Homebirth

Safe & Sacred

By: Kim Woodard Osterholzer

Narrated by: Kim Woodard Osterholzer

You’re pregnant. You’re hoping for a natural birth. You’re hoping for a magically natural birth. A crazy part of you is even curious about homebirth. But homebirth is crazy, isn’t it?

Homebirth: Safe & Sacred is written by Kim Osterholzer, a homebirth midwife who’s welcomed nearly 600 babies into life since she started attending births in 1993. Kim’s been a certified professional midwife since 2002, and is also mother to two homeborn children and grandmother to three homeborn children.

Homebirth: Safe & Sacred is a carefully researched foray into the many misconceptions surrounding the safety of American birth—the safety of both American homebirth and American hospital birth. In it, Kim describes homebirth and homebirth midwifery with an in-depth look at statistics, training, and the quality of care midwives are able to provide their clients. Kim then leads listeners through an examination of our national maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity rates—sadly, the worst in the developed world—and how they appear to relate to the philosophy and policies of our current medical system.

Homebirth: Safe & Sacred promises to be an enlightening listen for anyone concerned and curious about American birth, but Kim crafted it especially for families who’d consider giving birth at home if they thought it was safe.

©2019 Kim Woodard Osterholzer (P)2022 Kim Woodard Osterholzer

Must read for those who are expecting

This book is a must read for anyone considering a homebirth, or for anyone considering a hospital birth. Kim beautifully lays out, with all supporting data, the safety and sacredness of giving birth at home in a way that will set you at ease. I am an RN and have birthed at home and will continue to do so, thanks to Kim’s excellent synthesis of the research. Highly recommend!

An amazing book made even better hearing it in Kim’s own voice full of passion and love

Throughout her book, Kim beautifully defends homebirth as a safe and life-changing experience for most women who choose it. Giving researched statistics and facts upon facts, she succeeds in her goal of quelling the fears and correcting the misinformation surrounding homebirth. I wish I had come across it years ago - I would have confidently chosen a homebirth much earlier. In preparation for my own first homebirth, I read a few books to learn how this would differ from my epidural, pitocin hospital births, and of all the books I read, this should have been my first - it simply and honestly answers all the questions I ever had.

Through each chapter, she eloquently weaves the story of a midwife attending a woman’s first homebirth; one can’t help but imagine that the heart of the midwife in the story reflects Kim’s own heart toward birth. In fact, the reader can hear Kim’s passion for birth, babies, and moms in every sentence of her book. Her descriptions of the magic and beauty (and safety!) experienced during a birth at home and midwifery care should encourage every woman to at least consider it as an option. Because each chapter of this book answers the questions and concerns of a mother considering homebirth, I would gift her book to any woman considering it for herself and her baby. In fact, I’ve already sent it to one friend and I plan to gift it to many more.

So encouraging

Kim does a great job of taking fear out of home-birth and making me feel like this is something I can do!

What a resource!

Amazing listen! Even if you aren’t currently considering a home birth, this book is a great resource to help educate you about your options, but also on other matters, such as delayed cord clamping + WHY, immediate undisrupted skin to skin contact + WHY. This book is a great tool for equipping mothers + fathers no matter where they plan to birth. Most importantly this book shares the beautiful option of home birth and for what is undeniably safe experience. If you have never tried to conceive yet, a must listen + a great tool to empower, educate and prepare in knowledge to help shape what you want in your care up until your birthing experience . Kim is also an amazing soul with such credibility in her field and experience + a master at facilitating all things birth and connection in this season for families. So grateful to see her wisdom + easily digested and articulated facts on this topic. Will be listening again, and again.

Great read

Excellent book! Highly recommend for anyone considering or questioning home birth. Simple to read with a wealth of information.