I know a majority of my readers might be a little put off by the idea of a home birth, so I’ll just start out by saying that midwives in my area are well trained through a four-year degree program and are registered nurse midwives. They have equal mortality stats as hospitals here in British Columbia. They are covered by the BC health care and doctors are also permitted to attend home births. It is a very normal idea and it should not be mistaken as an unassisted birth.

Should an emergency arise, the medical health professionals are equipped with emergency equipment – pitocin (for hemorrhages), first aid kits, portable oxygen, portable suction, suturing kit, and so forth. If a complication arises in delivery, an emergency c-section is less than 20 minutes away: Generally, in a hospital setting, it is 30 minutes from “decision to incision” regardless.

Part of qualifying for a home birth entails having a normal and healthy pregnancy without any high risk factors. Midwives are diligent and do an excellent job screening women for this. When in doubt, they refer the women to OBGYNs for consultations and/or suggest a hospital delivery instead of a home delivery.

When a woman doing a home birth goes into labor, the local hospital is notified and her chart is ready should any need for her to go to the hospital arise.

Nuchal chords, oh the horror… No, wait. They don’t require c-sections or medical interventions. Check out this article written by a PhD on Nuchal Cords. They are one of the most misunderstood medical “normalcies” in child birth. Mother nature would not make a cord designed to strangle babies, even during child birth. They are often wrongfully blamed for many outcomes of deliveries.

What do you need for a home birth? A home birth kit usually contains:

• Roughly 20-30Disposable Underpads
• A whole whack of Maxi Pads
• Gauze Pads
• One peri bottle
• Drinking Straws
  (for mom)
• 2 Pieces Set: Cotton Mesh Mid-Rise Brief Panties Underwear
• Waterproof Mattress Protector
  or Shower Curtain
• Garbage Bags
• A Large Bowl
• Ziplock bags
• Flash light with extra batteries

If you are doing a water birth, you will need…

• A birthing pool
• Fish Net
  (Yep…)
• A Non Toxic Water Hose
  with an appropriate tape connector
• An Air Pump to inflate the pool if it is inflatable
• Lots and lots of Towels
• Flannel Receiving Blankets to cover baby with once he or she is welcomed earth side

Comfort items to have on hand…

• Ibuprofen and/or Acetaminophen Pain RelieverNot Asprin
• Warm tea. Some laywomen and midwives believe that a warm drink post birth can help reduce the risk of haemorrhaging.
• A warm blanket and/or housecoat
• A comfy top and skirt if you want to stay covered… In the heat of the moment, you won’t care lol
• Music of your choice
• Soft lighting
• Aromatherapy Massage Oils or lotion
• A prepared hot and cold packs. Never know which one, if either, you will want