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Homebirth midwifery – what does a homebirth prenatal appointment look like?

I have two bebes, now 4 and 7 years old, and I had two homebirths, both very different from each other. During my first pregnancy, I did not get any maternity photos, and the thought of birth photos made me laugh out loud hysterically. As. If.

Second time around, we were 99% sure this would be last (she is! Snipped now!) and so we went all out and had maternity and birth photos taken by lovely Candy Goldsmith Photography. I highly recommend birth photography, and there will be a birth photographer local to you, even if you’ve never heard of this idea. There’s a whole birth photography world out there! If you’re new to this idea, it’s not at all what you think. It’s a beautiful way to capture a very important day; at least as important as your wedding day if not more.

I leave birth photography to the experts for the most part, just doing the occasional one for friends or funsies for a small fee. This beautiful sweet mama, Rachel, is a good friend of mine, so of course I said yes to her homebirth, and, more than that, I asked her midwife, the lovely Peta Bissett of Hand in Hand Midwives, if she’d like to be a part of demystifying homebirth midwifery and homebirthing through some visual stories and she said yes. Hooray! I’m very passsionate about the transformative nature of birth, when a woman is fully informed and empowered in her own choices, whatever they may be. Homebirth is what I know personally, so where my focus will be. People often worry that home prenatal care won’t be up to scratch. Those scary what-ifs take over your rational brain. But midwives are experts in normal, natural birth. The minute something looks atypical, they send you in (and I experienced this first hand with both preganancies.)

So, let’s begin! What does the 20 week homebirth appointment look like?

It looks like listening, discussing, considering, questioning, discussing some more, reviewing ultrasound results, ordering tests, filling out paperwork…

 

It looks like toddler wrangling, snack getting, screen time giving…

 

 

It looks like physical examination, palpation, measurement, heart rate checking…

 

 

 

It looks just like your medical centre appointment but far more family-centred, relaxed and fun!

This is only the beginning of this story. We’ll follow Peta through Rachel’s last weeks, birth and post-natal checkups. Stay tuned.

 

UPDATE: Rachel has birthed bebe! See her mother blessing here, witness her gorgeous home water birth here, and lastly a family session and herbal bath here. The full journey. So many heart emojis (damn WordPress for not allowing them! ). Enjoy xx

 

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