In my post, How to Choose the Right Provider for You, I mentioned that having an out-of-hospital birth may not only be better for you, but it may be better for your baby as well. I am not a certified midwife or anything like that, but based on my research and experience, I do believe out-of-hospital births may be the best option for low-risk women. If you think a midwife is the right provider for you, here are 6 reasons you should consider a home birth and skip the hospital experience entirely.

1. The Midwife Comes to You

This may seem like a small ask, but trust me, if you are in active labor and have to get in a car, it’s not fun. Being in the car during active labor with my first child was my least favorite part of birth. And if you live particularly far from the hospital or birthing center, what is only thirty minutes on a normal day will feel 3 times longer during labor.

2. It’s As Peaceful and Private as You Want it to Be

You are in your own home and there is no one to tell you how you can or cannot decorate your birth space. Whether you want to diffuse essential oils, decorate with string lights or birth affirmations, or play your favorite music, you get to choose it all! Many hospitals allow you to bring various items with you for your labor, but it can be a lot to bring and set up during labor, especially if your baby comes quickly. Meanwhile, if you plan on having your baby at home, you can take your time setting up your birth space. For my home birth, I didn’t actually decorate, but I did organize all of my birth supplies and prepare the room several weeks in advance so that I wasn’t having to search high and low for anything when the time came.

On top of that, the only people allowed within your home during your labor and birth are the ones you want to be there. You have full control of who is or isn’t present, and there isn’t an overarching hustle and bustle of nurses and doctors that you may feel within a hospital setting. This ensures your birth experience can be as peaceful as you want without any fear of interruption.

3. Your Birth Experience Can be Your Own

Unlike in a hospital, there are no random hospital protocols, no ridiculous rules, no limitations on how much you can move or how you want to birth your baby. Most midwives want to do anything and everything they can to ensure you have the birth experience you pray for. That doesn’t mean everything will go according to your original plan, but it does mean that you have total control over a large portion of your experience and don’t have to worry about someone interfering with your dreams.

You know how in every movie or show that involves a birth, the mother is lying on her back, feet in stirrups, and told to push? Do those scenes ever make you want to experience labor? As a kid, I always thought that looked terrible. But at home, you have freedom to move and you can push from any position you want, and you can even have a water birth! Some hospitals do have water birth options, but there may be a limit on the number of available tubs. Additionally, some hospitals will not limit your movement during labor and even during the pushing stage you may be able to choose whatever position feels best, but oftentimes, women are told to lay down on their back – just like you see in the movies – and this is actually only opportune for the physician, not the mother.

Once you reach 36 weeks pregnant, home birth midwives will arrange your prenatal appointments at your home. This gives them the opportunity to become familiar with your home, ensure your birth supplies are set up and ready for the big day, and allows them to review your birth plan with you. This is when you discuss who you want at your birth, if you have preferences for positions in labor, whether you want your midwife to be more hands on or off, and a lot more.

I will be releasing another post next week that will explain all of this, so that you can make an informed decision as you prepare for your 36-week appointment. When I went to my 36 week appointment during my first pregnancy, I had filled out my birth preferences for the midwives, but there are definitely some items on it that you have no idea how to answer until you have actually experienced labor. At least that was the experience I had. So, I hope this next post will help provide you with some great insight as you prepare for your birth.

4. The Only One Waking You is Your Baby

The typical hospital stay following a vaginal delivery is a minimum of 48 hours; after my first, we checked ourselves out of the hospital after 24 hours following an unexpected hospital transfer. I wanted to spend as little time as possible in the hospital. During our hospital stay, a nurse came in to check on our baby and I throughout the night. I don’t remember how often, but many hospital protocols require nurses to check as often as every 15 minutes immediately following birth, to every hour or every couple of hours within those first 48 hours.

With a home birth, the only one waking you in the middle of the night is your baby. Immediately following the birth, your midwife will typically prioritize skin to skin contact and ensure baby starts latching. Many midwives, if not most, will wait for your placenta to come on its own, and will delay cutting the cord until it has stopped pulsing. (This is a very important thing you should do no matter where you are having your baby. Stay on the lookout for my upcoming post, Your Birth Plan and What It All Means.)

In the state of Texas, midwives are required to stay a minimum of two hours immediately following birth. This means that once baby is born, they will take care of all of the clean up, conduct the newborn exam, and ensure everyone is healthy and doing well before leaving. Think about that: instead of being forced to stay in a hospital room with everyone popping in on you constantly for 48 hours, you can simply lay down in your own bed and say “thank you” and “goodbye” to your wonderful midwife after just two hours. In my experience, our midwife actually stayed with us for about 4 hours following our son’s birth, but every experience is different.

5. Curl Up in the Comfort of Your Own Home

Not only is it a blessing to not have to go anywhere during active labor, it is so nice to be in your own home following birth. You know where everything is, you don’t have to worry about forgetting something in your hospital or birthing center bag, and you can take a shower in your own room and then curl up in your bed, with fresh sheets and your newborn baby!

My immediate postpartum at the birthing center with my second baby was nice, because we were only legally required to stay at the birthing center for two to four hours following the birth. The birthing center typically has their birthing suites set up to be as comfortable as your own bedroom, but it still isn’t your own home. And there is definitely something about being able to curl up and not have to go anywhere, all within the comforts of your own home.

6. You Can Eat and Drink When You Want, and What You Want

At the hospital, they typically have some pretty strict rules regarding what you can and cannot eat or drink during labor. This is largely due to the fact that you cannot eat or drink anything prior to anesthesia, so if you are rushed away for an emergency c-section, they don’t want to risk you having any food in your system. But birth is a marathon! And if you want to eat or drink during labor, then you should be able to!

Some of the best options for snacks and drinks during labor are honey sticks, homemade electrolyte drink, granola bars or protein bars, bananas, or other dried fruits. And if you can stomach it, you can’t go wrong with protein! Just keep in mind when picking out snacks for labor, check your ingredients labels, because you never know what may be hiding in those ingredients labels!

Think It Over

Your birth experience is your own, and your first birth is very unique. One of my favorite things I have heard from multiple midwives is that, “you never have to birth your first baby twice.” Each birth and pregnancy is so unique and I believe God created everything perfectly, meaning our bodies know how to give birth without medical intervention. Now, if someone does have a medical condition that may require additional care, then definitely choose a hospital birth with a midwife. But if you are considered “low risk,” I cannot recommend enough that you find a wonderful home birth midwife. If you have any questions or comments, drop them below, and I hope this post helps you create the best birth experience possible for you.

And if this post made you excited about home birth and you are in the DFW area, I highly recommended Danielle Hogan as your home birth midwife! She made my first home birth truly amazing and better than I could have imagined and I only wish I had found her sooner.

For tips and tricks on building your baby registry and more of my favorite pregnancy and baby products, check out my posts, How to Build Your First Baby Registry and The Ladenbod List.