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The Essential Homebirth Guide: For Families Planning or Considering Birthing at Home
Two midwives present the What to Expect When You're Expecting for homebirths—with a Foreword by Dr. Christiane Northrup.
Birthing is a miraculous time when you and your baby will work together to bring about life. As you finally cradle your precious newborn in your arms, you should know deep in your soul that every decision that brought the two of you to this special moment was yours.
More families than ever are choosing to birth at home. Midwives Jane E. Drichta and Jodilyn Owen answer questions about the kind of care, support, and information you need as you investigate whether this option is right for you. Birth can be an empowering and positive experience, and this book provides gentle guidance, with high regard for your wisdom and ability to successfully navigate your prenatal care, birth, and early mothering.
Enriched with real birth stories from new mothers, The Essential Homebirth Guide offers thoughtful, compassionate advice on a wealth of birthing topics,
• Building a supportive homebirth community • Caring for yourself and your baby from your pregnancy through the postpartum period • Communicating about your birthing plans with your midwife, your partner, and your family and friends • Deciding whether homebirth is safe for you • Educating yourself about common pregnancy-related issues • Preparing your home and your family for the big day
Birthing is a miraculous time when you and your baby will work together to bring about life. As you finally cradle your precious newborn in your arms, you should know deep in your soul that every decision that brought the two of you to this special moment was yours.
More families than ever are choosing to birth at home. Midwives Jane E. Drichta and Jodilyn Owen answer questions about the kind of care, support, and information you need as you investigate whether this option is right for you. Birth can be an empowering and positive experience, and this book provides gentle guidance, with high regard for your wisdom and ability to successfully navigate your prenatal care, birth, and early mothering.
Enriched with real birth stories from new mothers, The Essential Homebirth Guide offers thoughtful, compassionate advice on a wealth of birthing topics,
• Building a supportive homebirth community • Caring for yourself and your baby from your pregnancy through the postpartum period • Communicating about your birthing plans with your midwife, your partner, and your family and friends • Deciding whether homebirth is safe for you • Educating yourself about common pregnancy-related issues • Preparing your home and your family for the big day
352 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2013
24 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 13, 2024
A few cautions: one mention of abortion (in a normalized, acceptable practice way), some new age empowerment ideas (look within yourself), and one reference to some other book's language not being "inclusive" enough (because it's "husband-coached labor").
Despite those cautions, I thoroughly appreciated this book. It is chock-full of information on pregnancy, labor, and post-partum issues. The authors do an excellent job of providing information while leaving the decisions in the hands of the parents.
Despite those cautions, I thoroughly appreciated this book. It is chock-full of information on pregnancy, labor, and post-partum issues. The authors do an excellent job of providing information while leaving the decisions in the hands of the parents.
December 27, 2017
I hadn't been too worried about giving birth and was confident I wanted it to happen in a hospital -- growing up, my mom was an OB/GYN nurse and so not only did I not have the fear of hospital rooms so many people talk about, but I inherently trusted them: hospitals = MOM! And she had given birth to both my sister and I in a hospital, so I figured that knowing all of her options, she chose what was safest and best for everyone.
But after touring a birth center within a hospital -- even one known for having a low amount of medical interventions and the lowest c-section rates in the state -- I started to panic. Walking through the rooms which, while comfortable and clean and staffed by friendly women, were unmistakably "hospital" with all of the associating devices, smells, beeps, and descriptions of what you're allowed to do in this situation, when you can do x, y, and z, and when you get rolled into the next room, suddenly giving birth felt terrifying to me. I kept thinking "I can't do this, I can't do this. Don't some women elect to have c-sections? I might have to do that."
Talking it over with friends, a few mentioned how people they knew had had homebirths and loved the experience. Honestly it is something I had never even considered before. I always thought homebirths were done by crazy hippies. I thought they were inherently dangerous and stupid, like being anti-vaccination or praying instead of taking antibiotics. Best case scenario, I thought, you have a long painful experience and a house full of mess, but, "what if something happens?"
But I ordered this book because I suddenly, very deeply felt that giving birth was something I wanted to do privately with professionals I'd come to know, and not around whoever was on call that day. And wait, could I actually do it even just in my house? Wouldn't that be the most comfortable, least rushed place to be?
I went into this book with a lot of questions and doubts. Initially it still felt like something I might be romanticizing, but that was still just too risky. And I was half-convinced the book would actually convince me otherwise, by being overly granola-crunchy or even just by seeming it was trying to talk me into something. I'm very resistant to persuasion, often to my own detriment, and the minute I sense someone is trying to convince me of something I become obstinate and contrarian.
So I can confidently tell you: this book is not trying to convince you to have a home birth. Possibly it's trying to convince you to have a dedicated midwife, but I went into the book already convinced this was the ideal, and who wouldn't -- I think most of us assume that the person we're seeing for all our prenatal appointments is going to be on call for the birth too, right? Through questioning multiple hospitals and birth centers I was always disappointed to hear that this is totally not the case. So this book talks a lot about what that relationship can be like, and what a good midwife means, the questions you may want to ask as you interview your candidates, and how a midwife team and doula work in tandem with you and your baby to deliver.
It also goes through the "Big Ten" risks in pregnancy -- gestational diabetes, anemia, eclampsia, etc. -- how a midwife would diagnose and attempt to treat these issues in advance, but ultimately how they may compromise your ability to give birth outside of a hospital. (Surprising to me was that a breech baby, depending on the nature of the breech, often isn't a deal-breaker.) And incredibly helpful, regardless of where or how you decide to birth, was the description of common tests or procedures done to you or your infant in a hospital and what their benefits and downsides were. I'm sure that if I hadn't read this book and had opted for a hospital birth as planned, I would have done whatever they told me, and would have had no questions until or if a problem arose.
Baseline takeaway: this book will leave you way better informed about how birth works and its inherent risks and solutions, as well as ways to eat to minimize your risks. (Eating sugar will not only give you a larger baby that may be difficult for you to birth, but it also weakens your tissues making your more likely to tear! And here I was eating pie for two, and told by my doctors that it was fine since I should really be gaining x pounds by y date.) For me it completely reframed what birth could mean and look like and the relationships I could have with the people who were helping me make that happen.
Making any kind of "birth plan" feels a little silly to me (who KNOWS what will happen, I've never done this before), so while I can't say for sure that we'll have a home birth, I can say that learning about the process took birth from something terrifying and impossible and made it something exciting and transformative, that I actually look forward to and am eager to learn more about. I was anxious to tell my nurse mom that we were considering a home birth, but when I texted her after finishing the book, she was effusive: "I'm all for it! Women have been doing that for millions of years." She did add: "no option for an epidural tho."
But after touring a birth center within a hospital -- even one known for having a low amount of medical interventions and the lowest c-section rates in the state -- I started to panic. Walking through the rooms which, while comfortable and clean and staffed by friendly women, were unmistakably "hospital" with all of the associating devices, smells, beeps, and descriptions of what you're allowed to do in this situation, when you can do x, y, and z, and when you get rolled into the next room, suddenly giving birth felt terrifying to me. I kept thinking "I can't do this, I can't do this. Don't some women elect to have c-sections? I might have to do that."
Talking it over with friends, a few mentioned how people they knew had had homebirths and loved the experience. Honestly it is something I had never even considered before. I always thought homebirths were done by crazy hippies. I thought they were inherently dangerous and stupid, like being anti-vaccination or praying instead of taking antibiotics. Best case scenario, I thought, you have a long painful experience and a house full of mess, but, "what if something happens?"
But I ordered this book because I suddenly, very deeply felt that giving birth was something I wanted to do privately with professionals I'd come to know, and not around whoever was on call that day. And wait, could I actually do it even just in my house? Wouldn't that be the most comfortable, least rushed place to be?
I went into this book with a lot of questions and doubts. Initially it still felt like something I might be romanticizing, but that was still just too risky. And I was half-convinced the book would actually convince me otherwise, by being overly granola-crunchy or even just by seeming it was trying to talk me into something. I'm very resistant to persuasion, often to my own detriment, and the minute I sense someone is trying to convince me of something I become obstinate and contrarian.
So I can confidently tell you: this book is not trying to convince you to have a home birth. Possibly it's trying to convince you to have a dedicated midwife, but I went into the book already convinced this was the ideal, and who wouldn't -- I think most of us assume that the person we're seeing for all our prenatal appointments is going to be on call for the birth too, right? Through questioning multiple hospitals and birth centers I was always disappointed to hear that this is totally not the case. So this book talks a lot about what that relationship can be like, and what a good midwife means, the questions you may want to ask as you interview your candidates, and how a midwife team and doula work in tandem with you and your baby to deliver.
It also goes through the "Big Ten" risks in pregnancy -- gestational diabetes, anemia, eclampsia, etc. -- how a midwife would diagnose and attempt to treat these issues in advance, but ultimately how they may compromise your ability to give birth outside of a hospital. (Surprising to me was that a breech baby, depending on the nature of the breech, often isn't a deal-breaker.) And incredibly helpful, regardless of where or how you decide to birth, was the description of common tests or procedures done to you or your infant in a hospital and what their benefits and downsides were. I'm sure that if I hadn't read this book and had opted for a hospital birth as planned, I would have done whatever they told me, and would have had no questions until or if a problem arose.
Baseline takeaway: this book will leave you way better informed about how birth works and its inherent risks and solutions, as well as ways to eat to minimize your risks. (Eating sugar will not only give you a larger baby that may be difficult for you to birth, but it also weakens your tissues making your more likely to tear! And here I was eating pie for two, and told by my doctors that it was fine since I should really be gaining x pounds by y date.) For me it completely reframed what birth could mean and look like and the relationships I could have with the people who were helping me make that happen.
Making any kind of "birth plan" feels a little silly to me (who KNOWS what will happen, I've never done this before), so while I can't say for sure that we'll have a home birth, I can say that learning about the process took birth from something terrifying and impossible and made it something exciting and transformative, that I actually look forward to and am eager to learn more about. I was anxious to tell my nurse mom that we were considering a home birth, but when I texted her after finishing the book, she was effusive: "I'm all for it! Women have been doing that for millions of years." She did add: "no option for an epidural tho."
December 3, 2019
Not considering a home birth. But did want to be as empowered as those who have had one. Not a bad book. But not as positive and encouraging as others. Almost like a how to be pregnant guide with home birth as the goal which, spoiler alert, shouldn't be that different for any woman. But definitely more encouraging than The New Rules For Pregnancy.
February 14, 2019
Incredibly well researched book. Even if you are not considering homebirth this book is packed full of valuable information that every mama can benefit from. Thank for this resource!
November 12, 2019
I'd give this somewhere between a 3 and a 4. I definitely do not endorse all of the philosophies or opinions presented in this book, but I did like it. My husband and I read it together, and some of the information presented helped him form his own opinion about various prenatal and newborn care decisions or realize he needed more info from elsewhere so we could have an actual discussion (which is important to me), rather than me just feeding him information and telling him what I think we should do. We did skip several sections that were not applicable to us. As a former maternity care provider I also appreciated their opening comments ("This may not be for you."), as well as the thoughtful inclusion of a list of resources in the appendix for women attracted to some aspects of out of hospital midwifery care whose medical risk status contraindicates that option.
October 27, 2021
This is definitely not the most thorough birth book on the market, even among "natural birth" books, but it is accessible and usefully addressed very specific things I found helpful as a first time mom preparing for a home birth. The housecleaning lists and items to have on hand and the general information about home birth midwife practices was very useful. I disagree with some of the weird spiritual aspects of the book, but found it generally encouraging and helpful. It has many personal stories and practical checklists, but it is not a thorough, stand-alone pregnancy and birth book.
January 23, 2021
This book is useful for first-time parents and parents who've already had 1 baby and are preparing for another baby.
This book has great information for first-time parents who aren't even considering a home birth. A lot of the information is about post-birth things, and applies to hospital births as well as home births.
This book has great information for first-time parents who aren't even considering a home birth. A lot of the information is about post-birth things, and applies to hospital births as well as home births.
June 3, 2018
A great resource for anyone planning on having a homebirth (or curious about having a homebirth). Lots of great info on how to prep, how to find a good midwife, what your care will be like, etc. So excited.
abandoned
July 2, 2019I'm pretty sure I found some helpful tips in here. I did, after all, have a planned home birth. (Yay.) But I can't remember how helpful it was as a whole, vs. books like The Birth Partner, which I found so useful that I bought a copy of.
September 5, 2023
Very thorough. It's definitely not necessary to read cover to cover, but that is what I decided to do. I read half of it postpartum as well. It's definitely a great place to start for anyone with questions about their pregnancy or birth, or anyone questioning if homebirth is right for them.
August 14, 2024
This book convinced me that I don’t want a homebirth. It focused on the whole journey from conception to postpartum and what that looks like with a midwife and doulas as the care providers. I thought book would mostly be about the homebirth, hence the book title.
May 15, 2018
Such a great resource! I'm so glad I read this, and I'm ready for my homebirth experience!
January 16, 2019
I think this book was very informative.
July 7, 2020
Amazing resource that is very down-to-earth. I recommend it to any Mom looking at her options for birth!
March 9, 2022
I will definitely be having a home birth after reading this book!
February 10, 2023
We fall into the category of “already decided on having a homebirth.” We’ve done a lot of research into this but there was still new info provided here. Overall, a great read.
June 7, 2016
Finally, a birth preparation book that is specifically geared toward homebirth families. There are plenty of books out there that contain stories of homebirths (including Ina May's famous books, of course) but none like this.
This book reads like many other mainstream birth books. In other words, it doesn't contain the very hippie language that other home and natural birth books do. I would hate for anyone to feel turned off by the idea of homebirth because they think it's only for hippies. I myself am proof that it is not! :)
I would also recommend this book to those considering a birth center, or even those who plan on birthing in a hospital, but want to have as natural and peaceful an experience as possible.
As someone who has already had a homebirth (and read a ton on the subject), I wasn't sure what exactly I would get out of this book. I did learn a few unique home remedies for common pregnancy ailments, like eating a cucumber a day to help stabilize blood pressure. But bigger than that, I learned more about the midwifery model of care. My midwife was awesome, but since she's the only one I've ever had, I wasn't always sure if the things she did were unique to her or if all/most midwives practice that way. (One example is that she always had me test my own urine at my appointments. Apparently this is common for midwives to do, because it shows that they trust you, a huge part of the midwifery model of care. And it doesn't take any special training to match colors on a dipstick.)
I also learned why midwifery used to be associated with witchcraft. Centuries ago, when the patriarchal order of society was strong, people thought that God only shared his knowledge with men, and that there was a certain lineage that knowledge must follow. God-king-noblemen-rest of society. For midwives to possess knowledge of such a sacred process as birth -- and NOT have gotten it from the men -- was seen as heretical. Their knowledge must have come from the devil, and therefore, they must be witches.
All in all, a wonderful book that I will be recommending to others.
This book reads like many other mainstream birth books. In other words, it doesn't contain the very hippie language that other home and natural birth books do. I would hate for anyone to feel turned off by the idea of homebirth because they think it's only for hippies. I myself am proof that it is not! :)
I would also recommend this book to those considering a birth center, or even those who plan on birthing in a hospital, but want to have as natural and peaceful an experience as possible.
As someone who has already had a homebirth (and read a ton on the subject), I wasn't sure what exactly I would get out of this book. I did learn a few unique home remedies for common pregnancy ailments, like eating a cucumber a day to help stabilize blood pressure. But bigger than that, I learned more about the midwifery model of care. My midwife was awesome, but since she's the only one I've ever had, I wasn't always sure if the things she did were unique to her or if all/most midwives practice that way. (One example is that she always had me test my own urine at my appointments. Apparently this is common for midwives to do, because it shows that they trust you, a huge part of the midwifery model of care. And it doesn't take any special training to match colors on a dipstick.)
I also learned why midwifery used to be associated with witchcraft. Centuries ago, when the patriarchal order of society was strong, people thought that God only shared his knowledge with men, and that there was a certain lineage that knowledge must follow. God-king-noblemen-rest of society. For midwives to possess knowledge of such a sacred process as birth -- and NOT have gotten it from the men -- was seen as heretical. Their knowledge must have come from the devil, and therefore, they must be witches.
All in all, a wonderful book that I will be recommending to others.
September 2, 2015
If you're interested in the option of homebirth, then this book would be a good resource. It was written by midwives as well as containing a large number of testimonials from women who had homebirths. It is, however, written from the perspective of midwifery being legal and midwives being allowed to perform limited medical tests and procedures, so the services midwives can perform may be different in your state.
There is one major caveat. While this book contains a lot of good information, its tone is decidedly sentimental. This is unfortunate because rather than making the content of the book more approachable, it reinforces the negative stereotype of midwives as unprofessional rather than medically trained and capable practitioners and portrays many of the homebirth patients featured in the testimonials as overly emotional and lacking good judgment, which is undoubtedly not the book's intention.
There is one major caveat. While this book contains a lot of good information, its tone is decidedly sentimental. This is unfortunate because rather than making the content of the book more approachable, it reinforces the negative stereotype of midwives as unprofessional rather than medically trained and capable practitioners and portrays many of the homebirth patients featured in the testimonials as overly emotional and lacking good judgment, which is undoubtedly not the book's intention.
November 24, 2013
This is a 2013 book which incorporates old tried and true info with the latest ideas of how and why to have a homebirth. Good for the pregnant couple and anyone interested in the pros and cons. It starts with the history, the goals, the reasons and proceeds to the how to of homebirth as well as the reasons it might not work out. Four stars instead of five because while it discusses nutrition, specific helpful ideas about the how-to of what is needed and the interactions with midwifes and doctors, etc. it doesn't include specifics of childbirth itself. It needs to be teamed with childbirth classes and books such as The Bradley Method. This is a great book to recommend to anyone who balks at the idea of a homebirth.
April 14, 2014
There was a lot more general pregnancy/birth stuff in this than specific homebirth stuff (at least in terms of my expectations), but I still really enjoyed and appreciated this.
I recommend this to any pregnant lady considering giving birth outside of the hospital. How risky is it? What are the benefits? Read up and make a pro/con chart.
One thing in particular that the authors stress is that there is no "right" way to give birth. It's all about weighing your options and making a birth plan that fits your needs and desires. And, remember, it's just a plan. You know what they say about the best laid plans...
I recommend this to any pregnant lady considering giving birth outside of the hospital. How risky is it? What are the benefits? Read up and make a pro/con chart.
One thing in particular that the authors stress is that there is no "right" way to give birth. It's all about weighing your options and making a birth plan that fits your needs and desires. And, remember, it's just a plan. You know what they say about the best laid plans...
June 13, 2015
I really only read about 3 chapters or so - just the ones I felt applied to me. As this is my 2nd child I didn't feel a need to read about how to choose a healthcare provider, or about nutrition during pregnancy, etc... So I only read the chapter about planning a home birth, and on considering allowing children to attend. I feel that overall though, this is meant more as just an introduction and was not as detailed as I was hoping for. I had already read similar things on blogs or in birth stories online.
October 12, 2012
This book fills a great void for families planning or curious about homebirth. It's factual yet interesting, a great balance of information and inspiration for those planning to birth their babies at home. As a care provider working with these families, it's exciting to have a book to recommend that gives just the information they need as they plan their birth.
April 24, 2013
Maybe it's because I'm pregnant, but I felt bad for days when they talked about the midwife checking your house to see if you'd dusted recently (I have not nor do I plan to) and it ruined the whole book for me.
August 12, 2016
This was a great book, full of tons of good information. My state doesn't allow homebirth, so it isn't something I can look forward to, unfortunately, but I still got a LOT more out of this book than the What to Expect book.
August 12, 2012
Great book. Even though we have planned on a homebirth, and tried with our 2nd daughter, this book still had some great facts, good information & easy to read (not dry).
March 10, 2013
Good overview. Would definitely buy when I start planning a family, useful information for anyone interested in natural birth in their home or not.
June 20, 2013
Excellent! So much useful information, even if you aren't in the mindset to homebirth.
July 22, 2014
Best book in preparing for homebirth I read. Great overview of everything to prepare for. Read the whole thing and loved it.
August 23, 2014
An affirming, down-to-earth, helpful read.
April 17, 2017
A great read for a woman preparing for a homebirth. It seemed like it took a while to actually get to the homebirth part of the book at the very end. The whole beginning seemed to be about general pregnancy concerns.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews