Home birth at the hospital? Is it possible?

“I’d like something like a home birth, but I’m going to the hospital because _____.” Yes, I’ve heard this pretty often, or some version of it.

Basically what these moms are looking for is a natural, physiologic, intervention free birth with minimal interruptions while at the hospital. And yes, THAT can be a thing, though sometimes will take some advocacy, strategic planning, and education BEFORE you get to the hospital to labor.

But an actual homebirth like atmosphere in a hospital? No, not really. First of all, just getting into the car to drive to the hospital is an intervention. Really? You bet it is. You’ll likely be laboring beautifully at home, feeling in control of everything, flowing with each wave, connecting with your husband, oxytocin flowing. And then then (insert needle scratching a record sound), you’ve got to stop all that beautiful hormone inducing flow and get packed up to head to the hospital. Boom. Intervention.

Once you arrive there’s triage with questions, etc. All necessary for the hospital to care for you, mind you. But often, especially if the labor and delivery floor is busy (hello full moon nights!) the triage nurse will want to press through all their required questions even if you’re mid-contraction. It’s tough.

From there you can do all the things to make the room inviting. I do this as much as possible. Pull the shades, add some twinkle lights and flameless candles, turn off the bright overhead hospital lights, turn on your favorite playlist of music or tracks. But the bottom line is, this is a hospital. There’s a big screen right next to your bed that’s on (and pretty bright) 24/7. They’ll want to put you on a continuous monitor (you can decline) which makes noise, etc. There’s no room on that bed for her husband to come in and snuggle you while he’s doing hip squeezes. It’s just not home. It’s not meant to be!

And while you can request minimal interruptions, there still will be interruptions. It’s just how things work in a hospital.

I realize not everyone is comfortable with home birth. And that’s ok. But keep your expectations realistic and talk to your doula (if you don’t have one, get one!!!) about your birth dreams and wishes so she can help you manage those expectations and help get you as close to where you want to be as is possible. Let your provider know well in advance about your hopes for natural, physiologic birth so they’re aware and can be up front with you about what they can and can’t do for you.

Annette Yen, the Oma Doula is a Christian birth and bereavement doula as well as a Perinatal Patient Advocate in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, serving families looking for natural, physiologic birth at home, birth center, and hospitals. You can follow her online at www.omadoula.com or on Instagram at @omabirthdoula.