When Anita Woods thinks of giving birth, the image of a calm pool of warm water and the support of loving family members comes to mind. As a certified professional midwife and owner of Homeborne, she guides her clients through the process of a healthy pregnancy, from prenatal care all the way to birth, in the comfort of their own homes.
Homebirth is a topic rife with misconceptions, says Woods. Rather than being the choice only of women that are completely entrenched in a holistic lifestyle, Woods says that many women choose home birth because of the amount of choice.
"I've worked with Amish women in double-wide trailers with no electricity and women in million-dollar Johnson County homes. One of the things that makes hospital births different from home birth is that a woman's body and baby are her choices. I'm there to give her the information she needs, and she can decide what she's comfortable with from there," says Woods.
Unlike a doula, which acts as a birthing assistant during active labor and postpartum, a midwife guides a woman throughout the entirety of her pregnancy, offering testing when appropriate and necessary and tracking the baby's growth in the same way that a doctor would. She can perform ultrasounds, find heartbeats, draw labs, and offers many of the same services to her clients as doctors do for their patients and on the same schedule.
Woods says that one of the differences between midwifery and traditional medicine is the range of care options. Rather than going immediately to pharmaceutical remedies, she's more likely to suggest chiropractic care, nutritional supplements, oils, and herbs, as well as prayer for health and healing.
During birthing, Woods is present in the home during active labor and the time after, helping the mother acclimate to her new role, including basking in the golden hour after birth to cement the mother/child bond and help establish a breastfeeding routine. After mother and baby are cleaned up and comfortable, Woods cleans the space and allows them to settle into their new life, with check-ins over the next few hours and weeks.
While Woods has given birth at home several times herself, she points out that some women may not be candidates for home birth and would be better cared for in a hospital. She doesn't eschew modern medicine or hospital birth. In fact, she embraces that for those that want or need it.
"I'm well-trained in what natural, normal childbirth looks like. When there are concerns or complications, I can see that quickly and then do whatever remedies that we need to do to get right. And yes, that sometimes means that we end up transporting to the hospital. We are glad that's there when we need it. We don't happen to believe those normal healthy women expecting a normal healthy baby need a hospital," says Woods.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Woods says that homebirth has risen in popularity due to the restrictions on guests and labor assistants in hospitals. With a home birth, a woman can have as large of a support team as she wishes while she labors.
After birth, a birth certificate is issued, and a traditional pediatrician typically takes over the baby's care. Woods says that she's qualified to care for the baby for the first six weeks of life.
"After that, you just have a friend," she laughs.
Having a homebirth can be very cost-effective compared with a traditional hospital birth. Insurance companies will not typically cover a home birth unless the midwife is licensed with the state. There is no licensing body in Missouri or Kansas, although Woods says they are trying to establish a licensing system. The out-of-pocket costs can be comparable to what a woman would pay for birth on a bronze health care plan.
As healthcare prices rise and education about what is possible at home expands, services like Homeborne will continue to offer women options and wisdom about the path to giving birth. For more information, visit Homeborne.com.