Due to an interest in more natural means of birthing among NFP advocates, I’m posting my home birth experience here.
My first baby delivery experience was typical from what others were telling me they experienced: water broke, went to the hospital, Pitocin (to speed up labor), Epidural, delivery and home the next day. I had my formula-and-pacifier-stocked-Enfamil tote bag, immunization newborn records and hospital photo in hand: we passed our first test of responsible parenthood, according to hospital guidelines.
Motherhood was great, though I counted myself a breastfeeding failure due to poor milk supply. I gave up when the baby was four months old, but by hospital standards, that too, was completely acceptable and expected.
By the time I was pregnant with baby #2, I had done some reading on the natural birth experience, vaccinations, breastfeeding and attachment parenting, and studied the Bradley Method. I was armed (and dangerous?) when I went in for my scheduled ob appointment, a week after my due date, still pregnant. Lo and behold, the doctor informed me that it was time to deliver and he had the night free to do so. All my best intentions at natural childbirth left when the Pitocin kicked in, and so it was a repeat of Pitocin, Epidural, Enfamil-tote, and the hospital photo. I won the battle with the immunization nurse (only because that was the year the medical field decided that administering the Hepatitis B shot on a newborn wasn’t such a good idea).
Enter the Option of Home Birth
Several months later my friend Cathy talked about the home birth experience she had using a local midwife. The main question in my head at that time was, “how can you live without the Epidural?” and the afterthought… “is home birth even safe?”
I don’t remember exactly what it was that convinced me I wanted to try it but I do recall Cathy’s complete trust in her midwife – she raved about Dottie. I certainly didn’t think that highly of my OB doctor. I was curious what would cause such a difference in her experience. Her positive relationship with the person who helped bring her child into the world, and her upbeat attitude about her birthing experience made me a convert. But how in the world would I get my husband on board?
We needed a speaker at our local Natural Family Planning group meeting and Cathy offered to talk about home birth. She did a fantastic job, after he heard the talk, my husband was also on board.
Fast forward several more months, to a meeting with Dottie and a positive pregnancy test. Things were running smoothly and other than the fear and apprehension about not having the pain killers (oh yeah, and my husband’s teeny tiny fear that if something did go wrong, would we make it to the hospital in time?), I was ready to do this.
What Made Us Decide to Home Birth?
We grilled Dottie on transports (when something goes wrong during delivery and mom must be transported to the hospital for possible surgical intervention). What we found out was that the vast majority of home births run smoothly. It’s a question of risk, really – there are other concerns of risk when you deliver in a hospital. Looking back, I questioned if maybe, just maybe, my poor milk supply was due to all the drugs being administered before and during delivery. In addition to the Pitocin and Epidural, there were the antibiotics for Group B Strep. And although the hospital was set up for the natural birth experience, complete with a lactation consultant on hand, classes on natural childbirth and a labor tub in each room, it really came down to the nurses on duty and the doc who would give the directives. The beds were “take-apart” beds which allow for various pushing positions, but these weren’t even offered as an option for me. In fact, my experience and that of others show that most hospital deliveries happen with a woman lying flat on her back. The woman is pressured into taking the drugs (at her most vulnerable, emotional moment) and the medical personnel seem to have absolutely no interest in following a birth plan.
TRUST is huge, I discovered, and when the medical experts whisk away your newborn for various tests, vitamin administration, and photo poses, that little no pacifier, please note doesn’t always get noticed.
So, mostly motivated by the milk supply issue, and the feeling that I could really, truly experience the entire labor from start to finish without any other hospital intervention, we were going to have this baby at home.
Surprise, Surprise!
We didn’t have the home birth experience after all.
At 16 weeks, Dottie began to pick up what she thought were two heart tones. I blew it off because 1.) what were the chances that we’d have twins? I mean… really? 2.) I wanted to have this baby at home. I waited five months before having an ultrasound. Dottie joined Jonathan and me in the x-ray room and the minute we saw an aerial view of two heads on the screen, Jonathan and I laughed in almost-hysterics. It was such a sweet surprise.
I’m pretty sure a home birth with known multiples was illegal in Colorado at that time, and we decided a higher risk pregnancy like that meant we should deliver in the hospital. I waited as long as I could before beginning to see an OB doc, and when I did, I went with someone highly recommended. In the meantime, I used Dottie for my prenatal visits, and she continued to keep me as a patient at my request.
About three weeks before my due date, I went in to see my OB doctor, and to my complete surprise, she told me I was in active labor. (My first naïve thought – wow, am I one of the lucky few who doesn’t experience labor pain?) And so, a c-section was scheduled within the hour, to be finished before the end of her shift. The experience with nurses who fed my twins against my expressed instructions, who purposefully kept me from nursing, and the great, big question of “was this c-section unavoidable?” left a bad taste in my mouth. It’s not that I questioned the medical staff’s technical ability to cut and do surgery on their own schedule, but I question their integrity as to the “why” and the medical need for doing so. And you can never get straight answers. Add to that the fact that we now live in a state (California) where “once a c-section, always a c-section.” VBACs aren’t an option in the hospitals here.
As for the milk supply this time? I used hospital grade pumps, prescribed Reglan, Domperidone, supplemental lactation system (SNS), herbs like fenugreek and marshmallow root, and still, the twins were fed a whole lot of formula. Overall, I was proactively trying to boost my supply and it was better than before, but it wasn’t until the next baby that I saw a big improvement.
My First Home Birth Experience
Almost two years later, Dottie delivered baby #5, in our two-bedroom townhome, at 5:30 a.m. on August 30th, 2003.
I had labored on and off throughout the day (realizing that I truly did know what labor pain felt like), and called Dottie probably several hours too soon. She came over anyway, and offered advice like walking, resting, and later, performing squats to help the baby to move into position. When the pain was intense, I slid into the warm “spa” Dottie had set up in our bedroom, and this time I was able to apply some of the Bradley techniques. I found pushing to be more efficient while squatting and things worked quickly and smoothly with a change in position. Dottie “caught” baby Gideon, 30 minutes before our second born woke up to meet his new brother. Labor pain was intense, I won’t lie, but what a huge feeling of accomplishment when it’s all over.
Best of all, recovery was so much faster for me. I didn’t walk around with that drugged-out feeling that was common after a hospital birth. I felt refreshed.
Home Birth Experience #2 and #3
I’ve gone on to have two more home births with a midwife here in California. Nora’s medical expertise kicked in full gear when I experienced hemorrhaging after the last birth (due to my low platelets that I experience during my pregnancies). She’s also closely monitored my platelet counts throughout my pregnancies and I’ve been able to boost my platelets with natural means (namely, beets!), avoiding drug intervention altogether.
With all my home birth experiences, what I’ve enjoyed most is the atmosphere of the appointments – birth is seen as beautiful, natural, and very pro-life. The images on the walls are adorned with life-giving examples that encourage women to be mothers, a stark difference from the birth control advocate posters and AIDS testing in the medical offices.
As for my milk supply? With each birth since the twins, my breastfeeding supply has been increasingly better. I am alert after delivery, I nurse the baby right away, I drink plenty of water, and then I nurse some more. I pretty much make it my full-time job to nurse the baby, eat healthy, and take supplemental milk-boosting herbs for a good month to get that supply up. Baby number seven was fed exclusively breast milk with no formula supplementation.
If you choose home birth:
- Find a midwife you can trust.
- Don’t be afraid to ask all the hard questions – she’s used to it.
- Meet with her before deciding to hire her, to make sure you “click” (and that you’re in agreement with her home birth philosophy).
- Get references from others who have used her services.
- Make sure you have your husband’s full blessing and support.
- Find a home birth midwife locally by doing a Google search, or by asking around on local homeschool lists, or by contacting health professionals who take a more natural approach to health care.