Ep 173: Is Homebirth Still Safe After a Diagnosed Disability?

When you have a child with special needs, does that mean you’re automatically risked out of homebirth care for your future pregnancies?

Today we’ll be speaking with  Bekah, a 30 years old mom of 3 living in upstate SC. Bekah is a licensed cosmetologist turned stay at home mom, whose oldest child was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome when she was 2.5.  This has played a huge part in she and her husband’s journey as parents. Bekah lives for birth stories and she’s incredibly excited to be able to share my 3 home birth experiences.

1.  You can’t judge a book, or a laboring mother, by the cover.  And this goes both ways.  A mother may be presenting as totally zen, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t truly having to reach down deep within herself to work through her birthing experience.  And likewise, we certainly cannot assume that a loud, vocal mother is feeling out of control.  Heck, it can be so cathartic to ROAR a baby out, and sometimes that’s just the noise our body chooses to make– it having nothing to do with how perfectly calm we’re feeling on the inside.
2. Next, I want to remind you that giving birth at home is not for a small handful of mothers.  Bekah knew that she wanted to give birth at home not only with her first, but continuing on.  Despite Alice’s genetic condition, Bekah recognized that had no bearing on her ability to give birth at home, and it didn’t make her feel uncomfortable in the slightest.
3. And finally, I’m just so humbled by birth and by motherhood.  Just like birth, we can prepare spectacularly, yet no outcome can be guaranteed.  It’s the same with motherhood, and every aspect of life.  Bekah did not expect for her daughter and her family to be faced with the hurdle of Rett disease, but that is the reality that they face as a family together.  This life- our expectations- we must constantly remind ourselves to hold it all with an open hand, as we realize that so much is outside of our control.  And just like with labor, we can fight against it, or we can release into it and find the beauty.  It’s one of the things that I love about Bekah– the way that she is finding beauty even in the midst of difficulty.  I’m so grateful to know and learn from her.

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