Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Preparing for a Homebirth

Baby #2 is due on March 1st and we decided about a month ago that we are going to birth her at home. We had Finn at a stand-alone birth center (Alma Midwifery) and didn't think twice about going back there for this birth. However, in the time since we had Finn my health insurance has changed and, for some reason, having a birth at the birth center is quite a bit more expensive. If we chose the birth center route, we would end up paying about $1,500 more than if we chose to have the baby at home. We would still have the same midwives and the same equipment. The only thing a home birth would be lacking is the lovely birthing tub (in which Finn was born by the way). But, my labor with Finn happened super quickly, and the midwives cautioned that  I may not even have a chance to use the tub (or may not even make it to the birth center!) if things happened any faster than last time. So, $1,500 to maybe use a birthing tub just didn't fit into our budget.
So, to save money and make things easier on ourselves, we decided that having this baby at home was the right option. A lot of our family thinks that we are crazy, but we are still less than 2 miles from a hospital if we do run into an emergency. And knowing that I will be in a familiar place with my things and my animals (well, maybe the animals will be a disadvantage... I know the hair will!), and knowing that I don't have to leave once I start laboring, are all very nice and comforting thoughts. I have complete trust in my midwives and my ability to get this baby out when the time comes. I know that there is a chance that we will have a complication and end up at the hospital, but I am REALLY hoping that doesn't happen.....
So, the past few weeks I have been compiling my home birth kit to prepare for the birth. Finn came 3 weeks early, so I figured that I had better be prepared.... and honestly, knowing that I have everything I need for the birth already has made the anticipation of going into labor a little bit less stressful.
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9 comments:

  1. JennyJanuary 25, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    Oh you are SOOOO lucky to be preparing for a home birth. I had an epi with my first two kids, but Kian was natural. His labor was 4 hours from first contraction to baby in arms. Even though it was SOOOO much harder doing it natural, I really loved it and want future (unconcieved) baby number 4 to come naturally too. I'd really love to have the baby at home where all the kids would be but my daughter's labor turned into an emergency situation in a matter of 30 seconds. They almost took her C section at 10 cm!!! Anyways, we live an hour from the hospital we like to deliver at and 40 minutes away from the nearest hospital. In the case of an emergency, I'd just be afraid that's too far away. Especially since 20 min of that trip is on a very curvy country road you can only take so fast. You are so lucky you are so close to a hospital! I wish you the best and hope you don't have to venture up the road to the hospital and can't wait to hear how it goes.

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  2. Caroline @ The Feminist HousewifeJanuary 25, 2011 at 11:21 AM

    I just ordered my home birth supplies a couple weeks ago! It's fun to get everything ready for the arrival...

    Have you considered getting a pool that you can use at home? Our midwife is letting us borrow one and we just had to buy a liner...but before that, I was looking into purchasing one. They aren't too much. Something you might want to look into! = )

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  3. GetrealmommyJanuary 25, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    We will have such different experiences. I had both of my son's by csection. One was breach, the other was emergency. So baby #3 will be csection for sure. I did get to experience a taste of labor with both babies, because they were early. I like the idea of the baby picking the due date and not having a scheduled c-section. Good luck with everything. Have a safe and happy delivery!

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  4. Ren- Lady Of The ArtsJanuary 25, 2011 at 11:48 AM

    I know you will be great at it- you're experienced now- I think that itself makes a world of difference.

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  5. Heidi StarksJanuary 25, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    My only birthing experience was a home birth just 11 weeks ago. Similar to you, we live 5 minutes from a hospital (OHSU) "just in case". I had two midwives and one midwife in training and a birthing doula. The positive energy and non-invasive supportive in the room was AMAZING! If you are interested you can have a water birth at home. I purchased a large inflatable tub specific for birthing. It made a HUGE difference during labor. I hope you have a wonderful birth experience!
    Heidi

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  6. Mama Gone GreenJanuary 25, 2011 at 4:50 PM

    Thanks for all of the encouragement and well wishes ladies!
    We had considered renting or buying a birthing tub for the house, but decided against it for 2 reasons: 1. Our house is 800 sq. ft., and we have no idea where we would put it and 2. if my labor happens as quickly as last time, there wouldn't be time for it to heat up. I am hoping my bathtub will do in a pinch (?).

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  7. JennyJanuary 25, 2011 at 6:21 PM

    Not long enough to heat up?! My goodness....how fast did you have that boy?! :)

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 26, 2011 at 7:12 AM

    I'll be putting my home birth kit together in a few months :)

    I have a friend who spent most of her labor in the bathtub, and that worked really well for her. I'm not sure if I'll want the water or not, but if I do, I'll also be using the bathtub (similar small space situation). Best wishes for a beautiful birth!

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  9. cpcableJanuary 27, 2011 at 7:18 AM

    Oh, I'm so excited for you! I'm in the same process of adding the last few items to our home birth kit. I think I have them all on hand, I just need to get them all together in one easy-to-find place. Don't worry too much about your family thinking you're crazy. Our families have come to the same conclusion, but I'm confident that for low risk situations like ours, home birth is a completely safe option. I too am looking forward to starting our little one's life outside the womb at home. Best of luck! I'll be thinking about you!

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