Anyone with any experience of home birth after 3 or moredc

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

I'm currently 12 weeks pregnant but have already decided I want to give birth at home. If I can have one. And there lies the problem.

This my fifth baby but first home birth. I've never had any issues during my previous pregnancies. I had a ventouse with my first and was induced with my third, except for that, there's been no intervention. Postnatally I've been well.

At my booking appointment when I said I wanted a home birth the midwife seemed a bit itchy about the decision. She checked all the risks, which are low. Her issues with a home birth are that I have a bmi of 30.2 (so am being forced into a gtt later on despite it only being .2 over) and that I've had more than 3 babies which puts me at risk of PPH. When I had dc4 there was no mention of PPH risk being increased. The midwife has told me that she needs to speak to the supervisor of midwives but to not be surprised if I don't get my home birth.

We don't live far from the hospital. 10 mins in heavy traffic at the most. So getting there in an emergency wouldn't be a problem. My reasons for a home birth are that a) our postnatal ward is pretty dire and the thought of staying there makes me recoil in horror and b) we don't have a big support network, if I had to give birth at the hospital my DH would not be able to be there because of the other children.

Sorry its a bit long. Anybody with any experience of having more than 3 and then a home birth or advice on how to fight my corner would be greatly received!

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

Anyone?

[Beesandbutterflies]

I know someone who did, and one of her prev births was an emcs. I think they can refuse

[Beesandbutterflies]

Sorry that was meant to say I DONT think they can refuse

[MehsMum]

I had DC4 at home. I had no problems booking, because I had three previous normal deliveries, and the midwifery team knew me and what my labours were like: my third labour had been quite quick,and all my labours had been straightforward. The midwives in this particular team were very much in favour of home birth, and were confident and experienced.

Are you sure you'd be happy labouring and delivering at home? Or is it just that you're worried about who'd look after your DC? You might find it helpful to discuss everything with someone else. Perhaps try www.aims.org.uk who I think are quite responsive. I'm not trying to put you off, btw, but it seems from what you say that you feel you're being pushed towards a HB by circumstance: the question is what sort of delivery you feel would work best for you.

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

Thanks for the replies so far.

No, it's not just circumstances that have persuaded me, I know that I'd be happier at home. It's more relaxed, I enjoy the comfort of my own surroundings. I laboured at the hospital for a long time with my first and second, I hated the whole experience. The induction with my third, it was again a long stay. I can remember feeling uncomfortable the entire time I was there. With dc3, I was also alone, I had nobody there with me. It was horrendous having no support. I had no pain relief bar a bit of g&a either as there was no time. I also had no support on the postnatal ward. It was a very distressing experience. My fourth, I laboured at home in my own way with my DH supporting me and my dc playing happily. I was 8cm when I got to the hospital and perfectly relaxed. It was after being admitted that I started to panic.

[CSLewis]

Hi there. I had babies 2-6 at home. I have never heard of increased risk of PPH after the 3rd baby. I HAVE heard of some data showing a slightly elevated risks after FIVE previous pregnancies - when one is officially a 'grand multipara'. However, my midwives were perfectly happy for me to deliver my 6th at home, and in fact crossed out 'high' risk on my notes and substituted 'medium'.

You sound like a great candidate for a home birth. If you will feel more relaxed at home, versus more stressed in hospital, and live such a short transfer away, I would go for it in your position. Your midwives will be super-alert regarding blood-loss as soon as you've given birth, and I'm sure will act very quickly if they have any concerns at all.

One thing - they may not want you to give birth in water, as that makes it a bit more difficult for them to assess rate/volume of blood loss after the birth. This may be a compromise you're willing to make. FWIW, I had no. 6 in a birth pool, and my midwives were perfectly happy with that.

Feel free to ask anything else!

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

cslewis thanks so much for your comment! It puts my mind at ease.

I had hoped to have a water birth, we have a big corner bath which I hoped would be fine but there's also a local company that do pool hire so either way I'd be ok. If not, I would definitely still want to give birth at home. I'm very excited at the prospect of this, I don't want it spoilt by my 'risk factor'. Even the midwife I saw at the hospital after my 12 week scan said she can't understand why my community midwife is digging her heels in regarding my 'increased' bmi and a gtt.

[CSLewis]

A big corner bath sounds fab . I gave birth to my 4th and 5th in the bath, and managed fine, and tbh if I'd had a corner bath would probably not have bothered setting up a pool (tho I'm only 5'2).

Birthing at home should mean 2 experienced midwives with you 100% of the time, so much more detailed, close observation than you'd get in hospital, and you're close by if you do decide/need to transfer for any reason - but you sound very low-risk: I'd put money on you for a straightforward homebirth!

[Arriettyborrower]

I had no4 at home, was planned but he arrived before anyone else!
I had some opposition but more to do with no3 being consultant led high risk pregnancy (issues completely isolated to that pregnancy - was initially booked for home also)

Was all fine and perfectly lovely. Go for it, stand firm. If I have no5 will definitely be at home.

Good luck

[HelenaJustina]

I had babies 2,3 and 4 at home. No problem, no one batted an eye. But was told that as the risk of PPH rises with each pregnancy I would be classed as high risk with another pregnancy and likely to be refused a Hb.
I think due to my age, previous deliveries I could have beaten them down as CSLewis did... The prospect of having to go into hospital would put me off having number 5 to be honest, my Hb were amazing!

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

You're making me feel more and more confident

I mean, I'm an old hat being number 5, I know what I'm doing! It's just that the community midwife knocked me a little bit. It put a doubt there.

Thank you so much. I feel a bit more prepared to argue my point now!

[AtiaoftheJulii]

I had 2, 3 and 4 at home too, no quibbles, no problems. (#4 actually arrived before the mws :) ) Good luck!

[TooSpotty]

Do talk to AIMS. The risks of PPH in multiparas gets massively overplayed and you should be making a properly informed decision. Good luck!

And you can just refuse a GTT if you want. It's a flawed screening tool. You'd be better off offering to monitor your blood sugar at home for a couple of weeks, but if having BMI 30.2 is your only risk factor, and you've had four GD-free pregnancies already, it really is box-ticking.

[MehsMum]

Ah, just seen your response to my post: if being at home relaxes you and works for you, then go for it. Like you I found hospital a stressful place to be and HBs went much better than my one hospital birth.

Had I gone for No. 5, I'd have campaigned to be at home. I hope you find a sympathetic midwife - that makes a lot of difference. Good luck!

[Jackieharris]

I'm planning my 3rd at home.

30.2 is a ridiculously low threshold for being 'high risk'. Mines a good bit higher than that and I'm low risk and being encouraged to HB.

For a 5th+ pregnancy your risks do slightly increase from your previous 3, but it's not a huge difference and they will know to look out for it. You can reduce your chance of pph by having a 'managed' 3rd stage. (You can have either at a HB) also make sure you have a high iron diet.

Have a look online and see if there is a 'positive birth' group or HB/natural birth support group near you. Meeting other women will help you decipher local policies and practices.

[disneymum3]

Your midwife can not tell you you aren't allowed a home birth. She can advise you against it. But at the end of the day it's your choice. They can't force you to the hospital against your will.

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

Ridiculously low, yes! I feel she's searching for reasons to persuade me against a home birth.

The mw at the hospital recommended I do have the gtt simply to stick 2 fingers up to my community mw when I'm proven perfectly healthy. She said it 'would be a weapon in my arsenal' against her.

I would have a managed third stage anyway and already told her that.

It's good to know I can say no. I do feel like she's trying to force my arm. During my booking, she talked about me filling out a survey regarding our local hospital which seems to be losing women to another hospital nearby that's had an overhaul and they want to figure out why. She also said that if I didn't get my home birth, would be I be coming to the local. I thought it was odd then but thinking about it, it seems like she's on a bit of campaign to meet numbers!!

[GenieJen]

Hi, provided you and baby are doing well there's not much reason not to go ahead. I had three and four at home, seventy/eighty minutes drive from hospital. It gave DH chance to pop our girls back to bed, (2.15am) and (4.45am) when it got too much. I was all together so much more in control and relaxed at home. Squatting and stretching out my hips helped a lot (both boys were bigger than my girls). I did so much better at home, neither of my girls were traumatized by the event, lol. Good luck !

[Rikalaily]

I have a homebirth booked and this is no.5. No.1 was prem, no.2 was a shoulder dystocia, no.3 was a failure to progress and no.4 was a super fast delivery... My midwife said I'm low risk and fine for a homebirth

[MayfairMummy]

Fern, I'm afraid i can't help you with the 3+, but I had DS1 at home, then had a miscarriage after that (my 2nd), whereby i lost around 3litres of blood. This in theory put me at 'high' risk by some people. I googled the life out of it and discovered a 'risk factor' that could be put against it, and it turned out that risk factor was exactly the same as having first birth at home. When I presented evidence, and showed that i was entirely happy to go in to hospital should anything go awry, they were happy for me to go ahead, and once they'd made that choice, everything went really smoothly.

I'm now 34 wks with DC3 and have been identified as having antiphospholipid syndrome, so i've been on blood thinners until this week (plus i'm 42). I had to talk to the supervisor of midwives, as no-one would sign off on me doing a homebirth otherwise, but she was terribly supportive and had no issues whatsoever.

if you find you're still having problems, it may be worth speaking to a different hospital to see if you can gt a midwife to attend a home birth from there? Or alternatively getting a private midwife if you can afford it!