and informative post! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Sheena
Putting some serious thought to switching to a home birth for the next baby, my babies come fast and I think if I could embrace the homebirth idea I might be a little better able to handle all my fears about having a baby while stuck in traffic. This is a great post thank you for sharing!
unraveledmotherhood
I would love to have a home birth as well so glad that Megan shared her experiences.
Jessica
Sounds like a beautiful experience!