Curious about how home birth works and what midwifery care looks like in the first trimester? Maybe you have already decided you want to pursue a peaceful birth at home this pregnancy! Learn step-by-step how to start your home birth journey and what to expect!
The Beginning of Your Home Birth Journey
The beginning of a great home birth journey starts with that pretty pink line- “positive”! (Unless you have already decided on home birth or have had previous births at home.) We are writing this post specifically to those who are unfamiliar with the home birth process. Hopefully this post will give you a better understanding of all the information you need.
As a first time home birthing mom, welcome! We are Anna and Tori- moms of some awesome kiddos and a couple on the way. Anna is a first time (hopefully) home birth mom who is walking all these first time steps with you! Tori is a mom of (almost) three- one sweet and successful home birth, and another happening (hopefully) any day now.
We love sharing our tips on natural birth, pregnancy, and now, home birth from a fresh perspective as we are walking through it ourselves.
Deciding You Want to Pursue Home Birth
If you are here we assume you are at very least considering a home birth. Whether you are here out of curiosity, for information, or you have definitely decided on a home birth- welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
Deciding you definitely want a home birth can and should be a well thought out decision. We would never recommend you go into it without lots of research and confidence in your decision! To learn more about how we decided home birth was right for us, go check out this post on Deciding if Home Birth is Right for You.
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Finding Midwives in Your Area
Okay, so you have decided home birth is exactly what you need for this birth to be everything you want. You feel complete peace about your decision. Next step- finding that perfect for you care team!
We will go into much greater detail about this in a coming post with FREE resources so make sure you join the email list at the end of the post!
However, the process of how to find a midwife and where to even look can be daunting if you have never gone through it before.
Here are some of our tips for how we found our super amazing care teams….
- Check out state laws before you begin your search. Different states have different laws regarding home birth. Some only allow a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife) to practice legally (though you can still find an underground CPM [Certified Practicing or Professional Midwife] if that is what you prefer). States also have different laws regarding who can legally home birth, how many weeks minimum and maximum gestation, etc. Start by getting a base knowledge of what this looks like in your state.
- Join groups on Facebook. Join a home birth group on Facebook for your area. This is a great way to get personal recommendations from other like-minded women and find out who is available to you.
- Google Search. Many practices and midwives have websites or at very least social media now. A basic Google search for midwives in your area may help you find who you need!
- Word of mouth. As you meet and interview midwives, ask them who they know in the area! Midwives often work very closely and many have a large community of other providers they know and trust. If you find midwives you like but they are booked up, unavailable, or too far away ask them who they know!
Understanding the Difference in a CPM and CNM
We mentioned this briefly above when mentioning state laws. Here is some more information on the different types of midwives….
A CNM is a Certified Nurse Midwife. They tend to operate on a more medical base of knowledge and less of a physiological, however that’s not the case for all so be sure to do an interview if you have any interest in their advertised services.
A CPM is a Certified Professional Midwife. They tend to operate with more of a physiological approach. Often using very old tried and true practices over standard medical procedure. Again, this is not the case for all of them so do an interview if you think you could connect well with a midwife’s practice.
Remember, most home birth midwives are in their line of work because they wanted something different than what the medicalized birth world had to offer them. So you’re likely to connect to either. Don’t write one off just because of their title.
Student Midwives. The way midwifery care is designed allows midwives in training to get their hours for certification while working alongside an experienced midwife. Usually, there will be a student working with the midwife you choose. Be sure to ask them about meeting her as well!
Setting up Interviews for Your Home Birth
Setting up interview can be daunting work!
Once you have a few recommendations go check out their websites, online profiles, etc. and see if any of them resonate with you or are a clear no, to help narrow down the search. (Use your mom gut- it’s there for a reason!!)
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If you’re looking for a CPM and your state doesn’t allow them to practice you will have to connect with them through personal recommendations. This is where the Facebook group is so helpful. They won’t be able to have a website so ask on the group for CPM recommendations and then ask if you can chat with those women privately about their experience with them.
Get a list together of the ones you have interest in and start making phone calls or sending emails asking for an interview. You can request in person if you’d like or over the phone.
Where to Set Up Your Interview
You’re interviewing someone to potentially invite into your birth space. This is important. You can even have more than one interview if you need it. If it’s in person, try to have it in a place that would make you most comfortable. Be it your home, a local coffee shop, the park, etc.
Some midwives work in office and you will be seen there for appointments. If you want to check out their office space the initial interview is a good time to do that. If you are in their office now is a good time to consider a few things like their organization, their hygiene, and how they treat patients.
This may seem judgmental or harsh but these things all tell a story about how this midwife operates and what her care style is. If she’s messy, her office is untidy, and she doesn’t have basic hygiene that is how she will care for you at appointments and throughout your birth. (Give some grace too- we all have messy days! Just trust the vibes you are getting.)
Next Steps on Your Home Birth Journey
Well by now you are probably overwhelmed with all the homework you have just trying to find a midwife! It is serious work. Here are a few other things you will want to do in the first trimester as you begin the home birth journey….
Confirmation Appointment
Your midwife will likely ask you to do a confirmation ultrasound to date your pregnancy and make sure that it is a viable pregnancy (not ectopic or chemical, etc.). This can be done alongside your midwife or through a OB-GYN provider, preferably sometime in the first trimester. If you have not settled on home birth for sure or you are struggling to settle on the right midwife you can go ahead and schedule a pregnancy confirmation with your OB’s office.
Most OB-GYN offices will schedule a confirmation sometime within 8-12 weeks of your last missed period. If you choose to get the confirmation before settling on midwifery care/ home birth, my advice is, do not specify these details. Just get confirmation.
Many in the medical field are opposed to the home birth community. Most mean well but are very confrontational and or rude about your decision to birth how you desire. Some will not even see you if they know you are having thoughts or are decided on midwifery care and home birthing. If that happens your midwife will likely have an OB that she works with regularly for these ultrasounds that she can refer you to.
Your First Home Birth Appointment
Sometime around or after your confirmation ultrasound, you will want to have your first appointment with the midwife (this is apart from an interviewing appointment). This appointment will look different for everyone so we will not go into long detail. However, here are a few things you can expect…
- It might feel a little bit awkward as you both get to know one another but you should feel comfortable. If she, or anyone in the practice, makes you feel uncomfortable you need to find another provider.
- Most midwife providers schedule your visit for at least one hour, sometimes longer for a first appointment. So don’t be rushed, take your time and ask all the questions!
- She will ask you basic questions like how you have been feeling, may give you some tips for how to cope with first trimester discomforts, past birth history (if applicable), diet/exercise habits….and she will probably sprinkle in some small talk to get to know you!
- She will monitor blood pressure, heart rate/oxygen, belly measurements (maybe not in early appointments), and baby’s heart rate (if after 8 weeks or so) at every appointment. As baby gets bigger she will monitor positioning of the baby and growth (based on feeling of head, bum, etc.).
- Again, ask all the questions!
- Before she leaves she will schedule you for your next appointment. Most midwives work from a monthly appointment basis until around 32-36 weeks. From there you will be seen every two weeks until 37-38 weeks. Then every week until your baby is born.
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