Why I chose Home Birth

1. Being in your own home is so much more comfortable than being in the hospital! at home you have your own bed to relax in after giving birth, your own food, shower, and towels.

• home is comfortable because there aren't strangers walking in and out of your room at all hours of the morning and night. at home there's also a bed for my husband to relax in instead of a hard bench. 
• since your mind can relax so can your body which makes it easier to relax for labor
• at home you have much less inhibitions and are able to be free and do what you need to do to ease your pain.
• it's nice to not be hooked up to an IV or have a blood pressure cuff squeezing your arm or stomach
• at home you can eat or drink whatever you want to keep yourself energized and fueled up

2. Hospitals are scary!

• just going into a hospital tenses my body up and gets my stomach churning. the more tense you are the the more fear affects your pain levels in your body. even the smells in the hospital are bothersome. everything is very rushed and emergency like and birth most of the time is not an emergency but a natural process your body knows how to do. 

3. When you are at home it's much easier to have your wishes followed for your birth. When you are in the hospital it's hard to stick to your guns in the heat of the moment unless you have a great birth advocate like a doula, which I recommend. 

4. I liked the idea of having my son at home even if he wasn't right there during the moment she came out. I didn't want to be away at the hospital for several days and then come home to my toddler. I thought it would make it harder for him to adjust to having a new sibling; if there were an added factor of mommy leaving him; unfortunately I did leave him for a night. I wanted him to be a part of the process and feel included.

5. At home you can deliver in the birthing pool, that part didn't work out for me but I did labor most of the time in the birth pool. The warm water surrounding me helped a lot with contractions. 

6. I wanted to deliver at home so afterwards I could shower and then relax in my own bed and just be with my family! I wouldn't have to go any where or pack up and drive home. Since I had to go to the hospital that part didn't fully work out. 

7. With being at home things were at my own pace, they weren't on a a hospital's timeline or another persons agenda. I was able to listen to my own body. I wasn't told when to push and was never checked for dilation during my pregnancy or delivery. 

8. You can use a midwife and deliver at home or the hospital or a birthing center but using a midwife this pregnancy from 18 weeks on was so much different and better than an OBGYN. I felt so connected, loved and genuinely cared for and to top all that off I didn't have to wait in the waiting room for an hour then go sit in a cold room for 30 more minutes. I felt much more educated too. 

9. My first pregnancy was healthy with no complications and with the second one I remained healthy and my first few appointments and my 18 week ultrasound were all great. 

10. I talked to several people that had home births and they had great things to say, not to say that it's a walk in the park. I was influenced by the movie "The Business of Being Born." I watched a lot of Youtube videos of actual home births and water births and read a lot of blogs and stories. There is so much done in hospitals and Obgyns that are just unnecessary and lead to more necessary things being done. I wanted to avoid a C-section. 

11. My husband was fully supportive and had faith in me that I could do it. 

12. I had many people praying that all would go well. 

13. It wasn't a large factor but I did think it would be a little cheaper than a hospital birth. 

I am probably forgetting something but I think I covered most of it.

Slowly

I'm trying to relax and slow down and enjoy the little things with my children. They are 18 months apart and both under two so life is chaotic but wonderful!  I'm currently enjoying my one month old sleeping on my chest, listening to her breathe and taking in her scent. Her big brother is napping. I could clean but I'm listening to my body, I know I need the rest more! 

My husband and I both catch ourselves staring at our toddler as he plays and just enjoying him. He's so smart and funny. Even after he goes to bed we look at videos on our phone. 

I watched a video on Facebook about not doing and just being. It was very moving. Our day doesn't have to be busy for it to be full. It can be full of laughter and learning without leaving the house.

What can I bring?

 Top things to bring a momma that just had a baby:

1. Food; already prepared meals, snacks and quick things to grab. If she's breastfeeding she's hungry like every hour! Granola bars, brownies :)

2. Coffee, already made like a treat from the coffee shop or even keruig pods too! 

3. Wine! And beer for daddy, don't forget dad he's stressed too! 

4. Diapers and wipes

5. Help, come prepared to help around the house or run errands or entertain the other children. But also sometimes momma just needs company :) like come by in the evening for a glass of wine and a show together to catch up. 

6. A small gift for the older child. My son was so happy when people made him feel special! It's amazing how happy the dollar section at Target can make a toddler! 

7. Maybe a dvd rental 

A few of our favorite baby and baby momma things

My son is almost 6 months now! I know it sounds cliche but time really does fly! It's hard to believe almost 6 months ago we brought him home. I thought since we are close to half a year flying by I could go over some of my favorite things for baby and maybe some momma liked.

For the newborn stage we loved the Aden + Anais swaddle blankets.  They are the best for swaddling when young and smaller and not as strong and skilled at busting out of the swaddle. They are light weight and breathable. If they accidentally cover baby's face you don't have to worry as much because they are so thin. They are great for light weight blankets for in the stroller too! They are bit pricey but totally worth getting at least one pack or adding to your registry. I've also scored and found them at Marshalls.

At first his favorite paci was the soothie kind that the hospital gave him (without my permission) grrr.. oh well!

I think maybe having a paci too early might have made it hard for him to master latching for breastfeeding. Although I did have flat nipples and he had a high pallet so that might have some to do with him needing a nipple shield. So on a side note.. nipple shields saved me for the first few months breast feeding! The first few weeks I had to solely pump but then we used nipple shields for 3 months and then he randomly started taking my nipple on his own! I was soo happy and proud!! I used the Medela shields from Target. If you do need to use them make sure to have at least 4! I had one in diaper bag, one upstairs, one down stairs and one at my mother in laws. I also tried the Ameda and NUK brands and both worked fine.

This is the type I'm talking about soothe paci. He also loved the soothie kind with the little stuffed animal attached to it for a bit. They are called WubbaNub. The things they like changes from week to week! You go out and stock up on what they like and so do you in-laws and then that little guy changes his mind!

His favorite for quite a while have been the Avent paci. They have lots of holes around the mouth area so they're breathable. He will only take the pacis where the mouth part is straight, he hates the ones that curve. My mother in law bought him a Tommee Tippee one and I was like oh.. he won't like that! It's his favorite one! They are hardly ever in stock at Target. Last time I was there I bought the last pack and our foster dog has already chewed the 2nd one in the pack. You always need to have back ups of the baby's favorite things!! I have always found mine at Target.

Another great thing we have that we loved was the bouncer seat!! We have the Ingenuity Brand one in neutral colors. You will use these all the time! They also are great for setting on the bathroom floor facing the shower and strapping the baby in so you can take a shower. That is literally the only way to take a shower sometimes!

19 weeks! Almost half way there

19 weeks 

It's a boy!! It took some getting used to the idea of a boy for me but we are excited! B will have a little guy for basketball and tennis too cute. Ill have my own mommas boy! 

No cravings lately.. I often want smoothies and breakfast foods. 

My ankles are swelling already, a lil painful..my lower back hurts in the mornings. 

We're working on figuring out daycare, stressful! I wish I could afford not to work.

On another note super excited to find out gender

I can't wait to find out the gender so the pregnancy will seem more real and we can start decorating and shopping

I see so much baby girl stuff I want

gap onsie

super cute gap dress

obsessed with this gap dress

Scared

So many things to be scared of..
watching The Baby Story and Baby's first Day and it's scaring the crap out of me, but I figured better to not be scared of the unknown.

I cringe watching the epidural, c-sections and the baby being pushed out. I hate how long of a process it is, why does it have to take like 14 hours?!?!?!

I hope I don't worry and freak myself out my entire last trimester. I tend to build things up until they happen so much that when that day or procedure comes I'm extremely anxious and sick and pass out.

• infections during flu season during my last trimester or fevers
• infections during labor
• pain pain, not being strong enough to handle it
• how out of shape I will be for the birth
• the lack of sleep we'll have for the next ten years
• how new baby will affect our marriage
• that i wont be the most patient momma
• I'm scared until each appointment when I hear the baby's heart beat again

Right now it doesn't feel like I'm really pregnant, I think when the baby starts kicking that will be great and reassuring and knowing the sex will make it seem more real. How will my two dogs take to the baby. Will we have enough money for day care, dr bills, groceries, especially with the new house.