Mayim Bialik Shared How She Prepared Her 3-Year-Old Son for Watching Her Give Birth

Many moms opt for a home birth for a more natural and comfortable experience. Although it is not a safe option for everyone, more and more celebrities choose to welcome their bundles of joy in the comfort of their own homes. Mayim Bialik wanted her family members to be with her at this special moment, including her 3-year-old son. The actress shared her positive home birth experience and the hacks she used to prepare her older son for the arrival of his new sibling.

She’s a big advocate of home births.

The Big Bang Theory actress believes there’s no better place to give birth than your home. “Our culture has instilled in us a fear of the natural experience of birth and a fear of our bodies,” she said. “Let me birth in the place this baby was created. Let me labor on the floors I paced in anticipation, let me labor in the rooms of the house where I mused on sleepless nights what this moment would be like,” she added.

She wanted to include her older son in the process.

Parents usually prepare their older kids for the arrival of the little one, but Bialik took this to another level. She wanted her 3-year-old son to watch her give birth. “Having our almost 3-year-old son witness it from his highchair was powerful. During my pregnancy, Miles seemed pleased enough that my belly was growing. We used a lot of simple phrases to let him know I was carrying a tiny baby that would soon come out and be his brother,” she shared.

She let her son choose whether he wanted to be present.

Bialik received full support from her pediatrician when she told him she wanted to include her older son in the process. However, the doctor advised her to give Miles the freedom of choice. “He emphasized that we should give Miles the choice of being there before and during the birth process. If he wanted to leave, my husband should take care of him in another room while our midwife and doula tended to me,” she said.

She showed her son videos of women having home births.

Like many parents, Bialik tries to limit her kids’ screen time, and the first time her son saw a TV was when she showed him videos of women laboring at home. “I explained to Miles (who was almost 3 at this point) that we had a movie to show him about what would happen when ‘his’ baby was ready to come out. This was one of the first times Miles had ever seen television. He loved seeing the toddlers listening to the educator, demonstrating with a cloth doll what delivery of a baby and then the placenta would look like,” she described.

Everything went smoothly.

Having her son watch her give birth was one of the most magical moments of the actress’s life. “Miles was seated in his highchair in our living room, calmly eating a bowl of granola as my husband stood next to him, watching me silently and intently as I was helped to a comfortable pushing position. When Frederick slithered out, Miles was carried out of his highchair to cut the cord,” she shared.

Mayim Bialik uses many unusual parenting techniques to raise her children, from extended breastfeeding to late potty training. She believes homeschooling and co-sleeping with her kids can help them become confident and successful adults.