You may have an idea of how your ideal birth is supposed to go. You may have even drafted a birth plan and distributed it to your birth team. Sometimes, how you envision your birth experience may not always play out exactly how you plan it.
As a labor support doula, my job is to support the laboring mother through her entire labor and delivery. I am usually hired by my clients a few months in advance so that I can go over exactly how they would like to see their birth unfold. I ask the usual questions like, “How do you feel about pain medication? Do you think that you would like to keep interventions to a minimum? Do you plan on breast feeding or bottle feeding your baby?”
My personal beliefs and values are not an issue in her decisions. However, after delivering my second child at home and my other three in a hospital setting, I definitely have an opinion. I am often in favor of each for very different reasons.
There are many benefits of having a home birth. You can remain in your own, comfortable, familiar living space which is nice. You can manage your labor and delivery on your own terms and invite whomever you choose. Your baby will not be bothered by a barrage of hospital nurses and doctors. A personal favorite of mine is that you will not have to get into the car and drive to a hospital or birth center during active labor.
If you choose to deliver in a hospital setting, you can count on the entire labor and delivery being medically managed. You can receive pain medication at a hospital as well. A perk about having your baby at a hospital is the benefit of room service. If you have other children, a hospital birth may be a wise decision because you may not get a chance to relax at home.
I had a client deliver her sixth baby the other day. It was an unintentional home birth. I like to refer to it as an unintentional driveway birth. She delivered her baby breech while trying to load up her mini van and get to the hospital. Her mother was getting her some towels to take with her in the car in case her water broke. When she came back outside, my client had her pants down and assumed a squatting position and decided that the baby was coming. Her 75 year old mother caught the baby in the complete darkness at 4:15am. When I drove up to her house and the paramedics had her laying down in her driveway with her baby on her chest, I couldn’t help but think, she should’ve hired that home birth midwife from the start!