At the birth of my third baby, I was able to labor in a big jacuzzi tub at the hospital. I was so relaxed... praying, laughing and honestly really enjoying the experience as a whole. The nurses only allowed me so much time in the tub before I had to come out so they could monitor baby again. I remember as soon as I came out of that tub, my body went into transition. The contractions gripped me! They came on fast and fierce, a stark contrast to laboring in the tub, and moments later, I was pushing out my precious baby girl! The rush of oxytocin a mother experiences when holding a newborn baby is overwhelming, an unparalled joy... there are simply not sufficient words to describe the ecstasy of the moment. Even so, a haunting question loomed over me after that birth... what if I had just been able to stay in that tub?! Laboring in that warm water had allowed my body to progress so quickly and yet the perception of pressure and pain was profoundly muted... what if I had been allowed to birth in that tub!?
A year or so later, the Lord began prompting me to look into homebirth. I began to immerse myself in researching the topic. I spoke with my doula and asked lots of questions, watched beautifully encouraging homebirth videos and I eventually interviewed a midwife in my area. I also switched my insurance plan away from the traditional "marketplace plans" to a Christian healthcare sharing ministry that was super friendly toward covering a comprehensive home birth. A couple months later, I found out I was pregnant! It was like my spirit knew this little life was coming and prompted me to take the necessary steps to prepare the way!
I also had NO IDEA the world was about to shut down months later in the infamous pandemic, leaving an indelible mark on each of our lives. I may not have had the foresight, but the Holy Spirit did and prompted me to make the necessary changes so I wouldnt have to comply with the restrictive mandates birthing mommas were forced to endure. Through the chaos of the pandemic, many things were "unmasked" in the midst of a nationwide masking of peoples faces. One of which, I believe, was the sham of the traditional birth industry.
Before taking offense, please hear me. I am not knocking any one doctor, practice or person... rather what I am poking at is the overarching narrative of fear and incompetence directed at expectant mothers AND the wicked injustice of the healthcare industry vying to make money off women at their expense. This narative puts mothers in a vulnerable place of conceeding to the loudest voices during their pregnancy and births. Rather than educating and empowering women toward healthy and holistic births, many women maybe feel as though their voice is not heard or respected in the medical field and that they are wholly at the mercy of things they cannot control.
In stark contrast, my journey of having my fourth child via homebirth became one of the most redemptive and empowering experiences of my life, and I do not say that lightly.
To give a brief history of my experience of birth up until that point, my heart was always to experience a beautiful, supernatural birth without fear, complications or pain. While the Lord is always good and never wastes an experience, no matter how negative... and while meeting your baby for the first time outside the womb is always so beautifully sacred... I was very disappointed by my first three birth experiences. Following each birth, I felt as though I needed to recover from a trauma of sorts and while I was so thankful for my healthy, beautiful babies - I definitely needed to debrief with the Lord about what had just happened!
Maybe that is where you find yourself, conversing with the Lord about the desires of your heart concerning birth. Perhaps you were disheartened by a past birth experience or maybe you are hopeful for what birth could be. I'm so glad you're here! I bless you in your pregnancy, labor and delivery of your current and/or future babies! My aim for each of my posts is to be a resource to strengthen and empower women so please share this with someone you know who would benefit!
When you are considering a homebirth, here are some things you should take into account:
#1 What is your "why"? What factors are important to you. For me, the opportunity to have a waterbirth was a major factor, as I already mentioned. Another factor for me was my other kiddos. Living far from family, one of my biggest concerns was who would stay with my older kids? Oftentimes I go into active labor in the evening, and with the birth of my third, I had to orchestrate who was able to stay overnight with my kids before leaving for the hospital! Not something I want to line-up when I am trying to have a baby! Probably the other biggest factor was my desire for a peaceful, redemptive birth story. I didnt even know how beautiful that was going to be for me.
#2 Your personal health and birth history. My first baby was delivered via c-section. My second birth was a complication-free VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarian) and by number four, I had the faith for a homebirth. Education, nutrition and alternative forms of care like chiropractic, excercise, massage, etc. can all be extremely helpful if your goal is a natural, complication-free, enjoyable birth! I say all that to emphasize: whatever your health history may be, there are options! Do not inwardly resign yourself to the idea that your births will always look the same. Sometimes you just need to do your homework and take ownership of pioneering your own health through education, nutrition and excercise, etc.
#3 Interview & talk to the right people! Probably the best way to learn about homebirth is interviewing people within your circle who have been in that world. Maybe you caught wind of a friend from church having a homebirth, maybe you know a doula in the area, or if you are unsure where to start, just start researching midwives in your area and have a phone or email interview with one of them. One of my favorite resources was a podcast where the host would interview women about their birth stories and how they experienced God's Prescence in their births... all KINDS of births! It was so encouraging!
#4 What does my current insurance cover and do I need to switch providers? This is a super practical consideration to take into account. Find out how much a homebirth would cost in your area. Find out what your insurance covers and research if there is a better fit? In my research, I didn't find any traditional insurance plans (in my price range anyway!) which covered homebirth. Through word-of-mouth, I heard about Samaritan Ministries, a healthcare sharing ministry where you initially pay out of pocket for services rendered, but are afterward reimbursed by other members "shares". At the time of writing this post, not only is homebirth fully covered, but any additional bloodwork, testing, chiropractic care, and perscriptions will be covered up to a certain amount, based on your specific plan.
(If this sounds intriguing to you, and you want to learn more, you can do your own research at Samaritan Ministries, and if you happen to mention my name as a referral when you join, I will receive a small credit to my account!)
#5 What would a homebirth look like for you? Use your God-given, Holy Spirit-sanctified imagination to picture what it could look like for you to give birth in your home. Where would you labor and potentially set up the tub? What is the atmosphere you would like to create... fresh flowers, twinkle lights, birth scriptures, oil diffuser going with a specific scent, what music is playing, who is in the room, what snacks would you like available...
I know some people might get squeemish by the idea of having a baby at home. Maybe they imgine blood and body fluid everywhere... everything ruined and contaminated. I almost laugh because that will almost definitely NOT be the case!
#6 Are you and your husband on the same page? Do you have peace and unity about home birth? When it comes to big decisions, this is often the deciding factor for me in my life and marraige. Unsurprisingly, the desire to pursue a homebirth began with me and as I became excited about the possibility, I was able to gently share what I was learning with my hubby. When I interviewed the midwife, I invited Michael so we could both ask all the questions on our heart, which was very helpful and reassuring! There is so much peace and power in unity!
I hope this post has been helpful and encouraging to you! Look for my next post in this homebirth series, Assembling Your Team!
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