How I had a Successful Home Birth as a First Time Mom

Reasons for choosing a home birth

There are a few reasons why a woman would choose to have a home birth. Either she’s motivated in some way or has already experienced it. Maybe she seeks an alternative to birthing. Or maybe she feels she has no other choice.

That last one was me. There were plenty of intrinsic motivators for me but I had a reservation too. 

I chose to have a home birth as a first time mom before we ever found out we were expecting. It was the right decision for me and my husband because it aligns with our personal philosophies on family raising, medical care and privacy.

Additionally, home birthing gave us autonomy from hospital protocols and the medical environment. We appreciate having the advanced medical community that we do today. But birth isn’t a condition to be fixed. It’s a natural process in life that we wanted to enjoy on our own terms. So, we chose this route because it made sense from a realistic & traditional aspect. 

But the decision to have a home birth was the only option we considered.
There was no alternative for us.

I don’t believe the current model of care is designed to take care of a mother and baby as much as it’s designed to make a profit. There, I said it. I just don’t.

So, everything from 10-minute pre-natal care visits to the tissues in a cozy recovery suite was on the chopping block for me. On the other hand, the midwifery model of care is usually more holistic, more person focused. It’s also more accepting of letting the body naturally work on its own. And the midwife team we selected let my husband and I lead the process the whole entire time. 

Choosing to have a home birth wasn’t frightening or concerning for me. I’m generally healthy (in medical jargon I’m “low risk”). But I was unsure what giving birth would actually look like inside our apartment complex. Space is one thing, soundproofing another. And neither were optimal.

Most babies come at night. And I didn’t have any idea how I would respond once in labor – whether I would be vocal while birthing or not. Whether I would want to go for walks or never leave our unit.

*SPOILER ALERT* I ended up using deep breathing through my birthing and actually never made a sound until I heard my baby’s cry. Then I cried. (Such a Mom thing to do – LOL). And I actually didn’t want to move much at all so we never left the apartment. 

Deciding to have a baby at home

Deciding if it’s better to have a home birth as a first time mom or give birth in a hospital or other setting is a personal choice for each family. But it was definitely the best choice for us. 

Home birthing was meant for us. It encompasses our personal philosophies of life, medicine and privacy. We had a quiet intimate birth like we wanted.

The atmosphere was peaceful, welcoming and warm. And that meant I was physically & mentally more comfortable than I would have been anywhere else. That also meant there was no pressure to perform or have things move along outside of my body’s internal clock.

I was able to let my mind wander over the affirmations I had read for months. I could focus on my husband’s guidance as I crested each wave. And I thought about the many thousands of women who were birthing with me or had done so before me. That was encouraging too.

Because I entered the space relaxed and unstressed, my baby and body calmly worked together. Without any interventions, my baby was serene upon his arrival and I was fully cognizant to embrace him. 

Had we chosen any other environment, I don’t think we would have had the same outcome. And if circumstances had warranted any other environment, I don’t think I would have felt the same either.

I don’t doubt that many women have incredible birthing experiences in hospitals or birth centers. Even cars or public places. However, that wasn’t for us. We prayed heavily throughout the pregnancy for things to remain well and for strength to endure. And God granted us just that. 

What are the disadvantages of a home birth as a first time mom? 

There are tons of opinions on the topic of home birth. And sadly, most people in our life could only seem to see disadvantages (or “myths”). Like I’ve said, we didn’t have any but I’ll address some of the high points.  

1. It’s not safe or it’s too risky. And a home birth can still result in a hospital delivery. 

True, a home birth can result in a hospital delivery. But my home birth was safe for my baby and me. And it’s important that that be the focus of every woman. Her baby and herself.

First time births can be unpredictable because the mom has not gone through the process before. But even if she has, every pregnancy and birth is unique. So, it’s really unpredictable any time. Let’s just dispel that one now.

However, I went into my pregnancy healthy and maintained a good regimen throughout. That was my safety net. I learned that when there are no complications, most home births transfer to hospital due to mom tiring out.

So, I girded my mind for the ultimate marathon of my life. I knew that being mentally prepared to endure what could be a multi-day ordeal would take the pressure off my body. And that meant I could trust my body and my baby and would be just fine.

Additionally, there were too many negative and unnecessary interventions waiting for me if we transferred to a hospital. And I wanted to avoid them all. This included vaginal checks/swabs, constant fetal monitoring, IV medication, supine positioning, stimulants or tools like forceps, possible C-section conversations and more.

2. Insurance probably won’t pay for a home birth and having a baby is so expensive. Or “I can’t afford it.”

To this, we said “Hello, self-sufficiency and financial freedom!” Since we strive to live a self-sufficient life, we got a handle on our finances early in our marriage.

It could have been a financial challenge having a baby outside the conventional medical/insurance system. Especially since we live in a high cost of living area. But we expected to have to pay out of pocket going into pregnancy.

That’s because we knew we would follow a traditional midwifery model of care. And that’s not typically covered by any insurance we’ve had before.

So, that meant setting money aside to pay out of pocket. Our planning and discipline made it possible for the insurance issue to not be a disadvantage for us. In the end, they did not reimburse the midwifery care, but did cover testing like lab work and ultrasound.

3. Having a baby at home for the first time will be too messy. 

100% but that’s life. There’s no way you’re escaping birth without blood, bodily fluids, possibly your last meal (one way or another).

We prepared our environment for what we thought would be a messy situation. But the midwife team did such a phenomenal job during labor (even down to coaxing me to drink mineral lemonade for added physical endurance) that there wasn’t much of a mess to clean. What did remain, we were able to clean & launder for reuse. We did decide to discard a set of old sheets though, but in hindsight we should have kept them for subsequent births!

4. You can’t have pain management medication at home. No epidural? It will be so painful, especially as a first time mother.

I took comfort in knowing that the pain wouldn’t be anything more than I could handle. When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, God promised that women would have pain in childbirth. But the way I see it, the pain must be endurable and passable since He also commanded us to fill the earth and multiply.

I did not think of myself as being in pain either. Rather, I redirected thoughts like that by focusing on the power and pressure I was experiencing. Reminding myself that those sensations were only temporary anyway. And quickly forgotten the moment I met my child for the first time. I wouldn’t remember what it was like if I hadn’t journaled the experience after his birth.

Having a home birth is a very traditional form of childbearing. I believe it’s healthier for mom and baby than the cascade of interventions forced upon most mothers in a hospital setting. Having medication that supersedes the body’s natural timing and processes is not how I envisioned giving birth. So, the absence of medication was not a disadvantage for me.

Besides that, I knew that maintaining a strong mindset would ensure I didn’t need an epidural or any other medication to cope. Just the word “cope” made me feel as though birthing was something I wish I wasn’t doing. I wanted to give all of myself and embrace every feeling that I would experience because birth is truly one tiny part of the life lived.

Each year, I choose to focus on growing in a certain aspect. For example, I’ve chosen words like Vision, Create, Nurture, Fearless & Intentional. And I adopt these verbs to every area of my life. For my birth, my focus word was “Surrender” and I did just that and it was beautiful.

Does having a home birth work for a first time mom? 

It did for me. Plus, it helped knowing that God designed the woman’s body to give birth naturally. I was confident that I was built to birth. And even more confident that my husband would be the best coach and support person I’d need.

Remembering I wasn’t alone helped either. During my year of pregnancy preparation, I read many times that women all over the world have been giving birth for centuries. And when my time came, I knew that I would be joining them. 

It’s a very special time for the emerging mother. Whether she births in a hospital/birth center setting or at home. Birthing my baby was exhilarating. And yes, there’s a large physical component to it. But the mental aspect far outweighs the physical. 

We can do hard things.

Women can do what seems to be unthinkable or scary. But having the right perspective and support team will make or break the experience.

How does it feel to have a home birth as a first time mom?

I felt in total control the entire time. Although early labor began 4 days before his birth & then we were in active labor for a full day more, I was calm and comfortable. Able to go the distance because I had been preparing for delivery. Only allowing myself to focus on a home birth meant I gave it my all. It had to work. This is the mindset I held throughout pregnancy.

During pregnancy I prepared my body by eating and drinking the right things and walking. Because honestly, I just never got around to doing much more exercise than our 2-mile long walks. So, I didn’t reach exhaustion. Plus, my husband rested with me between waves. He also kept me hydrated with the same mineral lemonade I drank during later in the process when I refused to eat or drink anything.

Preparing to have a baby at home was simple from a practical standpoint. We’d need bowls, water, receiving blankets…etc. So, that base was covered.

From a mental perspective, I flooded myself with positivity. From birth affirmations (both bought and made by my husband) to podcasts. We read birth stories and watched home birth videos.

We trained for this, we fed the desire.

Every step of the way, my husband was there. Learning and growing and ready to come out on the other side with me. Our midwife and her assistant midwife in training were empowering and encouraging. Even our birth photographer was phenomenal.

We stood resolute in our thought process the entire time. Calmly disarming those around us who disagreed with home birth. And we prayed a lot.

And that’s how things happen.
First you change your mind, then you change your life.

I believe all these things made it possible for us to be successful. It was an unbelievable, breathtaking experience that I ended up repeating with our second child a year later. 

Having a home birth as a first time mom was a logical, natural choice for me. It may very well be one of the most traditional feats of my life so far! I believe I became more resilient as an outcome and can accomplish more because of it.

And I’m proud that my husband and I did it this way. We trusted God’s process, my body and our baby despite home birth being so out of the norm for both of our families. Someone has to be a pioneer though. And I think that’s exactly what becoming traditional meant for me in that aspect.

This is a precious topic to me & I’d love to connect more with you if you have questions. But whether at home, a birth center, the hospital or anywhere else – planned or spontaneous, you’ve got this Mama.