Home birth involves two parts, home and birth. It’s no secret that I’m a huge proponent of home births for Christians seeking to have their birth God’s way. I’ve had two home births of my own, with another one being in a birth center. So I know firsthand, and I want you to know, it is a beautiful thing to give birth to your baby in your own home.

But what if I told you that the best part of home birth isn’t the birth part? What? Yep, you heard that right. So let’s talk about what in the world I’m talking about in today’s episode. Let’s go.

Now I want to take just a second to read a new review over on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much to all of you who have taken just a minute or two of your precious time to let me know what you think about my little podcast.

This one is from JBJohns92. It says:
“I am so thankful I stumbled across this podcast. Now I know I’m not alone. I’m not the only one who longs for a completely Christ-centered birth. As I prepare to give birth to my third child, I’m going in knowing exactly what I want, and this podcast has reinforced what I already knew I wanted. I’m glad there are other mamas who feel the same way, thankful for Lori and her down-to-earth delivery of some very important and helpful information.”

I’m very thankful for you, Miss JBJohns, whoever you may be. I’m overjoyed to hear that you mamas are benefiting—if nothing else, you’re benefiting from knowing that you’re not alone.

I get so many comments and messages of relief from mamas who are just so glad to see God being put back in the process that He created. That was the whole purpose of me starting this podcast—to help guide you closer to Him.

Thank you for encouraging me when you leave those reviews. So if you haven’t already, hit pause real quick and head over to leave me a review, preferably on Apple Podcasts if you can. If not, wherever you listen, it helps me find more mamas just like you.

​So many of you have actually found me accidentally, and that tells me that these reviews are working to bump us up in the list so more people are seeing it. When you leave me a review, you’re part of the movement—you’re doing a small part that’s actually a really big part in helping us out.

So today we’re talking about the best part of home birth, and it’s not the birth part.

Home is our haven. It’s our soft place to fall. It’s where we rest at the end of the day and connect with the people we love most. It’s also the place where 90-some percent of people leave to go somewhere else to have their babies.

Did you know your body can actually shut down labor if it feels threatened? Animals in the wild do this. They can be in the middle of having their babies, but when they perceive danger, they shut the whole process down and relocate to somewhere safe. Sometimes it can stop for as much as two days, then restart when the danger passes.

Guess what? When we leave the place that is most comfortable to us—literally our home—our bodies can do the same thing.

I bet everyone listening knows at least one person who thought they were in labor, went to the hospital expecting to come home with a baby, and instead came home hours later being told they weren’t in labor at all. They think something’s wrong with them, but in reality, they likely were in labor. Their bodies just shut down in that strange, bright, cold, unfamiliar environment surrounded by strangers asking questions.

​Our subconscious brains register that as danger. They decide it’s not a safe place to bring a baby into the world.

Some benefits of staying in the home God provided for us might surprise you:

1. No false alarms.
You don’t leave home, so you don’t interrupt labor. The very first intervention in most births is leaving home. Once you leave, things stop feeling normal and natural.

2. No laboring in the car.
I did that once, driving an hour to a birth center. It wasn’t terrible, but it sure wasn’t fun. Staying home means you don’t have to.

3. No packing bags.
You might pack a small bag just in case, but most likely you won’t need to go anywhere.

4. No one takes your baby away.
At home, your baby stays with you—no nursery, no strangers, no separation.

5. No one interrupts your breastfeeding.
In hospitals, babies are often unlatched for “routine” checks. At home, breastfeeding is honored and uninterrupted.

6. No unwanted injections.
Newborns in hospitals often receive two injections within hours of birth. At home, you are in charge, and nothing happens without your consent.

7. No accidental visitors or procedures.
No one’s walking into the wrong room, and no baby is mistakenly given bottles or unnecessary treatments.

8. No hospital routines dictating your time.
At home, there’s no one interrupting your bonding, feeding, or resting. You decide the schedule.

9. No hospital germs.
Hospitals are for sick people. At home, you’re surrounded by your own natural environment, not pathogens.

10. No dangerous car rides with a newborn.
You don’t have to buckle up a brand-new baby for the trip home.

11. Your own bathroom, your own shower, your own bed.
​Enough said. Comfort, familiarity, and peace—what better way to start motherhood?

Mama, there are so many reasons to really look at home birth and consider it. Somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of moms can safely give birth at home. We have evidence of this from places like The Farm, where the transfer rate is almost nonexistent and babies are born normally day after day.

So I want to know—have you had a home birth? What were your favorite perks of giving birth at home? What things helped you draw God deeper into your birth that you wouldn’t have been able to do elsewhere?

Hop on over to our Facebook group and share with us. I’d love to hear your stories. The link is in the show notes. Answer a couple of quick questions, and I’ll get you added.

​I know this is just a short list, and you’ll have many more blessings to share.

If today’s episode blessed you in any way, would you head over to Apple Podcasts and leave a quick five-star written review? It will take less than a minute, but it’s the best thank-you you can give me—and it helps my show reach more mamas just like you so we can all find God’s best for our families.

​See you right back here in a few days, Mama.