22 Benefits of Home Birth

These are a few of the many things I loved about having a home birth.

1. Don't worry about when to go to the hospital or birth center. No need to pack a bag.
2. Don't have to ride in a car while experiencing contractions.
3. Midwife watches over only your labor and birth. You don't share a care provider with several other women at the same time. You're not monitored remotely.
4. Midwife observes throughout your labor, birth, and recovery. There are no shift changes and she doesn't just run in at the last minute to catch. (Unless your labor is really fast. Then Daddy better get ready!)  

Explaining Your Home Birth Decision

When I first told my husband I was thinking about a home birth, he got on board really quickly. He's just awesome like that. Trying to explain my desire for a home birth to family was more of a challenge.  Unfortunately, one of the things preventing a lot of women from choosing home birth is the perceived lack of support from their families. After having gone through the process of explaining our decision to have a home birth, I wanted to share a few tips to help the discussion go a little smoother.

What is the Ideal Child Spacing? {Poll}

5 years you say, Baby?

It seems as if the hot topic in many of my mommy circles these days is about when is the right time to have another baby. It probably has to do with the fact that many of our babies are about to turn one, and are seeming less and less like babies everyday. 

Everyone seems to have an opinion, and there are so many different considerations that get brought up.  Do you really want to be diapering two babies at one time? Or tandem nursing for that matter?  Wouldn't it be good for the siblings to be close so they can play together?  Should you wait until the first child is old enough to help out a little? Does spacing affect sibling rivalry? The list goes on and on!

DIY Summer Sleep Sack for Baby Tutorial

I couldn't find a summer weight organic sleep sack in BabyE's size, so I decided to make one instead. It turned out to be a really quick and easy project. If you'd like to make a baby sleep sack too, here's a tutorial about how I did it...

To make a size 18-36 months baby sleep sack, I used one yard of each color of fabric, green for the outside layer and blue for the inside layer. I also used two packages of Extra Wide Double Fold Bias Tape (1/2 inch wide, 3 yards per package) and a 22 inch separating zipper (the kind used for jackets). 

(Did you know one quarter of the world's pesticides are used on conventional cotton? In addition, most non-organic children's sleepwear is treated with fire retardants. Yuck!)  

DIY Summer Sleep Sack for Baby Tutorial

I used two layers of knit for the sack. Be sure to pre-shrink your fabric as knit fabrics can shrink quite a bit. I'll reference the outside layer as "green" and the inside layer as "blue" which will match up with my photos and the colors I used.

1 To create the pattern, I traced another sleep sack that fit baby well onto a big sheet of paper.  I added 1/2 inch seam allowance around the body and at the shoulders. A seam allowance is not necessary at the arm holes, neck, and up the middle.  In my case, I added a couple inches on the sides and several inches at the bottom for my growing little one. You can use the same pattern for the back as the front; just fold it in half and cut two pieces for the front. Then you'll need to cut a V-neck in the front. The pieces for the inside and outside are identical.

Then I cut out the fabric. If you have a print on your fabric, make sure you end up with one piece for the left and one for the right. If you don't have a print (like mine), then they will be interchangeable. You should have one back piece and a left and right for each color. 

2  I started by pinning the pieces together for the blue and green independently, both with right sides together. It's as if you have two separate sacks at this point. I sewed all the way around the body for each. Then I sewed across the shoulders, skipping the arm holes and neck  opening. 

3 Next I turned the green layer right side out, and fit the blue layer inside. I matched up and pinned the neckline, arm holes, and along the front where the zipper will go. I zig-zag stitched along the edges (left side of photo). Then I came back in and added the bias tape with a straight stitch (right side of photo). 

4 Finally, I sewed on the zipper so that the zipper pull is at the bottom of the sack when closed and it separates at the top when open.  If the zipper gets worn out , it will be easy to replace later without having to tear apart the whole sack.  I then turned the sack inside out and sewed closed the remaining length at the bottom of the sack. Voila! 

Who wants to sleep? It's time to play!

Visit my Etsy shop for even more patterns. 



***


Welcome to the July 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Creations
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared crafts, recipes, and philosophies of creativity. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.


Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be updated by afternoon July 10 with all the carnival links.)

• Garden Soup — Bailey finds a way to help momma Katy (from Muse of a Daffodil) in the garden.
• This One Time, I Tried To Make a Car — Ashley at Domestic Chaos tries once again to make something crafty from stuff around the house.
• Pin-tastic creative ideas — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud shares how Pinterest is inspiring creativity in her family this summer.
• Baby Hiccups In The Womb — Alinka at Baby Web shares one of the ways she bonds with her unborn baby.
• Turtle Mosaics — Lyndsay at ourfeminist{play}school and her little family spend a quiet hour making a turtle mosaic inspired by the work of Melanie Mikecz.
• Edible Art Plus 8 Art Supply Recipes — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares some natural, chemical-free art supply alternatives, which are gauranteed to be tons of fun for children or all ages. They taste great too!
• A surprise art lesson — Tat at Mum in search has been taking art lessons from her 5-year-old son.
• Memory Creation — Laura from Pug in the Kitchen talks about how her family aims to create as many memories as they can as a family.
• A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words — Melissa at Momma Beer tries to replace cars with crafts.
• My Creative Family: Sometimes Messy, Always Fun — Emily at S.A.H.M i AM embraces the messes that sometimes accompany creative play but admits you don't always have to get dirty to have fun.
• Fun Family Learning: Constellation Cave Tutorial — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter gives step-by-step instructions for building a fun new twist on a cardboard box playhouse.
• Cooking... Kind Of — ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings makes pizza with her daughter, hoping to inspire a love of cooking and encourage a bigger interest in food. As well as making mess and having lots of fun, of course!
• Crockpot Refried Beans — That Mama Gretchen's family loves to experiment with new recipes, and today she's sharing a kitchen success!
• Creating Memories — Andrea at Tales of Goodness reflects on how the best creations can emerge from just letting kids be kids.
• Making Beautiful Things ... And Sometimes Just Average-Looking Ones — Tamara at Tea for Three looks for ways to add more craft and creativity into every day family life.
• Making Fruit Leather Together — When Amy Willa at Me, Mothering, and Making it All Work took some time to involve her children in the process of finally trying a fruit leather recipe stored on her Pinterest food board, she got more than just a scrumptious homemade snack as a result!
• Making Glasses from Children's Art — Mandy at Living Peacefuly with Children used her children's artwork to make some very special glasses for her husband for Father's Day.
• Preparing Family Meals Together — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares how she started the tradition of creating meals together with her children, which makes family gatherings more fun.
• It's a trap! — Lauren at Hobo Mama shares the innovative snares her son and husband have set for her.
• How To Make The Most Of A Very Wet Summer — Luschka at Diary of a First Child shows us the first few weeks of the Summer Camp At Home project for keeping boredom at bay.
• Creating with... well, what do we have? — If necessity is the mother of invention, Momma Jorje thinks perhaps boredom is (or at least can be) the mother of creativity. In a pinch, she got creative with a household item to entertain herself and her toddler.
• Creating Joy! Felt Counting Fish and other Fun — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle started creating Felt Counting Fish and then fell down the rabbit hole of fun with a number of other games.
• I Am Going! (A Code Name: Mama Homemade Theater Production of Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie book) — This might be the finest example of child and baby acting ever recorded. Enjoy this Mo Willems treasure via video from Dionna at Code Name: Mama.
• DIY Summer Sleep Sack for Baby Tutorial — Shannon at GrowingSlower made an organic summer sleep sack for baby, and you can too with her easy tutorial.
• Chalk It Up! — Amy at Anktangle recounts how an impulse buy has turned into a fun collaborative activity that she hopes will continue to foster creativity in the whole family.
• The Family Garden — Excited that her son has been a big help in the garden this year, Ana at Pandamoly shares how her garden grows and offers up some secrets on how a toddler can be a great assistant in the garden.
• Getting my craft on — Jona at Life, Intertwined takes a trip down memory lane — and finds it in stitches.
• Easy DIY Sandpit for Toddler Play — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares her easy DIY toddler sandpit tutorial.
• Building Without Nails — Laura at Laura's Blog builds a swinging bar using just sticks and twine.
• Family Talent Show — Erika at Cinco de Mommy holds an after-dinner family talent show.
• Ar matey! Fun and Learning with Pirate Play. — Positive Parenting Connection is sharing lots of really fun Pirate-themed learning activities for the whole family.

This post is linked up with Natural Mothers Network, Foy Update, Shwin and Shwin, Creative Itch, and Simple Homemade.

Letters to Littles {11 months}

Dear 11 month BabyE,


It feels as if someone has loaded our family onto a sling shot and sent us flying through time. It's hard to believe that you are already eleven months old, and we are planning your first birthday parties! This time of year is reminding of us of last year when we were anxiously awaiting your arrival. And boy did you make us wait! 

11 Month old Baby is standing on his own!

You can confidently stand on your own for several seconds at a time. You are eating much more this month, sometimes. One day you'll eat an entire banana for lunch and the next you refuse to take a bite of anything.  You really enjoy fruit and meat. You can make a huge mess in seconds, unpacking entire cupboards and drawers. Of course, you don't have the same inclination to clean it all up so fast. 

A Year Ago {July}

A year ago, I was...

:: briefing my co-worker on my projects every afternoon just in case I went into labor over night. (so unnecessary!)


:: waddling around a construction site wearing pink hard hat.

:: being approached even by strangers asking, No baby yet? 

:: scrubbing the floor and baseboards on my hands and knees, nesting and hoping to get Baby in the optimal birthing position.


:: walking, swimming, eating spicy food, and taking evening primrose oil.


:: wholly unprepared for the amount of laundry I would do, the sleep I would lose, and the love I would feel for this baby boy that was about to come into my life.

:: waiting.

What were you doing one year ago? 


Please click to subscribe to the GrowingSlower by email or RSS feed. 

Hospital, Birth Center, or Home Birth? {Natural Birth Preparation}

A future-mama posed this question on one of my favorite pregnancy forums a while back, and I just couldn't resist throwing in my two cents. It turned into a great (and long) conversation and sharing of ideas, so I thought I'd share my thoughts with you too.  

Question: "Birthing Centers VS At Home Birth VS Hospital....Which do you prefer?? What do you wish you would have done differently or are you happy with the way everything turned out...What will you do for your next child??"

Hospital? Birth Center? or Home Birth? 

 My Hospital Experience

There were two experiences that happened a couple of months before I became pregnant that influenced my decision to have a home birth.  The first was when a very minor accident at work that landed me in the emergency room, mostly to satisfy the human resources department.  Yes, I did work at a desk in front of a computer, so you can imagine how silly I felt!  The doctor finally came in after I waited all afternoon and ordered a (what I now consider to be completely unnecessary) MRI.  

As I lay flat on my back being wheeled down bleak corridors with lights glaring in my eyes, one thought rang loudly in my mind: this is no place for a baby to be born!  Even then, I lay vulnerable, passing by strangers while sporting a hospital gown with someone else directing my movements. I knew then that there was no way a hospital could be the stage for the most intimate moment of my life, the birth of a baby.

Paradigm Shift

About the same time, I happened to catch The Business of Being Born on Netflix, and my perspective on birth was forever changed. It awoke me to all of the issues surrounding birth in our country and made me realize that I wanted to avoid a medicalized experience if at all possible. I began to believe that the best way to do that was to stay far away from the hospital.

Making the Decision

While I was researching our options, I remember turning to DH one night and saying, the medical technology available at a birth center is basically the same as what we would have at home, so why not just have a home birth?  That was the first time I really considered what some would consider this radical option.  Poor DH was left sputtering, Don't we need a doctor? Shouldn't we go to a hospital? Luckily he got on board quickly after our midwife answered all his questions during our first appointments. Poor guy, I'm afraid he didn't have much of a choice. Thank you Lord for this man who puts up with all of my crazy! 

We sat down at the interview with our midwife and she asked me why I wanted a home birth? Until that point I didn't realize that she almost exclusively helped women birth at home; I thought a birth center might still be a possibility. When I answered her question the words just flowed, and in a way I convinced myself right then to have a home birth. In that moment I realized that was exactly what it was I wanted.

When I told people I was planning a home birth several responded, Aren't you scared?  I could honestly answer them that I had no fear about having a home birth. I had thoroughly done my research and was confident that a home birth was a safe and healthy decision for myself and my baby.  The only fear I had was of hospitals, cascading medical interventions, IVs, and epidural needles.

How It All Tuned Out

Our home birth almost a year ago now was an amazing experience and I will definitely do it again for any future births.  I would encourage any healthy woman to seriously consider that route.  I believe that part of the reason I had such a positive experience was that being in my own home helped me stay comfortable and relaxed. After the birth I only had to walk down the hall to my own bedroom to rest and cuddle my baby. I didn't have to pack up, get dressed, or ride in a car. Baby and I didn't even leave the house for a couple of weeks.

Could I have had a natural birth at a hospital? Yes, I'm sure I could have, but I didn't want to be deemed the "bad patient" fighting hospital protocol every step of the way. Now that I know how uncommunicative labor made me, it would have been entirely up to DH to fight for our birth plan and make decisions for me.  I also think a doula to support us both would have been a must. There are of course hospitals that are more inclined towards natural birth and infant care than others.  The Baby Friendly Hospitals Initiative is making a big difference at encouraging good practices. Click to find a baby friendly hospital in your area.

More Information

Of course this isn't a comprehensive discussion of all the considerations that go into choosing the right birth location for you. Many other authors have written on the subject. Check out my list of 9 Must Read Natural Birth Books for a few of my favorites.

What was the right location for your birth? 


This post is linked up with The EO, Frugally Sustainable, & Sorta Crunchy.