Baby Lucas has arrived.

Homebirth is a place where the rhythm and timing of a laboring woman's body are honored and waited on by patient and compassionate midwives. It is a wonderfully joyful and transformational experience for many women and their families. At home you are free to labor and birth how and where you instinctively desire and feel 'in charge' of the situation. You create your own little nest, deciding for yourself whose faces, what sounds, and aromas will surround you. Having your baby in the comfort of your own home in familiar surroundings can be very supportive and promote an easier birth. Homebirth also allows for full participation of family members. In fact, your baby can be born into the loving hands of Daddy under the guidance and assistance of the midwife! At home you get to experience the bliss of greeting your new baby and never being separated. When it’s all said and done, you crawl into your freshly made bed and cuddle with your newborn.

"Research is showing increasingly that the things that make the most difference to improving the outcome of labor are not technological advances, but feeling comfortable about the place in which you give birth and the human support you have at the time." - Nicky Wesson

It’s been proven that women tend to relax better and labor quicker when in familiar, comfortable surroundings. At home, you can be confident in knowing that you delivered your baby without drugs or unnecessary interventions. Families who have their babies at home report a greater overall satisfaction with the birth experience. Over 99% of women who have experienced both home and hospital birth say that they would choose to have a home birth in the future. And, when it comes down to it, homebirth is less expensive, costing 1/4th to 1/3rd of a normal hospital birth. Although the birth of a healthy baby is our ultimate goal, we believe that the process itself has intrinsic value and great importance. The midwives carefully monitor you and your baby but do so in a gentle, unobtrusive way. We bring all the necessary birth and medical equipment to your home - we call it our “mobile birth center.”

You may be surprised to find that for the majority of women, homebirth is just as safe, in fact, safer than giving birth in a hospital. Recent studies show definitively that there is no improvement in outcome, for the mother or baby, in hospital birth as compared to those births that happen at home or in a birthing center with an experienced midwife. The data actually supports that outcomes are slightly better in low-risk births out of the hospital. Also, if you are hoping for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean), giving birth at home or in a free-standing birth center offers you the best opportunity to achieve your goal.

"The 4th leading cause of death in America today is incidental infection caused in hospitals due to improper hygiene by doctors and nurses." - Prime Time - ABC News October 23,2003

You and your baby also have a reduced chance of getting an infection when birthing at home. In your home you are less likely to be in contact with infectious organisms.

If you are transported to a hospital during a homebirth, statistics indicate that you and your baby are just as likely to have a good outcome as if you had started out in a hospital setting.

To learn more about Homebirth, read, “Is Homebirth for You? 6 Myths about Childbirth Exposed” By David Stewart, Ph.D., Executive Director, National Association of Parents and Professionals for Safe Alternatives in Childbirth (NAPSAC) International.

A few more reasons why 'There's No Place Like Home' to birth your baby:

• You can choose your labor and birthing positions
• You can choose who YOU want to be present at your birth (even siblings!)
• You can avoid unnecessary, and often 'routine' procedures (i.e. induction, episiotomy, continuous electronic fetal monitoring, 'nothing by mouth' policies during labor, newborn vaccinations)
• You can rely on continuous assistance throughout your labor (no staff shortages)
• You can take your time (no 'time clocks' to monitor your progress)
• You can eat and drink your favorite meals & beverages during labor
• You can be assured of no separation from your newborn
• You can nurse your baby immediately at your breast (no formula substitutes)
• You can rest in the cozy, quiet, comfort of your own bed (no sharing a hospital room)
• You can be assured that your midwife will also provide your postpartum care