EP99- Is Home Birth Right for Me? with Sarah & Matthew Bivens

For most people, childbirth should be done in hospitals, but did you know that according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 35,000 deliveries are done at home every year? Even though its statistics of success increase, home birth remains frowned upon by many. If home birth fits your situation, how do you face the pushback and doubts? In this episode, Sarah & Matthew Bivens share their experience with home birth, how they rose above the unwanted feedback and comments, as well as the basics that can help you find confidence and comfort in delivering your beloved baby at home.

Find out what values you can find from their B.I.R.T.H. principle in this episode of the Mamas in Training Podcast with Sarah & Matthew Bivens!

Where the Stigma on Home Birth Comes From

How do you prepare for the fear when giving birth at home? As a parent, in Matthew's perspective, fear is completely normal when you're delivering your baby. However, Matthew admits that he and Sarah had a lot of 'what ifs' in mind and to have them only made sense, especially if you plan to deliver your child in a non-traditional sense, at home birth. So, how do you address the fear after deciding to have your baby away from the convention of hospitals and doctors?

Matthew shares that it starts with knowing anything wrong can happen in just about any place you choose to have the delivery. Since he didn't have any concept of what home birth was and what midwives do, the 'not knowing' also contributed to the doubts, so he first eliminated those. Matthew grew the confidence and comfort he needed to set themselves up for successful home birth by asking until there was nothing left in him. So, again, the fear was mainly based on ignorance.  

What happens if you don't eliminate your fear of the birthing process? Hear from Sarah & Matthew Bivens in this episode of the Mamas in Training Podcast!

About Sarah & Matthew Bivens:

Sarah and Matthew were pregnant and were planning the typical hospital birth because that's all they knew. However, somewhere towards the middle of their pregnancy, they realized that birthing in a hospital was not for them, and they began to look at other options.

Fast forward to September 11th, 2016, they welcomed their daughter Maya into the world via an incredible home birth!

Sarah and Matthew got into the full story on episode #2 of their podcast. The bottom line is that even though their journey wasn't the easiest one, it was the right one for them.

During their research process, before they made their home birth decision, Sarah and Matthew struggled to find empowering, raw, and honest resources on home birth. Everything was either up in the clouds or tainted with fear and judgment. So they created their own podcast, Doing It At Home, to bring authentic, conscious, and loving conversations to the topic of home birth. Listen to the latest episode, where Matthew & Sarah chatted with Jessica!

Outline of the episode:

• [01:39] Sarah and Matthew – on choosing home birth
• [04:12] What is the B.I.R.T.H. mindset?
• [06:06] Why it's critical to review all the available options for your birthing
• [08:45] It was also about us getting over our fears
• [11:13] Talk to those who have walked the path of home birthing
• [14:50] Matthew – on the midwives that delivered them through the process
• [18:19] What is the partner's role in home birth?
• [21:23] The fears we have mostly come from our own ignorance and misunderstanding
• [26:30] These Are My Hours, Documentary: A Woman's Journey to Home Birth
• [29:02] You have the right to choose with whom you have these conversations

Resources:

Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/
Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGoKeBfEZ143sWU7V9I5Gdg

Watch "These Are My Hours" Documentary:

https://www.thesearemyhours.com/

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