My Reasons For Choosing Homebirth

Having birthed in a freestanding birth center and at home, I would choose to birth at home each time. Here are the reasons why I choose to birth at home undisturbed:

1. No pressure for interventions 
2. Gentlest way for baby to enter world 
3. Less likely for sensitization 
4. Clean environment for baby (unlike hospital)
5. No people pleasing 
6. Comfort of my home
7. Undisturbed: Best way for hormones to flow which guides intuition and allows a safe birth experience for you and baby
8. Decreased risk for hemorrhage, post birth complications 
9. You are able to labor and birth in the comfort of your own home.
10. You can choose the atmosphere for your comfort (lighting, music, temperature). 
11. You feel safe, comfortable, and undisturbed. 
12. You don’t have to drive in labor. 
13. You can choose who is present at the birth. 
14. You can eat or drink as you wish. 
15. No one is disturbing your labor process to check vitals, offer anesthesia, etc. 
16. You are able to labor freely without monitors or anesthesia.  
17. You are able to cope with contractions better. 
18. There are no time constraints for labor. 
19. You are able to avoid unnecessary medical interventions common in hospital births, such as augmentation of labor, general and epidural anesthesia, electronic fetal heart rate monitoring, coached pushing, forceps, vacuum, episiotomy, and managed third stage of labor (cord traction, manual placenta removal, etc). These are only a few of the many interventions that take place in hospitals, birth centers and with many home birth midwives. 
20. You can make informed choices without any medical professionals judging, pressuring or coercing you.
21. Low risk of outside exposure to viruses or bacteria.
22. Lower risk of infection. 
23. Lower risk of vaginal, perineal, and third-degree or fourth-degree trauma and lacerations
24. You can birth anywhere in any position.
25. Your baby can choose to come in any position. 
26. Lower risk of hemorrhage. 
27. You can rest in your own bed with your baby after birth. 
28. No one will separate you from your baby for bathing, screenings, and vitals.
29. You can delay cord clamping for as long as you want. 
30. Lower risk of complications with your baby. 
31. Your baby is alert and sober. 
32. You avoid interventions done to your baby without your consent. 
33. You will not be disturbed by doctors or nurses throughout the night.
34. You can eat nourishing food at home. 
35. No or low birthing costs.
36. Higher chance of breastfeeding success. 
37. Lower risk of postpartum mood disorders. 
38. Natural flow of hormones is not disrupted in labor, in birth, or in postpartum, making it the safest experience possible.
39. This is the most safe, gentle, and nourishing start to life out of the womb for your baby and to motherhood for you. 

I wish I could say I have easy, painless, blissful births. Both of my births have been anything but. I’ve been reflecting on my last birth from 6 weeks ago. It was completely undisturbed, but it was HARD and painful. But despite this, I would only choose to birth this way, again and again.