HOME BIRTH [NEEDS & WANTS]

we all know that birth plans are for the birds. we have such little control over what our body is going to do and how the baby is going to enter the world. we might have an idea of what we’d like to have happen, but a myriad of factors can change that in a heart beat. if there’s one thing i learned from giving birth to ramona it’s that you just must embrace –as much as possible– the path your little one chooses to enter the world and accept things as they happen.

this is not to say that we can not prepare and plan and set intentions for bringing our children into the world. i’ve done this through selective reading (ina may gaskin and bountiful, beautiful, blissful), nourishing foods and vitamins, nesting, acupuncture, pre-natal massage, and putting together my birth team of the only people i want around when little bug arrives (jp, my two midwives, and my doula). last week we had the home visit (!), which runs through all the supplies we need to have on hand, emergency contacts, plan Bs, who ramona and otto are going with, and what things i’d like to have accessible. that last part got me thinking. what would help me settle into this home birth? make me feel even more at home? make me feel as calm as can be as i work to bring little bug into her fourth trimester?

in addition to my sandalwood room spray and linden’s thousand petal beautifying mist, these are the items i will be sure to have on hand for me or my birth team to use to calm, affirm, encourage, relax me. of course, i have no idea if they’ll all be used or if they’ll even end up being helpful. but the act of putting these items together has been both soothing and exciting. i cannot wait to welcome this little girl into the world!

clockwise from top left:|| portishead : the same album we had playing when ramona entered the world. it’s creepy and moody and always puts me in this head space for concentration ||  jp got me a beautiful mala from standing laurel with gemstones conducive to labor support: jade [brings harmony and protects from harm], moss agate [a stone of new beginnings it helps to release one from deep-seated fears and blockages that may be holding her back], crystal quartz [the “master healer” stone] || my kimono robe from the hotel san jose, a souvenir i brought back from our babymoon || cosabella bralette, bc i don’t want to be walking around naked and this thing is incredibly comfortable and sexy || beeswax candles for purifying the air || neroli : helps to sooth fears and anxieties and improve post-partum mental state [as well as lessen stretch marks!] ||  jasmine : encouraging labor || frankincense : helps to calm emotions and can aid in repair of tears || clary sage : promotes pain relief and relaxation during labor ||

what did you need and/or want with you during your labors? home or otherwise? a special blanket? mantras? literature? i’d love to hear what helped you bring your little one into this world.