Homebirth Prep Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
A couple of months ago, as I was preparing for the launch of Through the Seven Gates, my upcoming childbirth education course for those planning out-of-hospital births, I realized that while I knew the reasons people transferred to the hospital during labor based on my experiences, I hadn’t seen the data on it. And while this data is a decade old, I know it’s still applicable today.
The most common reasons for transfer (for a total of only 12% of planned homebirths, of which 9% are non-urgent transfers of care) under the care of certified professional midwives are non-urgent and include “failure to progress” which I would reframe as a prolonged first stage of labor, mother desires pain relief such as an epidural, and maternal exhaustion. (Source: Dekker, 2012).
As a birthworker, I knew these would be the top reasons for transfer (prolonged first stage of labor, pain relief, and exhaustion), I realized that people planning homebirths might not realize this, because I know I didn’t!
So when you’re preparing for homebirth or birth at a birth center, it is important to consider how you’ll prepare for exhaustion, wanting pain relief, and supporting the progression of your labor process.
Let’s explore some of the things that factor into these non-urgent transfers…
Relying Only on External Pain Management
Look, we love the comb squeeze, the TENS unit, and the hypnosis tracks… But by focusing only on external pain management techniques, you miss out on the whole world of internal pain management methods! For example, I believe the best way to manage labor pains begins with daily meditation starting in early pregnancy. Why? Because often the hardest part of managing pain is the mental aspect, the way you talk to yourself, your belief in your ability to stay the course, and your practice of being disciplined with your body and mind.
Solution: Meditate during pregnancy
Chasing Labor
I had a doula client once who was just so excited about her first baby (understandably!!) that while she was in early labor she couldn’t sleep all night due to the anticipation. I went to her in the morning because she said “I’m not sure I can stand the contractions anymore, they’re so strong now!” Upon seeing her we talked for about 15 minutes checking in, but I didn’t notice her having any contractions. When I asked she told me that she had two while we were chatting! I immediately thought to myself, “Oh no! She hasn’t slept and she’s still probably in early labor!”
All this to say: When you feel early labor contractions, your main focus should be rest and nap and eat and nap some more until the contractions are so strong that you cannot nap any longer.
Solution: Nap and snack in early labor
click to download the snack list :-)
Lack of Movement
During labor, when you change positions, you’ll likely have a stronger contraction while moving until you settle into the new position. This big contraction during position change can make it truly undesirable to change positions! I know, I know… it’s so hard (during my first birth my midwife couldn’t get me to move 😅 so she had her other birth team members motivate me to get up and move, which I did begrudgingly lol). But when you change positions, those bigger contractions encourage cervical dilation and a variety of positions will help shift and move baby downwards.
Solution: Move into various birthing positions
