Explaining Homebirth to the Girls

Image by K. Mochel.

When Drew and I made the decision to have this little boy at home, there were a lot of discussions to be had. We had to be sure we were both okay with the decision. We had both sets of parents to tell and answer a few questions. We had some friends that we wanted to tell in person due to our feeling they might be a tad  - apprehensive -  about the idea. And, of course, we had two little girls to tell.

I struggled with how to tell the girls that Mommy was having a baby at home. We started with Miss Moo, who at 3 has a better understanding of the physiology of the birth process than her sister. She has also experienced a sibling addition before- although I don't know if she truly remembers it or not.  Miss Roo has been present for all the discussions and questions. We've also done a lot of talking to her about her Baby Brother in my belly and his inevitable arrival in our home.

I wanted a little more support in our education process, so I purchased the book We're Having a Homebirth! This fantastic little book is written by the fantastic Kelly Mochel and is available through her website as well as Amazon. If you don't know about it, check out her site and keep reading!

We're Having a Homebirth! is a fantastic little book, narrated by a little girl who's mama is about to have a baby. It explains concepts such as prenatal visits, early labor, transition and delivery, as well as the initial postpartum hours in a simple, concise way that is easy for little children to understand. The images are vivid, modern, eye catching, and simple. (More sample pages can be found here.)

The size of the book is PERFECT for little hands that want to "read" it on their own or closely investigate the action in the illustrations. Moo often asks to read our copy after breakfast and before "school" time starts. She loves pointing out that the new Baby Brother is eating the Mommy's boobies like she and her sister did. She also asks new questions every time we read it,
"Will my baby brother cry a lot?"
"Can I help you take care of him?"
"Will my Baby Brother want to cuddle with me?"

This book has been instrumental in helping her understand what is going on with my body, her Baby Brother's body, and the steps of the impending birth happening in our home. It also gives her a way to be involved "I can make him a birthday cake!!" and the opportunity to ask questions in a comfortable setting by sitting with us to read it.

I highly recommend this little book for your own collection, your midwife's, your doula's, and any (and all ;) ) of your friends! Please feel free to ask any questions you have - but most importantly grab this book!  Although the homebirth community is growing, it's still a small one. We all need to support one another and pass along all the help and information we can!