This is long, but I feel that it's important... :)

So here we are- with 6 weeks until our due date, suffering in relentless heat, and trying to make the necessary preparations for little Michayla to join us, all the while making the most out of our time as a family of three before our world changes in a wonderful way.



I am writing tonight regarding something that I never intended saying much about, but feel that for good reasons, perhaps I should. As just about anyone who reads my blog knows, Mike and I are planning on having Michayla in our home with a midwife and her team to guide and watch over us through the process. I realize that most of you think we're crazy, although many of you have been extremely supportive, which we certainly appreciate. I've neglected to say much on the matter because at the end of the day, it is our decision and we trust it completely and that's all that matters. I never wanted to invite negativity on the matter because I don't want that to dampen our spirits. However, I do realize that a lot of the concern comes from a very loving place and I understand it completely.



With all of that in mind, I just wanted to share a few things regarding the home birth to hopefully put minds at ease. I suspect that at least part of the worry comes from a lack of awareness of the process and what the midwife has available to her. First of all, in order to have a home birth, a woman has to be considered "low-risk" throughout the entirey of her pregnancy. Our midwife has all of the same tests available at our prenatal appointments as an obgyn would and thus her assessment of my low-risk status is just as reliable as theirs would be. I am grateful that things have gone so smoothly and know that if that changed at any point, Christy would refer us to a competent doctor and we would go from there... but let's hope that's not the case!



During the labor, Christy will have with her all of the necessary equipment to monitor the baby as closely as is needed. She will have a fetal monitor so that she can keep an eye on the heart rate to ensure that Michayla continues to do well. If her heart rate lowers at any point, we will try different positions, as that is often all that the baby needs to get comfortable again. Of course, if that doesn't work, we'll load up into the car and make a quick jaunt down to the hospital that is 8 minutes from our house. Christy will also have with her certain medications that she can administer as needed. She will have pitocin, in the event that after delivery the uterus isn't contracting quite like it should in order to prevent for hemorraging or other related complications. It is extremely rare for that to happen, but it is a question I've been asked so I thought I'd address it. Given that I have tested positive for group b strep, Christy can also administer the same antibiotics during labor that a medical doctor would. It is veerrryy rare for a newborn to actually contract group b during labor, but I am not one to take that risk so I will opt for the antibiotics. As for the pain, well I'm on my own with that! :) I am actually not one bit scared of the pain. I was with Lacey, so I opted for an epidural that didn't work. I had back labor the entire time due to Lacey's position (she was born "sunny-side up", or posterior, which I have learned happens in only about 4 per cent of births... not exactly a statistic I care to be in again!), and apparently epidurals don't help in back labor. Go figure! The good thing, though, was that I realized that I could handle quite a lot of pain. The entire time, I remember knowing that I was ok. My mom was very helpful through the contractions in helping me to relax and mentally, I was pretty well on top of it. I'm not saying I enjoy the pain or that I want to feel it, but all of the benefits of an unmedicated home birth make me willing to experience it.
Christy will also have oxygen on hand in the event that either I or the baby need it. Again, it is something rarely used in home births but if it's needed, it's there. Also rarely used, but available, are forceps and vacuum extractors. What she does have that doctors do not seem to rely on is a vast knowledge of natural measures that can be taken to avoid medical intervention. I mean, why not? :)


If you're someone who has faith in statistics, you'll be happy to know that the rate of complications in a home birth are no higher than in hospital births. My midwife has never had to transport a mother for emergency situations-- she's only transferred first-time moms who's labor lasted for extended periods of time and they wore out. (She's delivered over 300 babies, so that's pretty comforting in my world!)



Here's the thing-- birth is a natural process, not the potential for catastrophy as it is treated in hospitals. The rates of medical interventions and related complications are unnecessarily high in our country. I absolutely and whole-heartedly feel that any complications that arose during my labor with Lacey were the result of the string of interventions that I experienced. I was induced before my due date when my body showed no signs of being ready, I received the epidural as well as narcotics when that didn't work, I was on constant fetal monitoring and unable to change positions or seek comfort in any way. Our bodies were created to birth babies and under normal, healthy circumstances do not need to be interfered with. I of course value and respect all of the options that are available as I do realize that plenty of lives have been saved as a result. However, a lot of lives have been put at risk, too. C-sections are major surgery with a lot of potential for complications. I am not suggesting that they are altogether bad as I realize that some women do genuinely need them. It's somewhat disturbing to me, though, that there are those who would rather see me have a csection than a home-birth. I'm not sure when surgery became the "safer" alternative to allowing one's body to work naturally, but that seems somewhat counterintuitive to me.

Here's an interesting little tidbit of information that I just found, incase you're interested: http://www.gentlebeginningsbc.com/content/benefits
There are countless other studies and statistics that show similar findings.

At the end of the day, what we're looking forward to the most is a wonderful birth experience. I am excited to be in the peace of my own home, minus the bright lights, medical equipment, throngs of people, and the general chaos of the hospital. I am looking forward to holding Michayla immediately after she's born and to be able to nurse her right away- a moment that I did not have with Lacey. I love that she will be with us the entire time, while she is carefully assessed and cleaned up right beside us. Mike will get to be a part of the whole process. The Bradley classes that we are taking are preparing him to know how to meet my needs in labor and to help me to be as comfortable and on top of things as possible. He will also get to "catch" Michayla as she's born. It isn't that I think it will be all rosy, of course. I know that there will be a great deal of pain, and possibly moments when I myself think I was nuts for doing it, but I am confident that it will be a beautiful experience for all of us. That is why we're doing this. I'm not suggesting that it's for everyone at all. It is what we are most comfortable with but that's us... I respect and support the decision of any mother on how she chooses to birth her babies. And of course, this is all assuming that things go according to plan. If the plan changes in any way for any reason, I will be most grateful to have another healthy and beautiful baby girl.

I hope that this eases worried minds. If not, well, maybe nothing will and that's ok. If nothing else, know that we have been extremely careful in making this decision-- we've done lots of research, lots of preparation, and most importantly (in our world) a lot of praying to be sure. We hope that we'll get lots of love and support and that you'll all happily welcome little Michayla into our world when she makes her arrival. We can't wait to share her!