My Favorite Home Birth Videos
Wanting to see what labor and birth are really like at home? You’ll get a pretty good picture by watching these home birth videos (with no profanity!).
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If you’re planning a home birth, one great way to prepare is to watch positive home birth videos from other mamas. (Really, it’s a great thing to do no matter where you intend to give birth.)
No matter how much you’ve read, heard, or studied about labor and birth, it’s hard to get an idea of what it’s really like if you’ve never seen someone experience it or experienced it yourself.
That’s why birth videos are so useful.
Labor is unlike anything else. It will look different, sound different, and feel different than any other experience you have. So if you can witness it before you’re the one going through it, chances are you’ll feel a lot more calm about it.
Watching positive birth videos is actually one of my top 10 tips on how to not be scared of giving birth.
Why These Videos?
If you’ve searched, you know that there are LOADS of home birth videos out there on the interweb. And a lot of them are pretty good.
But I wanted a collection of home birth videos that met two specific criteria:
- They portray birth as a normal, natural process that doesn’t need to be feared and doesn’t have to be extremely painful
- They don’t have any profanity, including using names of deity
Today, I want to share those videos with you. So here they are: 9 of my favorite home birth videos that portray birth in a positive light and keep the language clean.
Best Home Birth Videos
I currently have 9 videos on this list. I’m sure there are more out there that I would love, but I like to only recommend things I’ve personally watched so these are the top 9 right now. I’ll add more as I find them.
(And if you have a home birth video you want to share, let me know by sending me an email!)
Home Water Birth—so aware and in-control
One of my all-time favorite home birth videos is from Beth Grace Moore on YouTube. She’s a mom of 3 (as of this writing) and has all three of her births on YouTube. The first is an induction hospital birth. The second and third are home water births.
All three videos are neat but I especially love her third birth. She is SO aware (something I hope I can experience with future births) and so in control of how her birth goes.
Here it is:
It’s interesting to see the difference between Beth’s two home births. Things go well in boh, but it’s neat how much more ready and calm Beth seems during her second home birth.
It makes it clear that we all have more to learn when it comes to how we experience birth and that even good birth experiences can be followed by better ones.
Here’s Beth’s second birth (first home birth):
Home Water Birth with Older Kids Involved
I love this home birth video from Ellen Fisher because her whole family is involved. Her older kids are right there with her, through it all, and they love it!
Home Water Birth and an Amazing Partner
This mama had a home water birth and surrounded herself in positive, bible affirmations. I love how her husband is so supportive the whole time and seems to know exactly what to do to help and comfort her.
Home Water Birth in the Tub with Older Daughter There
This video is short and has no frills, but I love that it shows how calm a woman can be even during crowning (also called the ring of fire). And again, I love that the baby’s older sister is involved!
Home Water Birth in the Tub
This video does an awesome job of showing the realities of a physiological home birth. Mom is calm but it’s clear she’s working hard.
You also see how much downtime there is in labor. Yes, contractions are intense and frequent, but in between (at least at the beginning) you’ll just be talking and snacking and even laughing!
Home Water Birth with an Awesome Partner
If you haven’t caught on yet, a lot of women who choose home birth give birth in the water. Not everyone, of course, but a lot. This is also another good example of how incredible husbands/partners can be as support people.
Breech Home Water Birth—from panicked to relaxed
This video is older, but I love two things about it.
First, it shows that breech birth is just a variation of normal. If you have a care provider that knows how to manage breech births, it’s only a fraction of a percentage more “dangerous” than a head-down birth.
Second, this mom gets panicky at the beginning of the video. But her midwives do an incredible job of helping her calm down and stay calm for the rest of her birth. That’s just one reason picking your birth team carefully is so important!
Twin Home Birth
Twins at home?? Yes, women do it! Just like breech birth, twins is just a variation of normal.
This video made it on the list because, obviously, it’s twins at home. But also because it shows, again, the realities of a normal, unmedicated labor. There’s rest time and there’s hard work. And lots of low, guttural noises.
Disclaimer: This video does have more blood than others. It’s not too graphic, but it shows the actual moment of birth and it is somewhat bloody, like some births are.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJe0AU7jgiI
Want More Stories?
Watching birth videos—especially unmedicated home birth videos—is a powerful way to get used to the sights and sounds of labor before experiencing it yourself. I hope these videos helped you get a better sense of what labor and birth are truly like and helped you feel less nervous.
If you want more stories, you can read the collection I’ve assembled here: Positive Home Birth Stories.
I also highly recommend the book Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, which is half home birth stories and half information and advice from one of America’s best midwives.
If you are expecting twins, you can also check out @twinhomebirth on Instagram for lots of positive twin home birth stories.
Got a story to share? Email me!
Until next time,
Allison
READ MORE:
The Home Birth Plan You Need: A Touchstone for Your Birth
