Sometime in October we decided to have our second baby at home instead of the same hospital where Marlowe was born (Gwinnett Medical Center). This decision came about after I began experiencing anxiety surrounding unwanted input and pressure from medical care providers that may arise during my birthing time.
Our first birth story with hypnobabies
Marlowe’s birth using Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis really went so well, I couldn’t have envisioned it much better. Hypnobabies method of Hypnotic Childbirth, which some might call “hypnobirthing”, is very different from other hypnosis for childbirth programs in that we teach real medical hypnosis techniques, creating an automatically peaceful, relaxing and more comfortable pregnancy, a calm and confident Hypno-Dad, and an easier, fearless and often completely comfortable birthing for our Hypno-Mom. Hypnobabies is a complete childbirth education course that also teaches Gerald Kein’s famous Painless Childbirth techniques to Hypnobabies mothers so that they can enter hypnosis, deepen it themselves and remain mobile during labor, completely comfortable at all times. Most of our Hypno-babies have no drugs in their systems when they are born, and are able to nurse, breathe well and interact with their happy parents immediately.
After becoming a birth professional myself and offering Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis Classes and supporting families during the births of their babies as a professional Hypno-Doula, I of course learned so much more and also was exposed to so many different birth scenarios within hospital settings.
I became worried that I wouldn’t be able to advocate for myself during such a vulnerable time should I need to do so. Even though I couldn’t really imagine my birth taking an unexpected turn, I do know that it happens.
My classes really focus on education and empowerment, so on the one hand I knew that with that as my backbone I should be able to handle anything that should happen during my birthing time. On the other hand I also knew that because I was educated and empowered that it meant I could make decisions before my birthing time to ensure I had the experience I really wanted. And what I really wanted was to have control over the circumstances surrounding the birth of my son.
Making the choice to have a homebirth
I went to a class called ‘Why Choose Homebirth’ by Baby Steps and also went in for a consultation at Birthing Way Traditional Midwifery Services with Mike (my fiancé). Not all women feel comfortable giving birth in a hospital, but may not know of any safe alternatives. For some women, the idea of giving birth at home, where her baby was conceived, and where she is most comfortable, has a strong appeal.
But what if something goes wrong at the birth? That was Mike’s #1 question.
The class I attended began with a discussion of the facts about homebirth. I was presented with a statistical comparison between home and hospital birth so I could decide for myself which was safer for me. I learned what midwives bring to a homebirth, and how emergencies are typically handled. We also discussed the emotional benefits to giving birth in your own home, and I got to hear from others about their personal experiences with hospital birth and homebirth. We finished with a question and answer session.
After we made our decision it was really great to tell everyone that we would have our baby in our home attended by Rachel Hart and Beth Miller of Birthing Way. I was also really looking forward to having two different, wonderful birthing experiences to share with my students and clients so that I could paint the picture of enjoyable birthing scenarios in both settings. It was after this choice was made, I informed my hospital care providers that I would no longer be consenting to routine testing such as GD or GBS. I was then told that I could no longer receive care from their practice. I was given the pink slip! Thank goodness I already had another plan 🙂
The reason that I chose not to have these routine tests done was because I felt that if I was not presenting any symptoms or signals of these issues, then I shouldn’t have to endure tests and stress and potential restrictions based on false information. I wanted my care to be based on me and my pregnancy not on bulk numbers of a population. That day at my routine prenatal appointment my fundal height was a couple of weeks ahead of my gestation and the care provider said that although I would no longer be a patient of theirs she couldn’t send me off without finding out what was `wrong’ with my baby. Her orders were to have an immediate ultrasound scan.
When I got my anatomy scan during my pregnancy with my first child, Marlowe, the technician noticed some white spots on her heart. We were sent to a specialist to determine what was `wrong’. After about an hour of scanning there was no conclusion, but the white spots could be a marker for Down’s Syndrome. The next step would be amniocentesis to know for sure. I won’t go into all the details of why, but we chose NOT to have further testing done. So, we spent the time between the two ultrasounds worrying, exposed our baby to additional lengthy scanning and spent the next several weeks praying for the best and contemplating how to deal with the worst. Marlowe of course was born perfect and healthy with no signs of Down’s Syndrome. I wanted to avoid any unneccesary drama this time around.
Every pregnant woman should do research and gather information so that she can make empowered decisions that are best for her and her family during her pregnancy and birth. I hope that this post gives you some direction that leads you to your own empowered decision. More later on my third trimester, 2010 Winter Holidays and the birth of our son!
