Homebirth Ecology

'Babies across the globe are born without a carbon footprint and are united, no matter their location, by a future that will require an understanding of and action against climate change' - Tani Paxton

Pregnancy

Pregnancy strengthens our connection of our actions with the future for our children. It is often a time when we realise that the future of the beautiful earth we live on depends on our actions.

Birthing

Birthing at home is a powerful way to support the future of our beautiful earth. Our impact when birthing at home. There is minimal waste, there is minimal consumption, the benefit of being well supported by a known midwife is having a strong pain tolerance. Often fear is the powerful cause of pain and that is deeply effected by those that surround a women opening herself up to delving into her liminal space.

As a midwife I am conscious of reducing plastic. I always try to offer alternatives to plastic - I predominantly use hemp cord ties instead of a plastic cord clamp. I like to think the babies appreciate this too.

At home we use reusable products that are easily cleanable with biodegradable detergents.

Birthing at home limits the need for single use throw-away items.

Women and their baby's are not exposed to hospital acquired infections. Therefore simple hand washing with warm soapy water is often sufficient.

Placenta

Homebirthing Families look at their placenta holistically, seeing how this vital organ of the baby, no longer needed to support support life inside, is to be honoured and either consumed to nourish the mother or returned to the earth to nourish the garden.

The placenta is not seen as a waste product to be incinerated and add to carbon emissions.

Nourishing Mumma, nourishing Baby

Healthy new-born babies require very little, when born at home they are held in mothers arms for as long as feels good for mother and baby, this is often many hours, only leaving to be held by father, while mother cleanses her body, takes nourishment and feels into her new Matrescence.

In these first golden hours all your baby needs is to be held, given access to mothers bosom and not to be removed until done. During this time the umbilical cord changes from full and juicy to white, all pulsation ceases.

Homebirth breastfeeding rates are astounding me. Why? Because it looks so easy and natural. Over the time I have been a midwife I have contemplated why this is. It is this maternity units are not conducive to rest. They are alive with sounds that waken and interrupt, buzzers blasting at all hours, door locks opening and closing, strangers knocking, entering, introducing and exiting, procedures carried out in the first precious days, observations being attended - 'May I please do your blood pressure'.

At home women are the authority of their own bodies. There is very little interruption, giving birth is considered a normal physiological event. Natural oxytocin levels are at the highest they will ever be in life.

So, milk often flows easily. Baby's stay skin to skin with their mothers for hours, quite often days.

With this attachment they don't require pumps, bottles and formula.

We as a culture, need to value the first forty days and give credit to uninterrupted rest, healthy nourishment and the joy of breastfeeding.

See breastfeeding for what it is natural, healthy, protective - enough.