Talking with Your Partner, Family & Others

So you want a homebirth—but you’re not quite sure about your partner, let alone your family, friends and others in your circle. What do you do?

Research is a great way to support the decision that you have made. There is a recent, well-executed study you can share to support you in your choice. It was published in the British Medical Journal: “Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America”, Kenneth C Johnson, senior epidemiologist, Betty-Anne Daviss, project manager (2005).

Discuss why you want a homebirth. There is no one reason to have a homebirth, and it may help if your partner, family and others know why you want to birth at home.

Have your partner meet other homebirth families. You can do this via those you know and at your local homebirth community’s meetings. A local homebirth midwife should be able to connect you to others so they can discuss how they got to their decision and how they feel about it now that they have had their homebirth.

Meet with a homebirth midwife and have your partner discuss any concerns about you having a homebirth.

Realize that not everyone will support your decision and that fellow homebirthers know this well, so getting support from other homebirthers is important.