Black Women Do Homebirth…Intentionally.

Black woman here!

Yes, we breastfeed. Yes, we too birth our babies in the comfort of our own homes.

I really wanted to have a home birth with my first born but I didn't do enough research. In addition, I had a provider that I semi-trusted at the time (meaning: I wrongly assumed we shared the same birth philosophy) and I was afraid of what “oTheRs wOuLd ThiNk” especially since I had not seen or heard of any black women choosing home births. Honestly, I can’t even recall if there was an episode on Lifetime Network’s: A Baby Story.

Needless to say, I took control of my 2nd pregnancy and resolved to make the experience unforgettably my own. One of the end results of preparation is peace. That was my superpower. Even when someone slipped in my DMs at my 9th month to jolt fear into me and dissuade me from continuing my plan, I pressed on because I knew there was nothing they could project onto me that I hadn’t already read about, heard about, or discussed with my midwife.

How I prepared:

• choosing the right support team (husband, midwife, doula)

• ensuring the availability of our nanny to be on-call for our then 2 year old

• taking our childbirth education class

• doing my daily meditations (or as often as I could :-))

• staying hydrated and eating well

• minimizing negative outside voices and influences

• moving my body and getting sunlight, especially during this panoramic (pandemic)

• pacing myself with the research to avoid overwhelm at the end of my pregnancy (pubmed was my friend)

• asking questions, gaining clarity

• breathing - this is your life source

Control what you can control and surrender the rest so that you can have peace with whatever the outcomes are.

xoxo,

Quanna