I really don't know where to start

[Nursingnaturalmom]

I am pg with my 3rd baby. We really really want to have this baby at home. SO, where do I start?? Midwives? Probably huh?? Sorry i seem to dumb, just very new to this idea.

I am about to read a library on different homebirth books. Any suggestion??

Thanks
Chandi

[pamamidwife]

Here are some great books about homebirth:

Birth Your Way by Sheila Kitzinger
Homebirth by Sheila Kitzinger (it's out of print, but many libraries have it)
Thinking Womans Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
(not necessarily *about* homebirth, but supports the safety of homebirth)
Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper


Probably some of the best homebirth information is right here on the internet. A simple search of "homebirth" will astound you!

In regards to finding a midwife, talk to other mamas. Contact La Leche League, check out the phone book (under "midwives"), and look at these sites to find names:

http://www.midwifeinfo.com
http://www.birthpartners.com

Good luck - and congratulations!

[cottonwood]

Start with this forum! Seriously, read back into the archives. Lots of good stuff here.

I would start interviewing midwives as soon as you can -- but don't feel compelled to make a choice right away! This is a decision that is worth waiting on until you feel completely comfortable and at peace with it.

[marisa]

a great, thorough homebirth book is special delivery by rahima baldwin.

[blessedmomof3]

Hi Chandi!! Fancy meeting you here....I'm teachinmama from Ovusoft!

[candiland]

Well, check out "Immaculate Deception II: Myth, Magic and Birth" by Suzanne Arms and after you're done, you probably could not be convinced to go the hospital for a million bucks!
Also, Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin, as well as her newest book, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.
Anything by Henci Goer or Sheila Kitzinger.
Check around with local doulas and Bradley instructors for names of great, non-interventitive homebirth midwives.
Statistics show that homebirths are safer than hospital births. Most midwives I know have less than a 2 or 3 % cesarean transfer rate and much better birth outcomes than that of the local hospitals, which have close to a 25% cesarean rate! The more intervention, the less safe you are. Simple as that

[MossbackMeadow]

***"A Season of Change" by Suzanne Arms - written as a diary of one woman's pregnancy and move towards a home birth**

"Spiritual Midwifery" by Ina May Gaskin" - yes!
"Immaculate Deception" - yes!
"Birth Reborn" by Michael Odent
"Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way"
"Silent Knife"
Jeannine Parvati Baker books
Marilyn Moran books

[miriam]

Living in Wisconsin, there are I believe, many Amish women who use midwives, so you can start by finding a good practitioner through women who have had a homebirth or who you respect.

Find a pediatrician who will back you up also.

You need to do alot of good networking to find the people support group that you will need.

Go to LLLI groups and find a mother whose beliefs are similar to yours.

Also eat well, exercise and take responsibility for yourself, because that is the bottom line for having your baby at home in this time and culture.