1 / Is home birth safe?
According to several studies, planned home birth for low-risk pregnancies with a licensed provider have been shown to be as safe as a planned hospital or birth center birth.
MedCare: Planned Home Birth vs. Planned Birth Center Births
CMAJ: Planned Home Birth vs. Planned Hospital Birth
If something goes wrong? Your birth team has excellent training and experience to handle the more "common" complications associated with birth. We care medications for postpartum hemorrhage and stay up to date with certifications for basic life saving and neonatal resuscitation skills.
Throughout pregnancy and during your birth, we pay close attention to you and screen for potential problems and so we can try to address them before they might risk you out of a home birth.
In an emergency, we have worked hard to establish a cooperative relationship with local hospitals and will fax your records and transport you there as quickly as possible if the need arises.
2 / What about the mess?
Many first time home birthers are concerned about the mess that naturally occurs during birth.
Your birth team works diligently to make sure mattresses, rugs and other "stainable" items are covered during the birth.
If a spill happens? Don't worry! We have done this before and take it upon ourselves to make sure your home is left just as clean as we found it. All you are left to do is switch over the laundry and take the trash out to the bin.
3 / Can my partner be involved?
Yes!
As with all the decisions involved in your pregnancy and birth, this experience is entirely your own and you get to decide how it unfolds.
If you and your partner want to be the ones catching the baby, we are more than happy to support that. If your partner is unsure and would like the midwife's hands available "just in case", we can do that too. If they change their mind at the last minute and decide that baby catching is not for them?
No judgment. Ever.
We're happy to step in!
4 / Immediate skin-to-skin and delayed cord clamping?
For us, we believe your baby belongs with you. So, immediate skin-to-skin has become our default. As soon as your baby has been delivered Earthside, they are brought up to your arms.
We do our best to protect that first, golden hour by keeping our checks on the two of you as minimal and as uninvasive as possible while also ensuring that you and baby are stable and transitioning well to life together.
Though you may need a moment to catch your breath, or baby may need some help on the outside, even this can often be accomplished in a way that allows you to remain close.
Additionally, a significant percentage of your baby's blood volume is delivered to them through the cord after they are born. We want to make sure that they receive their full blood volume to help them start their new life with everything they need to thrive. So, we will not cut the cord until it is done pulsing and hangs limp and white.
If you or your partner want to cut it, we always try to give you that option first before doing it because we understand that this can be a significant moment for you as a family and we love giving you every opportunity to make your birth your own!