About Home Birth
The main difference between home birth and hospital birth (besides location, of course) is that in a home birth setting the woman giving birth has much more control over what happens. When labor begins, and a woman decides she wants her midwife to be there, she calls and we come. She is able to labor in whatever position she chooses, in any place she wants to be, and she can have whoever she wants with her. She is also encouraged to eat and drink to stay hydrated and keep her energy level up. Warm baths are a great comfort and are used often in the home birth setting. Mom can stay there to labor as long as she likes or even give birth in the water if she prefers. We monitor mom and baby closely, but try to be as unobtrusive as possible as mom focuses on relaxing and breathing with her birth partner.
After the birth, the baby is placed directly on mama's chest to cuddle and nurse while he or she adjusts to the new environment. The family is welcome to take all the pictures they want before, during and after the big event. You are able to enjoy this time without worrying about the baby being taken away from you.
When mom and baby are ready, they get into a wonderful herbal bath while the midwife removes soiled linens and prepares the bed and newborn exam supplies for when they return. Since babies born at home are not drugged from an epidural or other medication, they are awake and alert for this sweet family bonding time. When the bath is over, we help Mom get dry and dressed while Daddy holds the baby in a warm, clean towel. As soon as Mom is all settled in her nice clean bed, with something to eat and drink, we do the newborn exam while the happy family watches. This is when the baby is weighed, measured and thoroughly checked to make sure all is well. Whoever wants to dress the baby takes care of that after the exam. We make sure baby is nursing well and is stable in all ways, and that our new mom is doing well also before we leave. We put laundry in the washer to soak if needed, gather trash, give mom her postpartum instructions and let her know what time we will be back to do the baby's first PKU test.
Obviously, this is just a glimpse of all that really takes place, but I hope you get the idea of how sweet, peaceful and wonderful home birth is.
God bless your birth!!