The Big Day – Your Birth

“There is a secret in our culture, not that birth is painful, but that women are strong.” – Laura Stavoe

We believe that birth is a normal, healthy, physical and emotional process. You are capable of giving birth and we look forward to helping you have the home birth you have envisioned. 

By clicking on this button, you will be directed to the In His Hands website to view or purchase your birth kit. Our birth kits are assembled and shipped from Texas and typically arrive within 5 days of your purchase. We ask that you obtain your birth kit and all supplies needed by 36 weeks.

There are a few items needed for your birth that are not included in your birth kit. Fortunately, you probably have most of these items already on hand!

             – crock pot (used to warm compresses)

             – tongs (used to grab compresses out of the crock pot)

             – 8 bath towels

             – 8 wash cloths

             – 2 medium stainless steel/plastic bowls

             – 1 jelly roll pans or cookie sheets

             – 2 laundry baskets (used for trash and dirty laundry)

             – 1 bottle of alcohol (used to disinfect birth supplies)

             – 1 bottle of hydrogen peroxide

             – 2 shower curtain liners  (these will be used to protect the surfaces you labor a birth on)

            – 1 roll of Viva brand paper towels

Water birth is said to be the “gentlest of gentle births” providing mobility, relaxation and pain relief to the birthing mother. Water birth has been shown to reduce blood pressure, reduce the need for interventions and reduce trauma to the perineum during birth. Women all over the world choose the benefits of a water birth for its calming and analgesic properties.  Gentle birth is the best birth.

Young Beginnings proudly offers water births to our moms, in the comfort of your own home. We will provide you with a birth pool at 38 weeks, that you will be responsible to care for and inflate before birth, and to deflate and clean the pool after its use.

A birth pool liner will need to be purchased from In His Hands for the birth as well as a brand new garden hose to fill and drain your pool to avoid any bacteria or mold that may have grown in your current garden hose. Finally, you will need adapters to connect your hose to your shower head or sink.

If this is your first home birth, you may have a lot of questions about what your birth is going to be like. We hope this section of our website will ease some of your anxiety and answer your questions regarding your special day.

One of the biggest perks of home birth is never having to leave your home.

As soon as you are ready for Ginger to come, she will arrive to asses you and your stage of labor to determine the next steps. Several indications you should notify Ginger that you are in labor are:

1. Your bag of waters has ruptured or has begun to leak. 
2. Your contractions are getting longer, harder and stronger and closer together.
3. You are unable to manage contractions on your own and need further support.

(If you wake with contractions in the middle of the night that are manageable, and are able to sleep between them, we urge you to rest and wait until one of the criteria above is imminent before calling)

Ginger and her assistant(s) will arrive quietly and begin setting up for your birth. Ginger’s philosophy is a gentle, encouraging and hands off approach. She will not ask to check your cervix for dilation unless that is something that you desire or there is a legitimate concern. You will be encouraged to move freely and comfortably in your home, to eat and to drink and focus on your birth. Ginger and her team will be a quiet reassuring presence to you and your family while you labor.

Many think of the hospital room set up and wonder how they will accommodate all those birth items into their “tiny house”. Thankfully, home birth supplies are much less bulky and obtrusive than the hospitals and actually require very little space. All birth supplies are typically able to fit on a dresser top and night stand.

Home births are notorious for their gentle and quiet atmosphere; far removed from the frantic yelling and screaming we see on TV. Pushing will be directed by your body and intuition giving you a greater sense of control of your delivery.

Once born, the baby will immediately be brought to your chest for skin to skin contact and will not be taken from you for any reason unless an unforeseen emergency arises. Ginger will allow the placenta to deliver on its own and will not cut baby’s cord until the placenta has been delivered. You will be encouraged to nurse as the baby begins to root and show alertness within the first hour after birth.

We will not interrupt those crucial first moments between mom and baby, until you are ready to be helped change your clothes and for Ginger to perform the newborn exam. The exam takes place on your bed, right next to mommy, to keep you close together.

Once baby has latched and the newborn exam has been completed, we will gather our belongings, help tidy any messes that have been made, and quietly leave you to rest with your precious new baby.