A Post on Birthing

For those of you who don't know me, I've had all three of my children at home. 

 Me with my newest addition Sage, just a few days old

My first I gave birth to in my living room, my second in a birthing pool also in my living room, and my third in a birthing pool in my kitchen.  These are the highlights of my life!  I can't say enough about home birth.  My reasons were vast and varied for having them this way, but here's a few: (definitely not in order of importance)

1. We lost our insurance, and home birth is way cheaper than hospital birth.  I think the average hospital birth cost somewhere around $10,000, whereas I paid $1300.
2. Its actually safer than hospital birth!  Yes, that's right, look up the research.  The maternal death rate and neonatal death rates are the same, but the rate of birth injury to baby and mother is actually higher at the hospital.
3. Its so much more intimate and reverent at home.  I've never had a baby at a hospital, but I've been to a few.  It is very hectic feeling with people coming in and out, and from what I've seen the mother doesn't have much of a choice of what happens to her.  Now before you get all huffy, there are definitely hospitals that are better than others, and if the woman has a birth contract I'm sure it may also be different.  My experience is very much all about me!  In fact, this may be one of my favorite things.  People are bringing me my liquids, my foods, massaging me, letting me do what I want.  Its BEAUTIFUL! 
4. After my babies are born I get to go relax in my OWN bed!  I don't know about you, but I think hospital beds are the pits. 

Me, and my daughter Vaeh relaxing in bed after my son Joseph was born while my midwife and her partner weigh him.

  This is one topic I could talk about for hours!

But I won't.  Instead I will just point you in the direction of some really good movies!  My absolute  FAVORITE birth video to watch is called "Birth As We Know It".  This video is probably for those women who already want, or have had a home birth.  There are some amazing births in it!  I watch it a few times every time I'm pregnant.  If you are on the fence, or are a strict hospital birther you probably won't like it.

  For those women who want to learn more, or are on the fence and not sure what to do you should watch a video called "The Business of being Born".  Its a documentary by Ricki Lake and is a good jumping off point.  If you have Netflix, you can stream it from your xbox, wii, or whatever.

I am in no way going to tell every woman out there that you should have a home birth.  My wish is simply that all women were educated about her birthing options!  A lot of women just go to the hospital not knowing anything, and some have great experiences, others, not so much.   And some women need hospitals.  I just want women to be empowered to make their own decisions for their births, rather than their doctors making them for their own convenience.  

There is a new movie called More Business of Being Born coming out soon, so I want to encourage anyone pregnant, wanting to get pregnant, or just simply curious to watch this movie!  Here's a link celebrity mom's talking about their births and some info about the movie.  Birth stories are my FAVORITE thing to talk about, whether hospital or home.  Birth is a beautiful thing, and my hope is that all women walk away from their births feeling happy about it, regardless of where it happened.