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Having Your Baby at Home
6 Steps Toward the Homebirth of Your Dreams
By Shel Franco
Once you have made a list of possible midwives, it is time to interview them, looking for the experience and personality that fit your needs. "I fell in love with [the first midwife I interviewed] and never bothered to check out the other one," says Mary Jane Hoover, of Rochester, N.Y.
And while that might be the case for you, too, don't be afraid to say "no" and move on to the next midwife on your list. It is important for you to find someone you like and trust, since you're inviting her into your home to share in a very intimate event.
Once you've found the right midwife, it's time to get down and dirty. "I read, wrote and talked to other moms, midwives and women about birth, homebirth and being a mom," says Kathryne Lane, of Tucson, Ariz.
Preparing for birth involves lots of physical, emotional and psychological work. In a homebirth, you must face your fears of pain and inadequacies head-on, since you won't have the crutch of an epidural if things get rough. "I asked my careprovider all those 'what if' questions that were worrying me," Kohls says.
More than likely, you are aware that homebirth is controversial. Many of your friends and family will not understand why you would choose to give birth outside of the hospital. "This is a huge problem that I see with my clients," Kohls says. "A disapproving mother-in-law can cause major problems for months."
To avoid this scenario, some women choose to forego telling the majority of people about the homebirth. If you really must share your plans with a nay-sayer, you can always present this person with the same information that explained homebirth to your husband or birth partner.
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