Congrats! I am a soon to be Mom of my first child. I have also been determining what I need for baby. While I haven’t had the chance to trial anything yet, here are some of the top items I am getting. I’ve been looking for products without flame retardants and seeking out low-toxin options when possible. I have been able to find almost all of these items (some of which are higher end) very lightly used or new on Facebook marketplace.

No diapers listed as we are going to use cloth diapers and pay for a service to launder - this is a priority for me. Check out natural infant hygiene - it is a method used in other countries by which you can start potty training the baby at just a few months old. single-use diapers hinder this process. I’m sure my list is already excessive but I have a family that wants me to be set up for success, and it is easier to satisfy their expectations this way.

I am having the most difficult time with the car seat and stroller as many brands contain forever chemicals. Any suggestions are appreciated!!!

First, we need to differentiate between a natural birth and a home birth. Women can have a natural birth in the hospital, but this is very difficult due to harsh lightning, nurse shift changes, IV poles, and cervical checks. all of the above are not conducive for progressing natural labor. Hospitals need to make money. They want fast patient turnaround time, so if you are not laboring fast enough they will start Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) to speed things up. From there things snowball for the worse as the drug causes more painful contractions and the woman now begs for an epidural. The intense uterine muscular contractions often cause "fetal distress," as the baby gets squeezed harder and longer. Hospitals can bill more for every intervention they provide (think how much an ICU baby costs).

In the USA businesses, it is the norm to see an obstetrician, and very few women see a midwife. In the UK and Europe, this trend is reversed. "According to new research from the World Health Organization (WHO), caesarean section use continues to rise globally, now accounting for more than 1 in 5 (21%) of all childbirths". Obstetricians are trained primarily as surgeons who are more than happy to provide this service. U.S. hospitals take advantage of women in vulnerable situations.

I am 26 weeks pregnant with my first child. I have chosen to see a midwife since the beginning of my pregnancy. I did not know at first if I wished for a homebirth. After reading "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" -- I decided to pursue a homebirth.

If something were to go wrong, I am confident my trained and highly experienced midwife will assist with a hospital transfer. In that scenario, I am aware that a natural birth will not be possible.