If you don’t want to read my backstory, just scroll until you get to my list of “why’s”. Disclaimer: All opinions here are my own. Birth is not a one size fits all and what is best for me and my family, may not be best for you and your family.
When I got pregnant with my oldest at 18, it was very important to me to educate myself on everything about giving birth and taking care of babies. I didn’t just want to be a good mom, I wanted to be the BEST mom. I started off by watching The Business of Being Born. That film triggered my desire for a natural birth and home birth. Unfortunately, I was met with a planned cesarean section when I found out that my baby boy didn’t form his arms or legs. My OB thought c-section to be the better and safer route for my baby.
After my first c-section, I was told that I would be an incredible candidate for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). When I got pregnant with my second child I didn’t live in the same state as I did with my first and ended up having a second cesarean because VBACs weren’t “allowed” in the area I lived.
When I got pregnant with my third child I was still living in the same VBAC unfriendly area. But again, I vocalized to my OB the desire I had for a natural VBA2C (vaginal birth after 2 cesareans). That OB told me that both my baby and I would die if I attempted a vaginal delivery. Fortunately, I was more educated than this OB and knew that was an absolute lie. My uterine rupture rate (1.36% for a VBA2C) was not much more than that of a woman who has never had a c-section.
In the third trimester of my third pregnancy the stars somehow aligned and I was able to move back to the area I lived when I gave birth to my oldest child. Thanks to mom groups on Facebook, I learned about the incredible Dr. Cummings (who is now retired) in Denton, TX. He is very well known for supporting vaginal births after multiple c-sections. I crossed my fingers and made the call to see if he would accept me as a patient. He did! I had my first appointment with Dr. Cummings at 32 weeks gestation and had a very successful, uneventful, unmedicated VBA2C at 37 weeks.
Shortly after my third chid was born, my husband and I decided that we wanted to get pregnant again soon to have our last two babies close in age. But this time, I wanted a home birth!
Thanks to my successful VBA2C, I already knew that I could safely deliver a baby vaginally and unmedicated, so why not just do that at home? It has been my DREAM to give birth in the comfort of my home, ever since I watched The Business of Being Born. I contacted my doula, Nikki Knowles, that I had with my very first baby and asked her if she knew of a home birth midwife that would take a mom with two prior c-sections. She told me that she just so happened to be apprenticing as a student midwife under Dr. Teri Mitchell of Bundle Born Midwifery, who has delivered VBA2C mama’s at home. Double score!!I set up a consultation with Nikki and Teri (who are both midwives serving DFW mamas if you’re looking), and next thing I knew I was a patient!
My 2VBA2C baby was born right into the hands of her daddy on our bed at home in November of 2018, after 2 blissful hours of active labor.
Why I chose home birth after 2 c-sections:
Safety
I am an enneagram type 5, if you want to do some reading to understand me as a person, and I need a space that is literally mine in times of extreme vulnerability. Basically a cave where only people I hand select can enter. I wanted ONLY my people around me. When there is an unwanted person in my personal space, the safety factor ends for me. Feeling safe during labor is the #1 most important thing to me.
I know a lot of people wonder about how medically safe home births are or what happens when there’s an emergency. Home birth midwives are equipped with everything needed in an emergency, besides an operating room. Midwives are trained to monitor mama and baby throughout labor to detect anything not going quit right, so a non-urgent hospital transfer can happen before an emergency. A midwife’s equipment includes: IV fluids, natural supplements and Pitocin to control postpartum bleeding, forceps, suturing kits, oxygen, fetal heart doppler, and resuscitation equipment. If needed or wanted, your home birth midwife will get you and/or your baby to the hospital immediately.
To feel empowered
I did not feel empowered after my first VBA2C. I was in a strange place (the hospital) during the most vulnerable time in my life. After active labor kicked in and I started getting vocal with my contractions, I didn’t leave my room because I felt shame and embarrassment. I also wouldn’t get out of the bed, which caused my contractions to be excruciatingly painful. It was a very awkward experience and not one I’d like to experience again if I can help it.
To be in charge of who is allowed in my birth space
On top of being in a vulnerable state, birth is a very spiritual experience for me, so my birthing space is very sacred. So sacred, that only my most trusted people are allowed in it. In the hospital, that sacredness was lost and one of the main missing pieces to my first unmedicated VBA2C.
To labor and birth in water unrestricted
During my VBA2C hospital birth, I wasn’t allowed any hydrotherapy after my water was broken. One of the most relaxing places for me is the shower, and I wasn’t even allowed to get in the shower. For my home birth I was allowed in and out of the shower as much as I pleased. I was also allowed to give birth in my tub, but I ended up not wanting to do that once I was in active labor.
I wanted my husband to deliver our baby
Birth was not only sacred for me, but for my husband as well. He expressed the desire to deliver our daughter and we agreed together with our midwife and student midwife that he would be the first to welcome our baby into our world. She was born right into his hands, just as we dreamed.
No labor or birth restrictions
A lot of hospitals have “policies” on how mothers are allowed to labor and birth their babies. Some say that you have to stay in bed once your water is broke or that you’re only allowed to give birth laying on your back. I imagined myself birthing off the side of my bed in a squatted position, unlike my first VBA2C where I gave birth lying on my back, but once the fetal ejection reflex kicked in my primal self crawled up on my bed and gave birth on all fours.
To give birth the way women have given birth since the beginning of time
I find power in thinking of all of the women who have given birth at home before me. Literally millions of women who have birthed at home, as it was meant to be. While laboring I visualized all of those women sending me their strength and energy to birth my baby safely at home, just as they did.
To have full power over every single thing done to me and/or my baby
I feel like the most important thing that my midwife has shown me is that not just consent, but INFORMED consent is SO important. My midwife wouldn’t even touch my belly without asking me first. And when it came time to make big important decisions, we sat down together to discuss them, and she pointed me in the right direction for resources to make an educated decision for myself and my baby.
So my older children could witness the birth
Originally, we had planned for our then 4 year old daughter to assist her daddy in delivering the baby and for our five year old son to be in the room, if they wanted. But when baby made it known that she was coming out, it was nap time and I decided that I actually didn’t want them in the room. But as soon as baby was out and laid on top of me, I asked for my mom to get my oldest two out of their beds to meet their sister. The blood and afterbirth didn’t scare them at all.
I didn’t want to be constantly bothered by nurses after I gave birth
After you give birth in the hospital nurses are in and out of your room every couple hours. That is SO annoying to me. When I have my baby in my arms I just want to be left alone to nurse and bond. With our home birth our midwife, student midwife, and midwifes assistant stayed for about 2 hours to make sure we were stable and fine for the night. They returned two days later to check out both me and baby, to see how nursing was going, and how baby’s weight loss/gain was going.
I hope you enjoyed this post and have a better understanding for WHY home birth is incredible, even for us VBAC mamas! If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an email or dm me on Instagram!
Did you have a home birth? If so, why did you choose home birth?
Admirably Diverse 