Beauty in the Trenches

Home birth in water

I am currently preparing for my third home birth in water and I am looking forward to it. In this post I will share with you all about home birthing in water, my experience, tips, and resources I have relied on again and again.

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My story:

Where we started:

Freshly married in 2016 my husband and I were ready for babies! Unfortunately we suffered through almost 3 years of infertility before our first was born in 2019. After a couple years of trying and countless “not pregnant” and “1 pink line” tests and tears, we conceived our first and miscarried around 8 weeks later. We were both devastated and as Christians, very confused in our faith.

The messy middle:

Shortly after that miscarriage we conceived again. I was working as a RN in the CCU at the time and on my way to work stopped by the gift shop to buy something for the new baby in my womb. I had just had an ultrasound with early pictures confirming our pregnancy and saw a magnet of a lighthouse. It said, “My God turns my darkness into light”. I purchased it with tears in my eyes as I imagined it holding baby’s picture on the fridge. I shared the news excitedly with my coworkers and hung it up on the metal frame in the nurses station during my shift.

A few weeks later, in the same work environment I began having symptoms of miscarriage again. Eventually I had to leave my shift to go home and miscarry our second baby. I was devastated. But remember as I was (sorry to be TMI here but this is a birth post right?) bleeding out our second conceived baby I heard the song ‘Thy will be done’ by Hiliary Scott. I had been searching for comfort as I sat alone in the shower and that song really helped me.

Our Resolve:

My heart turned to God and realized I was at a crossroads in my faith. I was either going to trust that God was good or that He wasn’t. That night I chose to believe He was good and that somehow beyond my understanding He was working everything together for our good and His glory (for me, for baby, and for His glory). That night I surrendered my desire to be a biological mother to The Lord and thanked Him even though I couldn’t see right now.

I didn’t understand, but I chose to trust. He revealed to me that I desired to be a mother more than I desired for His will to be done in our lives. After that, I resolved that I wanted God’s will for my life, even if that meant I wouldn’t be a mother the way I so desired.

The light at the end of the tunnel: our rainbow baby!:

THAT VERY YEAR we moved and my husband got his first doctor’s job in the local hospital. We purchased a home and began renovating it. I felt odd and wondered, like countless other times, “could I be pregnant?” To my surprise, I WAS! Only this time, I was a stay at home wife and homemaker who was stewarding her health as best as she could.

Long story short, that was our first born in 2019! And I have been pregnant almost every year since! We are currently expecting our 6th baby here in the next few months. The Lord’s timing is truly the best timing and though I grieved and still sometimes grieve the ones we lost, I know they are with The Lord and never had to taste the pain of life on earth.

Where I am today:

Going forward with telling you about home birthing, I just wanted to share a snippet of my journey to motherhood with you. I believe a key part to my home births being so peaceful is faith in the The Lord and the way He has designed my body to birth.

I hope to encourage you with sharing our story if you are planning a home birth or just researching the option of home birthing. Motherhood is such a blessing and a holy calling, no matter how you birth baby into the world. If you get some value out of this post, or need more information or would like me to share more of something, comment below! I’d love to hear from you.

What is a home birth in water?

In my births, I got in the water at the end of my labor, around the transition time. My midwife announced “if you want a water birth we better get in the water or we will have a baby in the bed”. When she arrived I was 10cm dilated and was fully in transition. While the intensity of the contractions were real, it wasn’t “pain” as they portray in movies. I got in the water and within 2 pushes the first home birth and 2 or 3 the second home birth and he was out! That’s a water birth in a nutshell.

Is water birth safe?

It is safe & beautiful for mom and baby. The water is soothing and as long as baby doesn’t come up to the air and back under the water again, baby is safe. Before baby is born he is in an amniotic sac which is filled with fluid. Hence midwives or Ob’s may refer to it as your “bag of waters”. As long as baby goes from water in your tummy to the water in the pool with zero air introduced, baby should be fine. Your midwife will instruct you on the temperature of water and when to fill the pool, so no worries about the details. Mama just focuses on breathing and letting her body do the work.

Who can have a home birth?

Any mama can have a home birth! You do need to get the green light from your chosen midwife as there can be high risk circumstances that must be had in the hospital setting, but those are not common. Locate a midwife who believes in your body being built to birth and you will be on the right track to getting your home birth on the calendar.

What are the benefits?

  1. Pain relief: the warm water, usually between 95-105, can ease the muscles and create a soothing relief and overall lowering of the body’s stress which in turn causes you to relax more which therefore helps the brith progress all the better!
  2. Helps baby descend: Gravity from the upright position in the tub works with the relief the water brings to your body to help baby descend through the birth canal.
  3. You’re in your own home, no epidural so you can feel & avoid unnecessary tearing that happens in hospital settings (in my experience). I had 3 hospital births and my recovery was harder and longer with each one (and I tore a little with each one). With my home births, I truly believe being able to feel the contractions helped me to simply breathe with my body as it contracted and only push WITH it at the very end when it was ready. I’m convinced this helped me avoid tearing. Being in my own home, in my comfy bed with all my other kiddos ready to come see us after was incredible as well. Maybe I will do a birth story video because I could say so much about the benefits!
  4. Immediate skin to skin, connecting, bonding and experiencing peace in the slow transition from birth to postpartum is a stark contrast from my hospital experiences.

Supplies I have used EVERY time:

Exact links that I ordered for my personal home births are provided so you know you’re getting tried and true items.

For the Birth:

For immediately postpartum:

Some might call these optional but I can’t go without them:

  • Nursing bras: I love these. They’re SO comfy and functional. Trust me, if this is your first baby, you’re gonna want comfortable support for your “girls” when your milk comes in.
  • Postpartum panties: I buy these each time and wear them out! So good!
  • Post partum pjs: I like to put on a nice set right after giving birth for pictures with coordinating robe. A long robe covers the backside (which is obviously very diapered up at the moment) and it just feels good to look and feel pretty postpartum. Does that make me “bougie”? I love nice comfy pjs postpartum and consider them a necessity for feeling good in the weeks following home birth. Here are a few I’m ordering this time:
  • Ear buds (I use these because the ones that just sit in your ears fall out. This is my second time ordering them.) for listening to this Hypnobirthing app (it’s not woo woo as it sounds. it’s biblically sound and just SO encouraging to help mama breathe and stay calm, grounded, confident and at peace)–an essential in my personal experience and opinion.
  • Dermoplast, optional but can help relieve vaginal soreness or bring relief if you tear.
  • After ease, optional but helps with uterine cramping postpartum
  • Sitzbath herbal Postpartum soak, optional but relaxing & healingBaby blankets

Is a home water birth less painful?

In my experience birth was not painful as they portray in the movies and stories. Mental preparation is crucial! But in my experience, the water is soothing and relieving when you get in it to help with the intensity of the contractions.

What happens if you poo in the water?

I did and it’s ok. Your midwife will likely have a net that can scoop it right out. In the hospital or at home, midwives, doctors or nurses have all told me in one way or another, “You probably will poop, and it’s ok. We got it”. Focus on breathing and relaxing and let come what may. Your midwife will have you covered from there, my friend!

Addressing risks and safety concerns:

  • Hemorrhaging, dehydration, low BP, etc: Having the right team matters! Pick someone who aligns with your beliefs; someone you feel safe with. My midwife carries pitocin, fluids, and more for immediate medical intervention if needed. Your midwife will go over this with you. I suggest picking a few if you can and interviewing them! Choose someone who has experience and is well prepared.
  • High Risk Pregnancies: Always get the green light with your OB or midwife to be sure your health is good to go for a home water birth.
  • Hypothermia/hyperthermia: Always keep the temp of the water within recommended range by your midwife. My husband and midwife handled this for me.
  • Cord issues: Be mindful not to pull baby from the water too fast, the cord could be torn which is a risk. Midwives are very keen on this and usually will catch the baby unless you request different. But good to know in the scenario you have an accidental unassisted home water birth like we did with our 5th baby.
  • Infections: Infections are a potential risk whether you’re giving birth at home, in water, or in the hospital. Specifically with water births the concern comes from the water/environment the water is in. Infectious pathogens can travel to baby if baby swallows water or to mama through the vagina but I have not experienced this as a problem in my water births thus far. Again, to prevent this risk your midwife will have strict instructions on setting up your pool. She will tell you when you can blow it up, when to fill it up and the temp. She will likely instruct you beforehand on using the right water hose (like the one I linked above). She will also watch the water and not allow you to sit in soiled water.

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice; I am simply another mama sharing her personal experience with you.

Why I love having home births:

Whether I chose to have baby in water or out of water, I would never want to go back to hospital birth unless I had to. I am thankful for the hospital and the resources we have if we need them. However, nothing compares to being in my own home, staying near my other kiddos, the quick recovery, no uncomfortable ride home and just the cozy atmosphere of being in my comfortable bed snuggling our precious baby.

I never slept in the hospital with our first 3 either. We were woke up so many times by doctors, residents, nurses for vitals etc. I can say I slept so much better with all of our home births and that is a prize for a tired mama! In the end, I hope this article gave you value, encouragement and inspiration to continue your research and make the decision for yourself. In the meantime, I’m your mama friend on the Internet Connect with me in the comments if you’d like to hear more on any of the above.

Thank you for being here,

Brittany