Homebirth Can Make You a Better Parent

Find Out How

This article is part of my homebirth series. If you are interested in homebirth, I encourage you to look for my other articles. My homebirth series is still in progress, so check back for new articles about homebirth and parenting. I also encourage you to ask questions and offer ideas about what you'd like to see.

Homebirth can make you a better parent because of the myriad options that homebirth starts us on the path of considering.

When women opt to have a homebirth, they are already choosing to think outside the box, for their benefit and the benefit of their baby. They are putting their priorities on themselves and their family.

This thought process alone can strengthen your ability to formulate ideas about how you want to parent and what your options are.

Homebirth midwives tend to advocate a certain type of parenting. They model this with their woman-centered care. They take care of you, thereby taking care of your unborn child and your family.

Many homebirth midwives will only accept patients who intend to breastfeed. They explain why...breastfeeding, particularly in the weeks after the birth, is highly important because it gets your uterus back to good shape, causes contractions that prevent hemorrhage, and helps with post-partum depression. Because medications aren't readily available that would stop a postpartum hemorrhage, breastfeeding does well to prevent this rare complication. Have no fear, midwives know how to stop or prevent this from occuring, and most of them work with a local hospital that they can transport you to if they can't deal with this complication, though hospital transfers after a birth are very rare. Midwives have many tricks up their sleeves to help keep you healthy and preserve your birthing experience.