How To Bourne

 Whether you plan to have a hospital or home birth, you need to have a bag packed for the hospital.  For a home birth, you need to be ready for the possibility of a quick transfer.  You can pick and choose from this list for what you think would be most important.  For a hospital birth, you are essentially moving into the hospital for a few days and want to have everything you need to make yourself feel safe and comfortable.  The hospital can accommodate anyone with the basics.  We have had had many patients come in  straight from their doctor's office with an unplanned labor and we have all necessary supplies.  The hospital bag is more for comfort and familiarity.  In order to birth, we need to feel safe.  Having familiar sights, smells, and textures can make a big difference.  Chapstick- Your lips get super dry with all of the breathing.  Hospitals are also drier due to the climate controlled air.  Music- make your playlist and you can even bring a little speaker for your room Ch

After I had my third baby , a homebirth after two cesareans, my midwife drew a bath for me and the baby. After over 24 hours of grueling labor, the warm water on my skin felt so soothing.  My muscles were so tired and I felt like I could just melt.  She placed the baby next to me in the water as I drank a smoothie and occasionally nursed.  It was amazing.  After my fourth child , my midwife added a blend of herbs and spices to make the most amazing postpartum bath.  I definitely recommend this special time of relaxation after birth, it is such a transformative experience.  Religions throughout history have used water to signify rebirth, cleansing, transformation, and washing away.  This is a perfect way to usher in a new part of your life and let go of that which does not serve you. This is a picture of my most recent bath after my precipitous labor with my fifth baby . The Ritual After the placenta has detached, baby has been checked and weighed, and the midwife is finished assessing