Finally made the decision!

[palacemommy]

At 29 weeks I finally decided that yes I want to go through with a home birth. We paid the midwife our first payment so no turning back now

Trying to keep calm about it and continuously remind myself that it's a natural process and BILLIONS of women have done it this way.

None of my friends have children but are all surprisingly opinionated about how I'm crazy for having my child at home. Thankfully dh is extremely supportive along with his family, and my parents are beginning to get on board with the idea.

I'm definitely finding that the birthing classes are helping me to not freak out about this decision. Did anyone find that the more knowledge the had the less intimidating labor seemed?

 

[Cin]

Aw congrats! It's fantastic that your DH and family are supportive.

I definitely found that the more I armed myself with knowledge, the more confident I became about the fact I could do it. I borrowed a tonne of books from the library and highly recommend Childbirth Without Fear by Grantly Dick-Read and Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin if you've not already read them.
I know it's not for everybody but I also owe alot to Hypnobabies. The home study course helped to change my perception of pregnancy and birth as something that is entirely natural, normal and not to be scared of. It also helped to reaffirm that my birth was under my control and noone could tell me what to do!

 

[MindUtopia]

That's awesome! Yes, more knowledge is very reassuring. I've been hoping to have a home birth for years (well before the idea of having a baby was ever logistically and financially possible for us). So I read a lot about natural birth. It doesn't seem scary or overwhelming at all anymore, so I think the more you learn, the better. Also, I'd highly recommend thinking about hiring a doula. My friends who had home births had doulas and they all said it made such a difference having that support. I just started interviewing doulas for our birth this weekend, and we found one we think is right for us, and already I feel even calmer because she is so calm and reassuring (not to mention really knowledgable!).

Also, I definitely recommend Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth. It's the best book I've read about birth by far.