Fair
question I guess. Thought I would write a post on why we are considering
homebirth for baby #2 for all you curious people out there.
First
off, we believe it stems from our thinking that birth is a natural part of life.
It is something my body has been designed to do. It is not an illness, disease
or sickness, therefore we don’t believe it needs to be managed in a hospital
setting.
Please be assured, I’m not
discounting that there are medical emergencies with pregnancy & childbirth
that DO need to be managed at hospital.
Those
who know the story of H-bombs birth know that I had a wonderful experience
birthing at the hospital, however there were a few elements that left me
wanting more…
I
am under the care of the Midwifery Group Practice (look it up if you’re
thinking of getting preggers-can’t say enough for it!), which means that I have
my own midwife (Christina) and back-up Midwife (Ceri) for my entire pregnancy.
I
was blessed to have Christina & Ceri for H-bomb and they continue to be my
midwives for this pregnancy too. These two women feel like part of my family.
They know me. They know J. They know what we value as a family, what’s
important to us. They continue to have a special bond with H-bomb and most importantly;
I completely trust them as they care for this baby and me.
In
short (I will do a post on H-bombs birth at some point), I did most of my
labouring at home for H-bomb, went into hospital, jumped in their bath and
popped him out. I was in the birthing suite with J and H-bomb for maybe 2hours
after he was born then transferred to a ward at 6am where J was told to go home
(til he could come back at 10 for visiting hours) and I was told to rest.
Rest,
yeah right…I was on a complete high and wanted to relive every moment, preferably
with my husband. I was also sharing a room with a lady who snored like a
freight train so sleep was out of the question. The next 2 days were a blur;
visiting hours filled with people then hours by myself, trying to work out what
to do with this baby that was now all mine. Not to mention the terrible
hospital food, each midwife on shift telling you different things and the lack
of sleep…
This
was probably my biggest motivator to have this bub at home. The thought of
having a shower in my shower, putting on my pyjamas and getting into my bed to
snuggle a few hours away with J and our baby was just too good to be true!
Here
are some other reasons that we have factored into our decision-making:
-We
want H-bomb to be involved in the whole process, as he is just as much a part
of this family too. No, he won’t be watching the actual birth but we want him
there as soon as this one’s born. I like the idea that life just continues to
carry on as normal. Here’s hoping it happens through the night so he can just
stay in bed and wake up to a new brother or sister!
-We
are 5mins max from the hospital should any situation arise that warrants a trip
there.
-I
can birth exactly how I want, in comfortable familiar surroundings. I can have
a cuppa on the balcony or pace around the dining table. I can actually light
candles (obviously banned in the hospital due to OH&S reasons) and I can
have a physiological third stage (birth the placenta naturally rather than be
given drugs which is hospital policy)
-The
birth pool that the midwives supply is much larger that the bath at the
hospital which will be way more comfortable.
-There
is reportedly less mess than a hospital birth, especially if using a birth
pool. The midwives sort it all out post birth, all I have to do is cuddle my
baby (sounds like a sweet deal to me).
-My
midwives will continue coming to our house every couple of days for a few weeks
after birth so I’m not worried about getting adequate post-natal care
Ultimately,
this birth, like the rest of our lives is completely out of our control.
Who
knows whether I’ll get to have a homebirth or not…
At this stage, I won't have the birth pool til Monday morning so we're hoping it doesn't choose this weekend to make an appearance.
All
I can do is pray and by Faith know that God is over and above all things,
including how this baby arrives. When you know that, it really doesn’t matter
at all about the where, how and why.
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| First family photo with Christina |
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| Christina & Ceri doing their thing with H-bomb. |
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| Christina with 8 month old H-bomb |
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