Preparing for a Home birth

Have you decided on having a home birth? Choosing the right birth method and location for you and your baby is a personal decision, but if you are searching for an alternative option from childbirth in the hospital, then home birth may be a good fit for you.

Planned home births with your care provider offer benefits to birthing people like lower rates of intervention such as episiotomies, instrumental vaginal births, and C-section birth. They also can provide a more comfortable and relaxed environment for the birthing person since they are in the comfort of their own home. Just like any type of birth you decide to have, planning and preparing can make it a more enjoyable experience.

Here are some tips for preparing for your home birth!

Choose a Trained Healthcare Provider

Many people who choose a home birth feel aligned with a midwife and their model of care. Midwives are health care professionals that specialize in pregnancy and childbirth with minimal medical intervention. California only recognizes two designations of midwives, although there are many others: Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) and Licensed Midwives (LMs).

You may also decide that you would like to have more emotional support throughout pregnancy and labor in addition to your partner. Brilliant Births has a professional, experienced team of doulas that can help guide you as you move through your pregnancy and birth to achieve a positive birth experience, no matter what happens along the way.

For all of the care providers you choose for your birth team, it is important to do your research and make the best decision for the birth experience you wish to have.

Attend Birth Classes

Childbirth education is everything! There are fears and unknowns that surround birth of any kind, so learning about the process of pregnancy, what happens to your body, and envisioning your birth can take those fears away. Increasing your knowledge and skills through childbirth classes leads to better birth outcomes overall.

Classes help you:

Address your fears
Learn pain management techniques
Connect with your partner
Learn about birth, labor, and postpartum
Get breastfeeding tips

Create a Birth Plan

Creating a plan is beneficial to helping you follow through with your birth wishes. Having a plan lets your whole birth team in on your wants and wishes to help guide your care. Your birth plan can answer questions like, ‘Will you try to breastfeed?’, ‘Do you want to labor in a tub?’, and ‘Who do you want to be allowed in the room?’ A birth plan is also the time to think about and discuss what you would do if you would need to transfer.

Every labor is different and things can change, so there may be times where transfers are necessary to the health of both you and the baby. Discussing with your care provider what arrangements should be made ahead of time as well as what signs and symptoms would warrant a transfer can help you feel prepared and safe no matter how your birth may unfold.

Prepare Your Home

If you will be having your birth in your home, then there are steps you will want to take to make sure your home is ready for whatever you may need! All that matters is that you create a space that feels safe, welcoming, and comfortable for you.

There are certain supplies that your midwife or care providers might ask that you have ready for your birth like:

Spare sheet sets
Towels and washcloths
Heating pad
Trash bags
Birth Tub

They will likely have a full sheet like the one you can find here that will explain everything you might need for your home birth.

We believe that people who have the ability to make choices surrounding their bodies and their birth will walk away with a more rewarding experience, and if you properly prepare for your birth, then you will be ready for what is to come: that magical moment of holding your baby in your hands for the very first time!