I just had my first baby at home and it was an amazing experience! I️ live in Southern California so I️ felt lucky to have a huge number of extremely qualified midwives to choose from. I️ never planned to have a home birth for my first, but I did my hospital tour at 34 weeks and hated the way I️ felt there. I️ felt extremely safe with my midwives, they have the same short term life saving measures available as the hospital, like the same medication used for bleeding. They also know how to spot issues before they arise and treat mother and baby proactively. I️ had a very difficult labor and I know without a doubt I️ would have had some type of an intervention at the hospital, but being in an environment where I was relaxed and comfortable allowed my body to do what it needed to. I had a beautiful birth, and basically didn’t leave my bed for a week after. My midwives had multiple home visits after the baby was born and really took care of me. I️ would highly recommend home birth to a healthy, fit woman who has access to excellent midwives, isn’t too far from the hospital and has taken a very thorough birth class like Bradley.

My sister’s was a nightmare. But we only have one midwife in our area and she’s kind of a walnut. If there were other choices here I’d consider it, but since I️ have no trust in this woman I’m going with a midwife who will deliver at our local hospital. I️ wasn’t crazy about my labor and delivery with the OB I️ saw last pregnancy, so I’m hoping for a better experience this time!

Trusting the competence of your midwife is key! I had all 3 of my babies at home, and my mom had 4 home births as well, so I have been privileged to witness a lot of different home birth situations and emergencies (cord wrapped around neck, hemorrhaging etc) and how the midwives were trained to handle them. I think being comfortable and confident in your birth team and their ability to make the call if transfer is necessary makes all the difference. I have had too many bad experiences with disrespectful medical personnel who don't listen or give individualized care, so my giving birth in a hospital would be stressful. My home births were sacred events, truly. All those hormones, midwives I can call friends and the comfort of my home, my partner's 100% involvement, and uninterrupted bonding with my little ones.

Home birth was the right choice for me and my family. Had my daughter in May at home with an amazing midwife and my mom and husband. We did a ton of research, reading, and interviewing midwives before finding the right one. We feel grateful to live in a city that has an abundance of amazing, skilled, and knowledgeable home birth midwives.