Planning my Second Birth at Home
If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I would have considered giving birth at home I would have laughed at you. Now, I have one home birth under my belt and am planning my second. There are a lot of reasons why we chose to have a home birth but ultimately it just felt right for us. I’m not anti-hospitals, I believe they have their place and are important but I do believe that giving birth is a natural part of being a woman.
With Jude’s birth I had no idea what to expect but did a lot of research and felt confident in my ability to birth a child naturally. His birth went nothing like I expected but the confidence I placed in myself did not change. It was a hard labor but I always felt safe and supported. I have only a few regrets from his birth (I wish I would have eaten more, moved more, tried different positions) but ultimately I was very pleased with how it all went down.
I am really looking forward to my second home birth. We originally thought we might want go to a birth center this time but after visiting one it just didn’t have the same feeling as being at home. We are excited that our midwife is also a long time friend and I feel peace about having our second child at home.
To prepare myself I am re-reading Ina May Guide to Childbirth and it so empowering.
Here are two of my favorite Ina May quotes:
“Remember this, for it is as true and true gets: Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is not a careless mechanic. Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.”
“There is no other organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ they would brag about it. So should we”
