I just had a home birth VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) with my 3rd baby, also called an HBAC (home birth after cesarean), and I had my precious baby girl in a birth pool! I am so grateful for how wonderful the experience was. I truly felt God's presence and my prayers were answered. In this blog post, I'm linking resources that helped me prepare for an HBAC and home birth in general, supplements I took, what I used for pain management in an unmedicated labor, and things I used in my birth space like fairy lights. I'm also sharing my birth team, so if you're local to the Nashville, TN area and looking for a midwife, chiropractic care, doula, a birth photographer, etc. I'm sharing my team here.
Supplements I Took to Prepare for My HBAC:
Obviously, consult your midwife/doctor before taking anything new during pregnancy! I'm just sharing what worked for me.
- Happy Birth-Day Homeopathic Tincture
- Dr. Christopher’s Birth Prep
- Iron Repair Supplement by Three Arrows
- Jarrow Formulas Fem-Dophilus - Probiotic Supplement that helped me not be GBS+
- Evening Primrose + Red Raspberry Leaf Tea Supplement
- Earth Mama Third Trimester Tea
My birth team - for home birth and birth prep:
If you're local to the greater Nashville area, these are people worth reaching out to! I truly believe a supportive birth team who believes in you and who you TRUST is such a vital part of a great home birth experience. I found my amazing midwife, Aubrey, when I was over halfway through my pregnancy and had decided to try for an HBAC (more on that here) and I received the BEST prenatal care — better than either of my hospital births. I believe that my time working with Dr. Ashley at Plus One Pelvic Health was HUGE for helping me have a faster labor and not tearing during the pushing phase. She also was just the SWEETEST encourager each week as my pregnancy progressed. You can hear the whole story of how I prepared for an HBAC and how my birth team played into this on episode 318 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast.
- Aubrey McMillan of Oak and Clove Midwifery - My amazing midwife
- Viergeni White- My amazing doula
- Plus One Pelvic Health (I see Dr. Ashley Carley)
- Tennessee Alternative Medicine (I see Dr. Molly Stevens)
- Elizabeth Nord Photography - Our birth photographer
- Blessed Beginnings Lactation Consulting - My IBCLC team for breastfeeding help
Home Birth Room Set Up:
- Battery-Operated Fairy Lights - I put 2 sets of these in my birth tub between the tub and the liner! (I have “warm white”)
- Twinkle Lights for hanging affirmations/photos onthe wall (I have “warm white”)
- Black Maternity Swimsuit for water birth - I loved this swimsuit during pregnancy, and then wore the top for my water birth. The buttons are functional too, which was great!
- Pretty flower claw clips for birth
- Portable Bluetooth Speaker - This is great for playing music or your hypnobirthing tracks during labor.
- Essential Oils Diffuser - I had this white diffuser on our bedroom shelf during labor! I used Heart Harmony, Peppermint Oil, and Clary Sage. Heart Harmony is my favorite essential oil blend.
- I did have a water birth! My birth pool was from Birth Pool in a Box, and it was provided by my midwife.
I bought my midwife's birth kit as well plus her birth list of things to purchase. I had everything organized on a shelf in our bedroom for easy access! I loved having it set up on a shelf versus bins in the bedroom. I also had a hospital bag packed with a printed list of what else needed to go in the hospital bag in case of a transfer.
Podcasts and YouTube Channels I Enjoyed for Birth Prep:
- Happy Homebirth Podcast
- VBAC Link
- Peaceful Homebirth Podcast
- Pregnancy and Postpartum TV on YouTube
- MamastFit Podcast
- Pregnancy and Birth Made Easy Podcast
- MamasteFit YouTube
- Some specific videos/episodes that were helpful for me:
- 8-Minute Pelvic Floor Release
- 9-Minute Hip Mobility for Birth Prep
- VBAC Versus Repeat C-Section Podcast Episode - This episode was such a helpful starting point for me to get knowledgeable about risks/benefits of both options.
Additionally, if you're having a home birth, I cannot recommend enough just getting on YouTube and WATCHING clips of babies being born at home. Listening to birth stories on podcasts is really helpful, but visually SEEING how home birth is different from hospital birth will help you know what to expect!
Pain Management Tools in an Unmedicated Birth:
- Wooden Birth Combs - This set of 3 combs was my #1 tool for pain management in my homebirth. I would squeeze the comb during contractions, and basically had one in my hand at all times. This is not the same as a regular hair comb. It is wooden, sharper, and meant for birth.
- TENS machine - I actually did not use this during my home birth, but did use it with my first baby. I had it on hand for my home birth!
- Hypnobirthing Tracks by Built to Birth - I love these from Built to Birth. I purchased the set and added them to my Spotify account, but you can also listen to them free on Youtube.
- Warmies Neck Wrap - I used this during birth like a portable heating pad. You microwave it, and then it stays warm for a while! I actually put it in the back of my shorts (lol) and it stayed put!
- A bonus pain management "tool" - having a birth doula! Truly that support person IS such a resource for strength and comfort during the pain of labor. I love my doula, Viergeni White, if you're local to greater Nashville area.
- Additionally, having a spouse who knows how to do hip squeezes, knows what you need, and knows how to comfort YOU specifically during labor is huge! My husband has been an amazing support in all 3 of my births. I've tried to help him be supportive ahead of time by telling him specific ways he can encourage me during labor. He also knew where everything was on the birth shelf, he prepped our sheets for birth once labor started, and he set up the birth tub and hose! He was busy in early labor getting things set up which was so helpful!
Random Home Birth Prep Things:
- This book, “Mommy’s Having a Homebirth”, was really helpful to help my boys understand home birth. This would be GREAT if you plan to have young kids in your birth space, but is also a great book even if your kids won’t be at the birth, but will just be at birth appointments.
- For snacking during labor, I recommend the foods you like when you're sick or thirsty. That's how I think about it! I specifically love having honey sticks (a great easy source of energy), electrolyte popsicles, granola bars, and Body Armour drinks.
More Birth/Pregnancy Resources:
I have so many pregnancy and birth related content on my blog and podcast — from birth stories to advice for moms in postpartum!
You can see all birth/pregnancy posts here!
And, check out the Breakthrough Brand Podcast to download episodes. Click here for Breakthrough Brand on Apple Podcasts and click here for Breakthrough Brand on Spotify.
Here are some specific blogs and podcast episodes where I share more pregnancy, birth and postpartum things:
- Sofia's birth story - coming soon!
- Ethan's c-section birth story
- Colin's hospital birth story
- How I planned and executed a 3 month maternity leave with my 2nd baby
- Freezer meals to prep for postpartum
- BTS of my maternity leave and c-section recovery
- Maternity studio photoshoot at 34 weeks
All photo are by my AMAZING birth photographer, Elizabeth Nord Photography!
