It surprised me to see a DVD copy of the documentary “The Business of Being Born” available at one of my local county libraries. I put it on hold for 25 cents (have I mentioned how I think the public library is one of the best inventions ever?!), picked it up a few days later, and finally got to watch it with my husband the other night. The movie completely spoke to my disappointing experiences with hospital births and my very satisfying home birth. I wish everyone — pregnant or not, male or female — would watch the movie! The …read more

The 20/20 feature on “Extreme Breastfeeding” is scheduled to air tonight, Friday, January 2, 2009 (unless it gets bumped again by breaking news). Note that the program will also discuss home birth, including unassisted childbirth.

One study published in the Journal of Nurse Midwifery found:
The average uncomplicated vaginal birth costs 68% less in a home than in a hospital, and births initiated in the home offer a lower combined rate of intrapartum and neonatal mortality and a lower incidence of cesarean delivery.
“The Cost-Effectiveness of Home Birth.” J Nurse Midwifery. 1999 Jan-Feb;44(1):30-5. Gee, what a novel concept — care that costs less but has a better outcome!
I did an informal survey of sources online to determine that the average hospital birth costs around $8,000 in the United States, depending on exactly where the mother lives. That …read more

The Labor Day holiday presents a fitting day to discuss labor — the birthing kind! Here are my answers to the Labor Day meme. You can play along with Rocks In My Dryer too, but be sure to leave a comment here with your link (or just your answers if you don’t have a blog) so I know to go read your answers!
How long were your labors?
Kid #1, 22 hours.
Kid #2, 5 hours.
Kid #3, 11 hours.
See a pattern there? Nope, me neither.
How did you know you were in labor?
Kid #1, contractions that woke me up at …read more

Please do not take this list of advantages of a home birth to mean that I think every woman ought to give birth at home. Each woman should choose as she pleases and as is appropriate for her situation, and I know there are advantages to a birth center birth or a hospital birth (room service comes to mind!) These are just some advantages of a home birth that I appreciated.
1. Never having to get in the car during labor or soon after the birth.
2. Getting to (being encouraged to!) eat and drink during labor.
3. Being able to open the …read more

On Wednesday July 16 I was 38 weeks and 1 day into the pregnancy. The midwife had just finished her pre-birth home visit at 3:15 that afternoon. At 4 p.m. I was resting in bed and reading stories to my girls. Over the next hour I had some contractions, but no more and no stronger than I’d been having over the previous several days, so I didn’t pay much attention. Until I felt a little “pffzt” in my belly and I wondered whether that could possibly be my water breaking.

Nicole Marie White
7 pounds, 2 ounces
19.5 inches
Born Thursday, July 17, 2008
at 2:51 a.m.
At home, in the water.
Our first nursing session lasted a blissful hour. I am happy and feeling well! More details later!

Hard to believe I reach 30 weeks of pregnancy tomorrow! As part of planning for the birth, I have been reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth (my one-sentence rave review: this is the one birth book I wish I could press into the hands of every pregnant woman I encounter). It’s got me thinking a lot about the type of birth I hope to have (at home, with as few interventions as possible), and it makes the most recent poll results all that much more interesting. Of the 150 voters, 73% said they last gave birth in a hospital setting. …read more

I am not even 20 weeks along in this pregnancy and already I am focused on the birth. After two unsatisfying hospital births, this time I am working with a midwife toward a home birth. I am curious about your thoughts on birth choices and whether or not they affect breastfeeding success rates. Do you think birth center and home births are more conducive to breastfeeding success? Do breastfeeding women tend to choose birth center or home births even if they gave birth at a hospital the first time? How successful do you think hospital lactation support is? Do the …read more