Deciding who to invite to your birth is a big decision. In this week’s podcast we explore the pros and cons of inviting different people to your home birth.

So much of the decision lies in your preferences, desires, and personality. Interestingly (and maybe surprisingly?!), Nedra is much more of a party-birther than Gina–who has only had one non-midwife/spouse person at all of her births combined.

Topics we cover include:

• Preserving the birthing person’s ability to find that primal birthing space.
• Elephant midwives.
• The intimacy of the birthing room.
• The inclusion of partners at birth, which is a relatively new development in history.
• Separation of the birthing person from her support system as an act of patriarchy.
• Support from the mother’s mother (aka grandmother).
• The critical importance of safety in the birthing space.
• Fear in the home birth space.
• Special, profound moments of generational support.
• Including siblings and children in birth.
• Birth is not a spectator sport.
• Observers can actually change the progress of labor.
• Doulas and dedicated labor support people.
• It is admirable, but absolutely not required or expected, to spread the gospel of normal birth.
• Birth is often a transformative, powerful bonding experience for everyone in the room.
• You have no responsibility to anyone else–it is all about what you need and want.
• Moms, babies, and the birth space must be protected above all else.

Also, important correction: the roof guy just gave a bid on the day we recorded this–the roof does, indeed, need to be replaced and has not yet…

Enjoy!