Are you planning for a Home Birth? Here are 10 Tips to get you on the right track! (PLUS a bonus doula hack!)
If you’re reading this blog post, you are probably thinking about birthing your baby at home or you have already started planning for it and are on the hunt for more tips and tricks to make it beautiful and empowering!
First, let me say that I am so excited for you!
Birthing a baby at home is one of the most peaceful, intimate, empowering moments you can experience in your life and I’m here to help make that happen for you.
I have been on a mission to empower women for many years, attending births and offering holistic, autonomy rooted childbirth education to women just like you who want MORE out of their birth experience.
Not only have I built a great community in my Warrior Birth Experience, but I’ve also been able to learn from the best Yoga teachers, Doulas, Midwives, Pelvic Physiotherapists and many other experts on the planet!
Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I truly cannot believe that I get to offer this type of services to women and families and that I get to call it work!
And during this rewarding journey, I’ve definitely learned a thing or two (or 10!) on how-to prepare and what we have control over and what we need to let go of!
Get ready, because this blog post is FULL with incredible goodies.
10 Golden Rules to Follow when Planning for a Home Birth + a bonus Doula tip!
Rule # 1 – KNOW YOUR OPTIONS
Did you know that Ontario midwives attend approximately 3,000 home births annually?
The number of births attended by midwives in Ontario has been increasing each year since regulation. Last year approximately 10% of all births in the province were attended by midwives.
And, Approximately 20% of midwife‐attended births take place at home.
There are so many opportunities that are available to you that can benefit yourself and your birth journey, including the incredible opportunity to build trust with your providers, ask questions and make sure they know your wishes.
Rule # 2 – KNOW YOUR WHY AND YOUR VISION
As with any new birth journey, if you are lacking the vision and haven’t solidified “why” you are doing what you are doing – it will be that much harder to push through when things start to get tough.
And in the case of birth, if you aren’t clear on why you want to stay home, you’ll end up alongside a high percentage of women who end up transferring to hospital.
I suggest that you ask yourself these questions to help you gain clarity over your Why and Vision:
Why do you have this idea to birth your baby at home?
What or who will be your biggest challenge to stay home the entire time?
How do you want to FEEL once baby is earth-side?
Rule # 3 – KNOW WHERE TO INVEST IN YOURSELF TO HAVE THE SUPPORT YOU NEED
One of the first things I teach within The Warrior Birth Experience is how to clearly describe your wishes to choose your provider (aka the person who will be attending your birth).
The same applies for post Partum! You don’t realize you need the support until your in the thick of it and sleep deprived.
Here are some people to think about having on your team to get started:
How do you want to feed your baby? I always recommend booking in with a Lactation consultant who is knowledgeable in all ways to feed your baby. Since they often book 6 weeks+ out , You can book your post Partum appointment before baby is born and always cancel it if you don’t end up needing it. I love Ashley Picket www.Ashleypickett.com who’s services are covered by Ohip.
Have you considered hiring a doula? Doulas are very knowledgeable in the birth process and how to feed baby and can help you through the most sacred time of life. They also can offer a grounding presence through your pregnancy and post Partum time. Did you know I offer a Private Coaching and Doula program to 6 women a year? Birth Like a Warrior is our private coaching and doula program that supports women for their entire pregnancy and post partum journey!
Do you have a plan for getting proper sleep during pregnancy and the newborn stage? Studies show if you prepare beforehand, it makes things easier. I work closely with Tamara Jurkin who provides holistic sleep support for both pregnancy and all ages of children sleep. Prioritizing sleep can make a huge difference in your experience. In Birth Like a Warrior private program. Tamara provides you with 2 private sessions for optimal sleep in pregnancy and the newborn stage.
What type of support do you have lined up for 6-8 weeks Post Partum. Is there someone who can come over during the day or night and offer you some relief. Do you have older children who may need some attention. Having someone come and hold baby while you rest or take some me time, or to simply listen to your birth story and hold YOU is essential in an empowering experience. Post Partum doulas are experts at this and this service is included in our Birth Like a Warrior private program.
Have you hired a pelvic floor physiotherapist? These experts can help you strengthen your body during pregnancy if you are experiencing aches and pains. They can also help you to prepare for birth with breathing and pushing techniques to protect your core and pelvic floor. I work closely with Meryl Dacosta from Eramosa Physio therapy who looks at your body holistically so you can move optimally in pregnancy and recover faster post Partum. In our Warrior Birth Experience, Meryl provides you with step by step videos to prepare for birth and post partum! This service is also included in our Private Birth like a Warrior program!
Prenatal yoga, when practiced consistently, is proven to help you build strength in both mind and body. Students often report more deeper connection to self and feel confident and more capable on and off their mats. Our Warrior Birth Experience is deeply rooted in yoga and encourages you to practice consistently to reap the benefits and is also included in our Private coaching and doula program! Yoga is the core of everything we do here at Warrior Wellness.
Rule # 4 – BE FLEXIBLE AND NOT SET ON A SPECIFIC OUTCOME
Birth can go sideways fast and when you are set on a specific plan you may end up disappointed or traumatized.
When you research all things that can happen during the birth of your baby, you can feel more confident and in charge of your decisions.
Remember, birth is a natural thing! When women are left alone and not poked and prodded at with bright lights and unnecessary interventions, magical things can happen.
But keep in mind, I’m not anti medical. There’s a time and a place for medical interventions. I’ve been there and seen it happen while attending births at both hospitals and homes.
Start by thinking about what you really don’t want to see go down in your birth or post Partum and then start practicing how to ground yourself in the reality of your dreams. Knowledge is power, the more you know, the more you can stand strong in your autonomy.
Don’t forget to pack a hospital bag just in case, you don’t want to be unprepared. Click here to download my free hospital bag checklist!
Rule # 5 – Practice, practice, practice
Like anything else in life, consistency breeds results, confidence and progression.
One of the biggest parts of the Warrior Birth experience is encouraging you to practice daily movement, breathing and mindset shifts for bringing your baby earth-side.
Finding what works best with your current schedule and giving yourself some grace to fit it in is key. As you tap more into your intuition during pregnancy, you are able to carry that with you into birth and beyond.
Rule # 6 – START SIMPLE
Simplicity is your best friend, when preparing for birth itself.
You can end up overthinking things, over researching and feeling overwhelmed. This is why I developed the Warrior Birth Experience, a village you can trust.
In order to keep things simple to begin, make sure you consider these ideas:
Practice movement for labor
Practice breathing for labor and birth
Develop a gratitude practice to transcend your fear into trust
Practice techniques to open your third eye, your Agya chakra, which is the center for your intuition.
Rule # 7 – CONSIDER YOUR SPACE
Once you’ve gotten clear on your vision and why you want to be home, start thinking about where in your home you’d like to birth your baby.
This is a crucial step because if you don’t take the time to make a safe, cozy space you may feel uncomfortable and restricted.
Ask yourself: What are some ways you can make your space more inviting, relaxing and encouraging of oxytocin release (our love hormone that drives birth)
Here are some examples of how my clients and I set up their space for birth:
Create a space of warm lighting with salt lamps to encourage higher levels of melatonin.
Play music that is empowering and relaxing, you can make a specific birth playlist of your faves
Think about who will be present in the home when everything starts happening. Do you have a plan for pets or older children. Babies can arrive anytime after 35 weeks so have these plans in place early just in case.
Diffusing of grounding essential oils. My favourit’s are clary sage, frankincense and lavender. You also can make rollers or massage oils that your support person or partner can use for you if you need. I always make different blends up for my private clients and offer it if I feel like it may help.
Here’s my number one Doula hack!! Fill a crockpot with water and washcloths and a few drops of lavender essential oil. The washcloths can be used during birth to protect your perineum or after birth for heavenly smelling clean up! Keep an eye they don’t get to hot though!
Rule # 8 – LOAD UP YOUR FRIDGE
I always compare birth to a marathon. Would you run a marathon without proper fuel and hydration? Heck no!
Keeping an assortment of chopped up fruit and veggies in the fridge , also your favorite easy handheld snacks is essential. Labor and birth is hard work! You need to keep your energy up.
Here’s some ideas to prep around 37 weeks and keep replenishing until the big day, these can also be an easy way to stay nourished through post Partum :
Overnight oats
Electrolyte drinks. I love Roar coconut water. You can find at superstore or any grocery store. or Arbonne hydration.
Cut up assorted fruit
Cut up assorted veggies
Trail mix or assorted nuts
Hard boiled eggs
Hummus and crackers
Pre made smoothies frozen and ready to pop in the blender
If you end up going to the hospital you can take a small cooler of your favorite snacks because let’s face it, hospital food kinda sucks!
Rule # 9 – A HOME BIRTH ISN’T A FAMILY REUNION
I get it; everyone wants to meet baby and often people want to help, bring food etc.
But it’s your home and a very sacred time that you need to be focused on softly landing your baby on earth and then once baby is here, you need to focus on feeding and healing.
You shouldn’t be worrying about entertaining, or pleasing anyone. And definitely you shouldn’t be feeling uncomfortable or pressured to do something you don’t want to do. Some people can be helpful but others may bring an energy you just don’t want around. Hold your boundary firm but kind “we are hoping to not have any guests right now but we will let you know when we are ready for visitors”
Rule # 10 – HAVE SOMEONE ELSE TIME YOUR SENSATIONS
It’s hard to stay focused when you are distracted by tapping a timer on your phone.
Once you know who will be attending your birth, have someone else in charge of timing them and don’t start timing until they are less then 15 minutes apart.
Before then, relax, go for walks, tidy around your home, laugh, take a bath!
Once things pick up and you need more pain management, your support person can start timing the waves and you can stay focused on managing them. Doulas are often experts in knowing how the birth process is going and will do this for you so you don’t have to worry about it.
Bonus Rule # 11 - DON’T FORGET TO EMPTY YOUR BOWELS AND BLADDER
Since you will be eating and drinking to stay hydrated and nourished, you will need to be consistently emptying.
Emptying the bladder is also ideal for when baby is close to arriving on earth so there’s more space in the pelvis for Baby.
I always encourage my clients to labor on the toilet so their bowels can empty easily and the position is great to encourage Baby to put pressure on your cervix.
You can rock and shift your pelvis as needed too but keep in mind if your sensations are back to back and you feel pressure in your bum you may want to move off the toilet to birth your baby on the floor or in another room. It’s always Up to you though!
There you have it... I hope these 10 Golden Rules to Follow when Planning for a Home Birth inspire you to take action on your goals and wishes and make them into a reality.
I would absolutely love to know if this blog post today helped you in any way. Send me a DM to my Instagram and let me know if you have started planning for your beautiful birth.
Thanks for hanging out with me today. If you have any other questions about Pregnancy, Birth or Post-Partum - please reach out!
Here are a few ways I can support you…
Are you looking to work with a Birth Doula and you live in the Halton Hills or Hamilton area? (I travel too)
I work with a limited number of 1:1 clients each year, and I’d love to chat with you if are hoping to have a Doula as part of your Birth Process. Click here to book a call to chat!Not sure what to pack in your Hospital Bag? Click here to grab my free checklist for pregnancy, birth and post partum plus a bonus list of my fave products to have over this time….
