There are four vital experiences a baby needs from its mother in order to trigger future brain development to its full potential:

• Closely gazing at her face
• Hearing the sound of her voice
• Feeling the beat of her heart
• Feeding at her breast
  
  - Suzanne Arms, “Giving Birth”

Homebirth is a place where the rhythm and timing of your body are honored and waited on by patient and compassionate midwives. It is a wonderfully joyful experience for many women and their families. At home you are free to labor and birth how and where you instinctively desire and feel ‘in charge’ of the situation. You create your own little nest, deciding for yourself whose faces, what sounds, and aromas will surround you. Having your baby in the comfort of your own home in familiar surroundings can be very supportive and promote an easier birth. Homebirth also allows for full participation of family members. In fact, your baby can be born into the loving hands of Daddy under the guidance and assistance of the midwife! At home you get to experience the bliss of greeting your new baby and never being separated. When it’s all said and done, you crawl into your freshly made bed and cuddle with your newborn.

It’s been proven that women tend to relax better and labor quickly when in familiar, comfortable surroundings. At home, you can be confident in knowing that you delivered your baby without drugs and unnecessary interventions. Families who have their babies at home report a greater overall satisfaction with the birth experience. Over 99% of women who have experienced both home and hospital birth say that they would choose to have a home birth in the future. And, when it comes down to it, homebirth is less expensive, costing 1/4th to 1/3rd of a normal hospital birth. Although the birth of a healthy baby is our ultimate goal, we believe that the process itself has great value and importance. The midwives carefully monitor you and your baby but do so in a gentle way.

You may be surprised to find that for the majority of women, homebirth is just as safe, in fact safer than giving birth in a hospital. Recent studies show definitely that there is no improvement in outcome, for the mother or baby, in hospital birth as compared to those births that happen at home with an experienced midwife. The data actually supports that outcomes are slightly better in low-risk births out of the hospital.

You and your baby also have a reduced chance of getting an infection when birthing at home. In your home you are less likely to be in contact with infectious organisms.

If you are transported to a hospital during a homebirth, statistics indicate that you and your baby are just as likely to have a good outcome as if you had started out in a hospital setting.

To learn more about Homebirth, read “Is Homebirth for You? 6 Myths about Childbirth Exposed” by David Stewart, Ph.D., Executive Director, National Association of Parents and Professionals for Safe Alternatives in Childbirth (NAPSAC) International.

A few more reasons why ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ to birth your baby:

You can choose your labor and birthing positions

You can choose who YOU want to be present at your birth (even siblings!)

You can avoid unnecessary, and often ‘routine’ procedures (i.e. induction, episiotomy, continuous electronic fetal monitoring, ‘nothing by mouth’ policies during labor, newborn vaccinations)

You can rely on continuous assistance throughout your labor (no staff shortages)

You can take your time (no ‘time clocks’ to monitor your progress)

You can eat and drink your favorite meals and beverages during labor

You can be assured of no separation from your newborn

You can nurse your baby immediately at your breast (no formula substitutes)

You can rest in the cozy, quiet, comfort of your own bed

You can be assured that your midwife will also provide your postpartum care