Ep 146: The Value of Homebirth and Unexpected Hospital Costs

How do you afford a homebirth?  In the words of the wise women from Beautiful One Midwifery, you assign more value to it.

This week we’re speaking with Amanda, who realized just how much value there was in giving birth in a private environment, and how the cost of hospital births aren’t always what they seem.

Episode Roundup

1. Amanda mentioned how in her first birth, the simple act of asking questions to her OB brought out a side of defensiveness and anger.  When she was asked to sign a paper consenting to a cesarean while still pregnant, she knew things were not going the way she wanted.  If this happens to you, please remember that you, like Amanda, can ditch that care provider and search for one who respects you as…. oh, I don’t know, a living breathing capable human being. 
2. I love how Amanda was able to use diet to help her body through her second and third pregnancies.  I cannot stress enough just how much what we eat can influence our pregnancies, babies, births and postpartum.  This shouldn’t scare you, it should empower you.  As she mentioned, we have a full module inside of Happy Homebirth Academy regarding robust pregnancy foods.  And the Weston A. Price foundation is an amazing place to go to start looking for more information.
3. A quick note about the perineum, as I know so many mothers are afraid to tear.  The perineum was made to stretch.  It was also made to heal.  Remember that when you give birth physiologically, even if you do experience a tear, your body was designed to heal, just as Amanda’s has with her most recent pregnancy.
4. And finally, let’s end where we began.  Affording your homebirth.  How do we do it?  We won’t go into the weeds here of specific how-to’s, though I highly recommend looking into health share plans like Samaritain if you aren’t pregnant yet but know you’d like a homebirth.  But the depth of it is this— this experience is a vital one, and you need to be supported.  Amanda did everything “right” in her second birth, and yet still dealt with hospital staff who pushed a NICU stay and a whole heap of trauma.  Value must be determined with more than dollar signs, though of course that is a factor.  This is not to say that I don’t understand the struggle—trust me, I do.  I just want to encourage you to to be scrappy if you have to, ask for help on your registry, barter if you must… but remember that your experience is vitally important, and you and your baby deserve to be supported.

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Happy Homebirth Academy

Free Top 8 Homebirth Resources