Any homebirthin/unassisted birth Mama's here:)?

[DoulaMama]

Just a shout out:)

My second was a waterbirth with a midwife, third was unassisted waterbirth:)

[nicnee1976]

I had DS2 and DS3 at home, with midwife. Not in water though, no room for a pool!! Hopefully I can have this one at home too. Wouldn't want to do it any other way. My experiences with the home births was so relaxing and hardly any pain, yet DS1 born in hospital was a nightmare birth, very traumatic and took me a long time to recover physically and emotionally.
I have to say the best thing about having the 2 youngest boys at home was going to sleep with DH one side and baby in a crib the other side of me and having a proper mug of tea post birth!!

[atomic sagebrush]

I had DS 2 at home with a midwife! It was an amazing experience!

[DoulaMama]

YAY! It's good to see other homebirthers on here!

[Flava]

I had DD4 at home with 2 midwife here. It was a vback. I switched to a birth center at 35 weeks pregnant because no1 was listening to me that I don't need a c/s just because I had 1 before! They where like "you know you going to have another c/s right?" and so on...:sigh:And I was like ummm no Im not I don't need one everything is ok this time. "but you need one bla bla" yeah right good buy.
Almost everywhere else they encourage you to try v/b after c/s but not in the us , oh no. ( money money , right?)
Anyway you the law is now that you can't give birth in a birth center after c/s but you can do it at home and they can come to you home. ( so dumb right?)
They brought everything here inc. tub. We just emptied the dining room and put the tub there.I was in it but give birth on my bed.

So I had my baby at home and Im so happy for that! It was hard because my back was hurting a lot. She came out with her right hand up next to her head.Like she was already saying hi lol.
She didn't cry she was calm not like my poor other babys screaming in the hospital.She was laying on me for a long time no1 grabbed her ,cleaned her like crazy and they waited to cut the cord.It was awesome!
Oh and they cleaned up everything even did all the laundry. And they organized some ppl to bring us food for 3 days after! I never had any help at all so this was so nice, at first we thought it a joke??
If I ever get pregnant again I go strait to the birth center for sure!I wish I had all my babys at home!:agree::awe:

[LolaInLove]

I was told by my doula when I was having a vbac with DD2 that it was "illegal" for me to give birth anywhere but a hospital because I had a section with #1.....so I never really considered it. I don't live far from a hospital, but my doctor here (who only does Gyn, no OB anymore so I go to the midwives at a hospital practice....they are considered the best where I live, and I did have a great vbac with one) told me that I could "accidentally" have one at home but she wouldn't recommend it as she's seen some bad things happen a couple of times. I don't think I could get a midwife to come deliver at my house anyway....they have a birth center now, but I can't go there. Boooo!!!!

[swish]

I had a at home waterbirth with #2, it was an amazing experience and much more relaxing than in hospital! I agree the nicest bit is to all go to GED in your own bed after!

[swish]

Typo - bed not GED!

[purplepoet20]

I had both my boys in the hospital... because of my anemia, I did bleed more with DS2. I would have loved a homebirth the worst part about have more then child is being away from your older kids for a few days... I should look into if I can do a home birth with #3 so I don't have to sleep on the hospital bed every again, hell on a lady after birthing.

[DoulaMama]

She came out with her right hand up next to her head.Like she was already saying hi


First off...Congrats on your VBAC!!! That is awesome:) It's very hard for women to get VBAC's with the medical community scaring all women out of having them(with no research to back up the claims that they're really more dangerous than an auto c-section). And secondly- my first kiddo came out with what's called a nuchal hand(hand by face), It hurt A LOT and I tore quite a bit too...ouch:(
I really wish that I'd had my first at home too.....I would not go back to the hospital unless absolutely medically necessary.

[DoulaMama]

I was told by my doula when I was having a vbac with DD2 that it was "illegal" for me to give birth anywhere but a hospital because I had a section with #1.....so I never really considered it. I don't live far from a hospital, but my doctor here (who only does Gyn, no OB anymore so I go to the midwives at a hospital practice....they are considered the best where I live, and I did have a great vbac with one) told me that I could "accidentally" have one at home but she wouldn't recommend it as she's seen some bad things happen a couple of times. I don't think I could get a midwife to come deliver at my house anyway....they have a birth center now, but I can't go there. Boooo!!!! OMG! Illegal. Ummm....no. Maybe for a midwife to attend you it would be illegal but when it comes to where you have your baby it's not illegal in any State to have a homebirth. Can I ask what State you're in? I also think it's terrible that they won't take you in the birth center...ugh. What you would need to do is look for an unregistered midwife-they are underground and if you look hard enough you can find one that will most likely come to your home- if that's really what you want:) Or your Dr. is right..you could just have an unassisted birth. It's all up to what you want. The risk is there no matter where or with whom you give birth...life is risky and you have more chance in dying in a car crash on your way to the hospital than dying in childbirth at home. The Dr. has seen some bad things but I can imagine that there are many births that went perfectly that he'd have no idea about......they would have never known about the couples that have zero issues...like myself who had nothing go wrong. You just need to be educated, healthy and confident:) If you want more info on birth options in your area I can find some info for you:) Let me know!

[DoulaMama]

I had both my boys in the hospital... because of my anemia, I did bleed more with DS2. I would have loved a homebirth the worst part about have more then child is being away from your older kids for a few days... I should look into if I can do a home birth with #3 so I don't have to sleep on the hospital bed every again, hell on a lady after birthing.

Anemia- I have many ideas/supps that you can take to help you with this:) I also have anemia and have had two kids at home- both with zero bleeding issues because of the supps I took throughout my pregnancy. I kept tabs on my iron levels though the entire pregnancy and with my last baby and I had 3 tblsp of blood come with my placenta and that's it! Homebirth Rocks! I would totally look into it...but I'm very biased...LOL:D

[LolaInLove]

OMG! Illegal. Ummm....no. Maybe for a midwife to attend you it would be illegal but when it comes to where you have your baby it's not illegal in any State to have a homebirth. Can I ask what State you're in? I also think it's terrible that they won't take you in the birth center...ugh. What you would need to do is look for an unregistered midwife-they are underground and if you look hard enough you can find one that will most likely come to your home- if that's really what you want:) Or your Dr. is right..you could just have an unassisted birth. It's all up to what you want. The risk is there no matter where or with whom you give birth...life is risky and you have more chance in dying in a car crash on your way to the hospital than dying in childbirth at home. The Dr. has seen some bad things but I can imagine that there are many births that went perfectly that he'd have no idea about......they would have never known about the couples that have zero issues...like myself who had nothing go wrong. You just need to be educated, healthy and confident:) If you want more info on birth options in your area I can find some info for you:) Let me know!

THANK YOU for your advice! I kinda thought that was mularky, but my state (South Carolina) is not the most progressive sometimes. I'd love to have a midwife come out and assist if the baby and I are healthy and well, and just cry oops, we didn't make it in time. What happens when you do that? Are you supposed to bring your baby in to the doctor the next day or something? I have been reading about natural birth....and honestly, I had a good experience with DD2's vbac- I got to 9cm naturally, but having labored hard core for 14 hours (yea- with no meds at all, it took me that long!), and I was TERRIFIED of the ring of fire so I caved and got an epidural and rested for a bit before I had her. So, I'm not really opposed to having another one of those, but I would also love the homebirth experience. Everytime I read about you ladies' experiences, with getting to climb into your own bed immediately and have the family there, I want that. Plus, this is my last baby, and I am one of those "bucket list" kind of people, so I'd love to have the experience and know I did it. Any advice would be awesome, DoulaMama!!!!

[DoulaMama]

THANK YOU for your advice! I kinda thought that was mularky, but my state (South Carolina) is not the most progressive sometimes. I'd love to have a midwife come out and assist if the baby and I are healthy and well, and just cry oops, we didn't make it in time. What happens when you do that? Are you supposed to bring your baby in to the doctor the next day or something?
Well...if the midwife was seeing you throughout the pregnancy for prenatals etc, she would be doing your PP care as well. No one would need to see the Dr. for health purposes other than a PKU test for baby. I would not get near the hospital because they will want to admit you and baby because you had an "unsanitary" home birth...sigh. I don't know all the details of how you could do it...but I do know many women that have their babies off the grid, in the States and although they sometimes have to jump through hoops for registering the births...it's all very smooth. Sometimes women lie about where they had the baby, they tell their Dr. that they had a homebirth across State lines(where it's legal for midwives to work) and that they would like to bring the baby for a visit. Pretty laid back...especially if your Dr. is supportive and doesn't freak out about it.
I have been reading about natural birth....and honestly, I had a good experience with DD2's vbac- I got to 9cm naturally, but having labored hard core for 14 hours (yea- with no meds at all, it took me that long!), and I was TERRIFIED of the ring of fire so I caved and got an epidural and rested for a bit before I had her. So, I'm not really opposed to having another one of those, but I would also love the homebirth experience.
Now that you've had one baby vaginally, the ring of fire may not be anything like the first one. And also-the ring of fire isn't as scary as what it's made out to be:) The fear that was in your head may have made the labour last longer as well- a woman emotional state plays a huge role during birth. As for me, I didn't feel any pain when I pushed out my third....no stretching pain at all which is most likely because your body remembers from the last time. Also- technically your second baby was your first birth...your second vaginal birth will be most likely be much faster and pushing will be much quicker and easier:) All I can say is there is nothing like reaching down and catching your own baby. Feeling your baby and your body through the entire experience....it's incredible:)
Everytime I read about you ladies' experiences, with getting to climb into your own bed immediately and have the family there, I want that. Plus, this is my last baby, and I am one of those "bucket list" kind of people, so I'd love to have the experience and know I did it. Any advice would be awesome, DoulaMama!!!! If you PM me your location in SC I will be able to get more info for you:) I'm going to talk to a very prominent woman in the birth industry in regards to midwives, and hopefully she'll be able to give me some info:) It may take a day or 2 to gather all the info...just bear with me... LOL Take Care and talk soon!! :)

[atomic sagebrush]

A caveat to that is that CMQ had her unassisted homebirth and they made her get DNA tested to prove that she was really her son's mother - since no gov't official was a witness, I guess they were implying she could have kidnapped a kid and was trying to pass it off as her own.

[DoulaMama]

A caveat to that is that CMQ had her unassisted homebirth and they made her get DNA tested to prove that she was really her son's mother - since no gov't official was a witness, I guess they were implying she could have kidnapped a kid and was trying to pass it off as her own.

It's ridiculous....here in Alberta you need to have a friend/neighbor/husband/chiro/ND etc sign a proof of pregnancy, proof of live birth, and proof of address. You then send in the info and voila...baby is registered. Why they make it so hard for women to have the births they want is beyond me! Birth should not be in the hands of the government/officials/Dr's/Midwives. It belongs to the parents/Mama's. Off my soap box....

[nicnee1976]

DS2, my first home birth also came out with his hand by his head and totally wrapped up in the cord, but he was not hard to push out. In fact I only realised I had delivered his head because the midwife was calling for cord scissors!! I did tear though.
My midwives at both home births also cleaned up, ran me a bath, helped me in and out of it and stayed for a couple of hours to make sure we were OK. You don't get that attentive service in hospital!! We did make sure they got plenty of tea, coffee and biscuits though, maybe that is why they stayed so long!!

[Betty Draper]

I had a waterbirth with #2 but it was at the birthing center part of a hospital and I was still forced to go through triage (during transition) to be allowed into the waterbirth room. The car ride and triage were horrible. I would be birthing at home if #3 was a singleton. I'll be lucky if I get a vaginal delivery this time b/c it is multiples . . . I loathe pregnancy but LOVE giving birth naturally.

[kaseybaby]

I just want to applaud all you ladies. I wanted a home birth but wound up with a c-section. I desperately want a v-bac for number 2, but I can't have a home birth. I can't even go into a birthing center. I have made peace with it, but I am secretly jealous of all of you ladies :D

[DoulaMama]

I just want to applaud all you ladies. I wanted a home birth but wound up with a c-section. I desperately want a v-bac for number 2, but I can't have a home birth. I can't even go into a birthing center. I have made peace with it, but I am secretly jealous of all of you ladies :D

Why can't you? I know many women who have had HBAC's my best friend being one of them:) If you really want it, it's not impossible to find a care provider who would attend an HBAC. Let me know if you want info...I know some great resources for finding midwives that would attend you. Hugs~

[boys4girls0]

I've had 4 x midwife led births in a small community hospital with no doctors or peds only 2x midwifes present. Hoping to have a homebirth with no.5 which i'm hoping to conceive in sept.

[LolaInLove]

I just want to applaud all you ladies. I wanted a home birth but wound up with a c-section. I desperately want a v-bac for number 2, but I can't have a home birth. I can't even go into a birthing center. I have made peace with it, but I am secretly jealous of all of you ladies :D

See, this is what I was told also!

Thanks again for your checking into the reality of this, DoulaMama!

[Flava]

You have a right to give birth at home wherever you live. So nice of your doctor to lie to you...a c/s is more risky then v/b especially repeated.huh
My friend did had a c/s after me and her baby was in ICU for over a week just because of the c/s . He had to much water left in his lung .
I also didn't felt the head coming out I was asking is she out yet. That's all I asked lol why is she not coming , when will she come out. And I had 2 episiotomy before just because they did it .(didn't even asked me about it) And at home nothing (after 2!) not even a tiny tare.
Only thing I would do different I would touch my baby's head! The midwife kept asking me to give her my hand to touch the baby but for some reason, I don't know why I was so scared to do it .I was thinking if I do it I can't push her out for sure. Now Im so sorry I didn't.

[kaseybaby]

See, this is what I was told also!

Thanks again for your checking into the reality of this, DoulaMama!

Lola, I am sure if I found some underground midwife I might be able to find one, but I had so many complications with DS that I don't want to risk being at home. I would LOVE to be at a birthing center, but they will not take v-bacs here, I have already looked into it. It is hard enough to find midwives in NY to even take V-bacs. :/

[Foxy]

I would love to do a home birth after a c-section, but I doubt any midwife here would do it.

[kaseybaby]

Why can't you? I know many women who have had HBAC's my best friend being one of them:) If you really want it, it's not impossible to find a care provider who would attend an HBAC. Let me know if you want info...I know some great resources for finding midwives that would attend you. Hugs~

In New York it is so hard to find people who will even do a vbac, it is NOT a v-bac friendly state. But besides that I had a lot of complications from the birth of DS. I had amazing midwives who cried with me when I needed the c-section, and I know I needed it, but I still hate the fact that I had one at all. Anyway, with all the complications I don't want to take the risk, and the midwives I have spoken to told me they do not recommend a homebirth in my case. PLUS I think my DH would be upset if I went that route after what happened last time.

I am hoping to become a natural childbirth educator if I get my v-bac, so i am really looking forward to that.

[DoulaMama]

In New York it is so hard to find people who will even do a vbac, it is NOT a v-bac friendly state. But besides that I had a lot of complications from the birth of DS. I had amazing midwives who cried with me when I needed the c-section, and I know I needed it, but I still hate the fact that I had one at all. Anyway, with all the complications I don't want to take the risk, and the midwives I have spoken to told me they do not recommend a homebirth in my case. PLUS I think my DH would be upset if I went that route after what happened last time.

I am hoping to become a natural childbirth educator if I get my v-bac, so i am really looking forward to that.

(Hugs) I'm so sorry that it turned out the way it did. There are so many things you can do to prepare yourself for a VBAC in the hospital:) You can totally do it! :D One of my clients not too long ago had a great VBAC in a hospital here and it went so smoothly- nothing like her last birth. Just remember that each birth/labour is so different. This birth will most likely be nothing like your last:) The one thing I would recommend is labour at home until you really feel the need to go in. Less time in the hospital= less intervention:) If you need any resources(for books/websites/etc) just drop me a line!
Take Care!
PS edited to add....I want to be a natural CE as well in the future:) Good luck with everything!!!

[DoulaMama]

I would love to do a home birth after a c-section, but I doubt any midwife here would do it.

You can't just look at the registered midwives....you have to really ask around the natural childbirth circles. There are midwives that come across State lines to attend women....I plan on becoming one of those midwives in the not so distant future:) Unregistered does not = bad. Some MW are great, others not so good. You just have to track one down, interview her, ask tons of questions and if she fits...great! Most midwives that are unregistered work in States that are hostile towards them but that won't stop them from serving the parents that they feel they need to serve:) If you really want a home birth- you can have a home birth. PM me if you want me to find out more info for you. I can ask around the circles I'm apart of and find out if there's someone in your area.
Take Care!

[DoulaMama]

You have a right to give birth at home wherever you live. So nice of your doctor to lie to you...a c/s is more risky then v/b especially repeated.huh
Yeah...it infuriates me....

I also didn't felt the head coming out I was asking is she out yet. That's all I asked lol why is she not coming , when will she come out. And I had 2 episiotomy before just because they did it .(didn't even asked me about it) And at home nothing (after 2!) not even a tiny tare.
Isn't it amazing! When a woman lets her body just birth her baby without any outside forces disturbing her/talking to her etc, it goes much smoother:)
Only thing I would do different I would touch my baby's head! The midwife kept asking me to give her my hand to touch the baby but for some reason, I don't know why I was so scared to do it .I was thinking if I do it I can't push her out for sure. Now Im so sorry I didn't.
I find it helps when a woman holds herself while baby is crowning-less tears, which is most likely why your mw's were telling you to touch baby's head. The other thing I found interesting during my own 2 waterbirths- the first one with a mw- I did not want to touch myself in front of her. I found it too personal. When I had my UC, I supported myself from the time he started crowning to when his body was out. I was much more comfortable with it because I had no onlookers. Just a thought:) Do you plan on any more babies?? :HH:

[LolaInLove]

Lola, I am sure if I found some underground midwife I might be able to find one, but I had so many complications with DS that I don't want to risk being at home. I would LOVE to be at a birthing center, but they will not take v-bacs here, I have already looked into it. It is hard enough to find midwives in NY to even take V-bacs. :/


Kasey, I hear you. If I had a complicated birth, I would not want to be out of the hospital either, even if the odds of everything being fine were good. The kind of temporary trauma you get with a complicated one is enough to keep you on the cautious side...I was bound and determined NOT to have another c/s with #2, because with #1....sorry if long, but she was sunny side up, and they didn't do ANYTHING to help me deal with the back labor naturally or assist me in helping her turn naturally (like having me get on hands and knees, which I know now). They just slapped an epidural in me at 1cm and it went downhill from there. 2 days later!!!!!! I was in the assembly line for a c/s, and when they made the uterine incision, they cut so deep that they cut her umbilical cord also and blood was shooting everywhere. My DH's eyes were as big as saucers and I freaked out. So, to keep me from freaking about that and the pain as my epidural wore off, they shot me up with a bolus of demerol and I was high as a kite until the next day, and barely remember any of it. Fortunately, my DH understood my need to get her on the breast asap and literally held her up to my stoned body so she could nurse, and she did it like a champ. Anyway, another lovely hospital horror story there. After that, I was determined to not do that again, so I did my homework and even switched doctors a few times until I found midwives, albeit in a medical practice, who would let me have a vbac. So, not sure what your options are at this point....since I had a successful vbac, I can do it again, just maybe not outside of a hospital.....I don't know.

I would TOTALLY encourage you to attempt a vbac, though....it is head and shoulders above a section in terms of a good birth experience. I'd love to have the natural home or birthing center experience, if I can, but I can tell you I'd never just elect a c/s ever again. GL!!!

[DoulaMama]

Kasey, I hear you. If I had a complicated birth, I would not want to be out of the hospital either, even if the odds of everything being fine were good. The kind of temporary trauma you get with a complicated one is enough to keep you on the cautious side...I was bound and determined NOT to have another c/s with #2, because with #1....sorry if long, but she was sunny side up, and they didn't do ANYTHING to help me deal with the back labor naturally or assist me in helping her turn naturally (like having me get on hands and knees, which I know now). They just slapped an epidural in me at 1cm and it went downhill from there. 2 days later!!!!!! I was in the assembly line for a c/s, and when they made the uterine incision, they cut so deep that they cut her umbilical cord also and blood was shooting everywhere. My DH's eyes were as big as saucers and I freaked out. So, to keep me from freaking about that and the pain as my epidural wore off, they shot me up with a bolus of demerol and I was high as a kite until the next day, and barely remember any of it. Fortunately, my DH understood my need to get her on the breast asap and literally held her up to my stoned body so she could nurse, and she did it like a champ. Anyway, another lovely hospital horror story there. After that, I was determined to not do that again, so I did my homework and even switched doctors a few times until I found midwives, albeit in a medical practice, who would let me have a vbac. So, not sure what your options are at this point....since I had a successful vbac, I can do it again, just maybe not outside of a hospital.....I don't know.

I would TOTALLY encourage you to attempt a vbac, though....it is head and shoulders above a section in terms of a good birth experience. I'd love to have the natural home or birthing center experience, if I can, but I can tell you I'd never just elect a c/s ever again. GL!!!

Holy Dina! That is a crazy birth story!! So glad that your oldest is ok. I was once at a section where the Dr. cut through too far and sliced open the baby's bottom :( He was breech. It was heartbreaking.
I just sent out your info:) So far I have 3 names- all outside of your city, about 1hr45 mins away. Have to find out if they travel and do VBAC's at home:) I'm also asking for any off-the-grid midwives in your area as well:) I'll get back to you soon!
Hugs~

[ELP]

Doulamama,can you tell me a little bit about your job? I'm in the Uk and only heard about Doula's about a year ago, I don't think they are very common over here but are increasing:)

[LolaInLove]

Holy Dina! That is a crazy birth story!! So glad that your oldest is ok. I was once at a section where the Dr. cut through too far and sliced open the baby's bottom :( He was breech. It was heartbreaking.
I just sent out your info:) So far I have 3 names- all outside of your city, about 1hr45 mins away. Have to find out if they travel and do VBAC's at home:) I'm also asking for any off-the-grid midwives in your area as well:) I'll get back to you soon!
Hugs~

Oh, you are wonderful!!!! Thank you so much! I could not imagine the bum getting sliced open, that is absolutely horrific! Yes, it was not the best experience, so now I have my own lovely soapbox about birth....I haven't gotten to experience a homebirth or natural birth, so my soapbox is just limited to mothers becoming educated and taking control of their situation. Not letting doctors freak them out and make them think they've got to have the big slice for NO good reason. I know so many girls who have ELECTIVE sections....some simply because they don't want to "deal with that icky labor stuff." Could you imagine having that kind of mindset? They don't like my soapbox too much! :bigsmile:

[DoulaMama]

Oh, you are wonderful!!!! Thank you so much! I could not imagine the bum getting sliced open, that is absolutely horrific! Yes, it was not the best experience, so now I have my own lovely soapbox about birth....I haven't gotten to experience a homebirth or natural birth, so my soapbox is just limited to mothers becoming educated and taking control of their situation. Not letting doctors freak them out and make them think they've got to have the big slice for NO good reason. I know so many girls who have ELECTIVE sections....some simply because they don't want to "deal with that icky labor stuff." Could you imagine having that kind of mindset? They don't like my soapbox too much! :bigsmile:

Sent you another PM. YAY! You are so welcome!! I love helping women to have the birth experience they are hoping for:)
Elective sections:( It makes me so sad that women don't look into it more before they sign up for them. I know many women who thought it was smarter because they wouldn't be stretched out, or torn, they wouldn't have to endure the pain of labour:( Little do they know it's a much harder recovery, tearing is usually associated with epidurals, purple pushing, and laying flat on your back being directed to push, vacuums, forceps...the list goes on, and having a baby come out vaginally does not ruin you down there(and if the tearing is that bad it can be linked back to the intervention causing it)! I can attest to better sex after having my kids! LOL The pain does not last forever and the endorphins you get from a pain med free birth are incredible:) I know a woman who has climbed Everest twice...and her natural birth blew that out of the water! :D I love birth..can you tell! Which is why I'm a doula! And hopefully a midwife in a few years time:)

[LolaInLove]

DoulaMama, thank you so much....we are so glad you are here!!!!

[DoulaMama]

Doulamama,can you tell me a little bit about your job? I'm in the Uk and only heard about Doula's about a year ago, I don't think they are very common over here but are increasing:)

I support mom and dad through the pregnancy and labour/postpartum. Any questions that need to be answered through the pregnancy, I get the resources needed and give them all the details they need in regards to tests, interventions, birth etc. I also come to woman's house while she in labour, help with anything they need help with- position changes if baby is in a funny position I can suggest certain things to help move baby etc, I also help with the emotional support of mom through labour. I fetch water, fill birth pools, scoop poop from birth pools ;) LOL I do everything from the waist up! I am trained to see how far along a woman is without having to any sort of hands on care- no vag checks or anything medical. I help with breastfeeding after the birth, postpartum emotions, talking through the birth a few weeks after. I tend to be a shoulder for the dad to lean on as well....especially first time births. I let the dad have a break and sleep, I get food for everyone, help clean up the birth space at home, etc...the list goes on. I've sat with the older children at homebirths and told them what was going on. The difference between a midwife and a doula is that I'm not medically trained. I cannot prescribe anything, can't do fetal heart checks, Bp checks etc. Midwife is trained for over 4 years to do the medical side:) I also attend unassisted births...my role is slightly different as I'm very hands off...I just hang out as a physical presence while mom and dad do all the work. They are by far the most intimate births I've attended. Mom, reaching down and catching her baby as it floats out into the water of the birthpool. The room is quiet, filled by candle light and mom and dad are the only ones to touch and greet their new baby. It's truly a blessing to be a part of such amazing moments:)

[LolaInLove]

I just got goosebumps reading that!

[NeedAGirl!]

I had both of my boys at home. Wanted a waterbirth each time but my babies are just born too fast! (with my 2nd the tub was 1/3 full when he popped out!)

[ELP]

I support mom and dad through the pregnancy and labour/postpartum. Any questions that need to be answered through the pregnancy, I get the resources needed and give them all the details they need in regards to tests, interventions, birth etc. I also come to woman's house while she in labour, help with anything they need help with- position changes if baby is in a funny position I can suggest certain things to help move baby etc, I also help with the emotional support of mom through labour. I fetch water, fill birth pools, scoop poop from birth pools ;) LOL I do everything from the waist up! I am trained to see how far along a woman is without having to any sort of hands on care- no vag checks or anything medical. I help with breastfeeding after the birth, postpartum emotions, talking through the birth a few weeks after. I tend to be a shoulder for the dad to lean on as well....especially first time births. I let the dad have a break and sleep, I get food for everyone, help clean up the birth space at home, etc...the list goes on. I've sat with the older children at homebirths and told them what was going on. The difference between a midwife and a doula is that I'm not medically trained. I cannot prescribe anything, can't do fetal heart checks, Bp checks etc. Midwife is trained for over 4 years to do the medical side:) I also attend unassisted births...my role is slightly different as I'm very hands off...I just hang out as a physical presence while mom and dad do all the work. They are by far the most intimate births I've attended. Mom, reaching down and catching her baby as it floats out into the water of the birthpool. The room is quiet, filled by candle light and mom and dad are the only ones to touch and greet their new baby. It's truly a blessing to be a part of such amazing moments:)

Thankyou for answering:) It's sounds like a great job, something I would like to do but I expect the hours can be pretty random with a young family about? I have always liked the idea of just sneaking into the bath to have my babies but for peace and quiet I jump in a cab and go to the hospital lol.
Thanks again:)