To want a home birth?

[InMemoryOfSleep]

I’m not pregnant (yet), but chatting to my mum and some friends recently I mentioned I’d like a home birth next time. Their reactions weren’t positive, to say the least - despite me explaining that, for a 2nd baby, home birth is as safe as an MLU, and both are safer than a hospital. They’ve made me really doubt myself - having read the research and stats I was convinced it’s the best option, but am I missing something?!

NHS states quite clearly that a planned homebirth for #2 is AS SAFE as a planned hospital birth

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/where-can-i-give-birth/ [Page last reviewed: 06/03/2018 ]

Just been reading about Netherlands, interesting as someone mentioned it up thread. Apparently they had huge infrastructure and philosophy towards home birth but death rates didn't fall and there has been big swing back to hospital again. As pp mentioned.

My mw said when it goes well it's blissful.. When it goes wrong it's horrific.

I think it's very important to know yourself, what you can take pain wise etc, how you would cope if something went wrong. In my first labour a birth pool was available to me but there was no chance in hell of me making the small distance to get to it, I could barely move.. Just doing basic moves was a massive operation ie onto birthing ball, onto all fours etc.

DN4GeekinDerby that is what worries me about a home birth for my next one. I really couldn't stand the thought of being lumbered with any of the MWs I had with #1 in my own home. At least in hospital you can ask for different ones (something I didn't realise with #1!)

@ScrumpyBetty except that’s not what he actually said - if you read Falconer’s response, rather than Victoria Lambert’s rather biased (and nasty) article, you’ll see that he actually agrees with what the study showed... www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/12/01/re-perinatal-and-maternal-outcomes-planned-place-birth-healthy-women-low-r

InMemoryOfSleep

Thank you btw for posting this thread, it actually has helped me do proper research into the Pros and Cons of all the options. I was already lightly considering a home birth anyway but was not committed because I wasn't sure how it would all work. This thread really has helped me decide that homebirth is for me.

I had a home birth with dc1. Had a non emergency transfer to hospital in early labour with dc2 and planned hospital births with dc's 3, 4 and 5. Dc's 2 and 3 would have been fine at home but I didn't have a crystal ball so I decided on hospital birth when it became high risk.

I just didn't tell anyone about my plans for a homebirth. At least not after the first couple of cats bum faces of judgement from the few people I did tell.

I didn't choose a homebirth because I wanted to be "woke" or wanted a woo experience. I chose it because I absolutely hated having my first in the hospital. I hated the epidural I felt pressured into. I hated being talked about by doctors like I wasn't there. I hated feeling panicky not being able to move. I hated that my baby wasn't breathing initially (breathing difficulties can be a side effect of epidural), I hated being left alone, knackered and hormonal for two days in the hospital with my baby. I hated the PND that followed for months afterwards.

I'm not an idiot. I made an informed decision. I would have followed any recommendations by a midwife. If they had said to go to hospital at any point then I would have.

Babies die in hospital too. The only difference is that the mother doesn't get the blame when that happens.

I've had 3 lovely happy home water births. Go for it OP.

TwittleBee I don't think many know about asking for another midwife, I certainly didn't with my first. With my third, I was too tired and intimidated by the time it came to it that I don't think it even occured to me to think whether or not that was an option which I think happens to many women.

I just had this idea fed by so many others I knew then that because they were homebirth midwives they must be more supportive and understanding than the hospital ones...that a home birth must be better for me and my baby...and that turned out very wrong in my case. I had far less intervention and came out healthier in my hospital birth that went repeatedly wrong than in the home birth that went right until the midwife yanked repeatedly on the umbilical cord.

Getting the right people makes a massive difference I think, way more than the setting - though I am glad for my first home birth as the women who helped with that were great, it was a really warm experience with us laughing afterwards, and one gave me one of those bendy white bowls, not sure if they have a specific name but I've not seen anything quite like it, since it was just going to be thrown out as it had been unwrapped but not used, she recommended using it for a sitz bath I think, and those things are magic, I still use it. Every mum should get those. Rambling now but it was part of what made that one so great was her doing that so casually while talking to me, made me feel like she saw me as a person.

I wanted a home birth and started at home before being rushed to hospital an hour away.
If I had another I’d still want a home birth x

Unfortunately there are a lot of people on this thread who don't understand the risk data and continue to give anecdotal evidence as if it proves that homebirth is higher risk and homebirthers selfish.

Once you fall into the low risk category then homebirth gives better outcomes in almost every way - overall.

Once you fall into the low risk category then homebirth gives better outcomes in almost every way - overall.

I was low risk. We would’ve died.

There is NO way to tell which individual women will have awful outcomes.

VioletteValentia exactly the same can be said for hospital births.

As ferrier has said already "there are a lot of people on this thread who don't understand the risk data and continue to give anecdotal evidence as if it proves that homebirth is higher risk and homebirthers selfish."

YANBU After a difficult and poorly managed hospital birth first time I had a beautiful, calm home birth with a private midwife. I would highly recommend it. Don’t worry about the mess. With a planned home birth you cover everything with plastic sheeting at first sign of labour to make clean up easy. My family were anti- home birth so we didn’t mention it until after the baby was born. My mother thanked me for not telling her in advance and saving her the worry.

Had my first and second at home, wouldn’t have changed it for anything. However, the hospital was no more than 25 minute drive, and that would be if there was traffic. At home I had a midwife dedicated to me and a second one arrived closer to the birth exclusively for the baby. I had perfect blood pressure throughout both pregnancies and there were no issues to be concerned about. Third started at home but we ended up in hospital. Home birth is great if planned for and supported by the professionals

InMemoryOfSleep In response to your OP I think ferrier has summed up why you get negative responses when you mention a home birth option. People decide to ignore stats and facts and are instead convinced by anecdotes. and as PickleSarni said further up, the difference is that babies/mothers who die at homebirth get blamed but when babies/mothers die in hospital they aren't blamed and it is instead an unfortunate tragedy.

If i had had a home birth I would have died and without a doubt my baby would have died....my labour was totally normal, there is no accounting for what can go wrong in a complete second, whilst I can imagine it all sounds wonderful and natural, child birth is actually quite traumatic and I feel fortunate to have access to the medical profession today. Many women choose home birth and for many its wonderful but do not underestimate what can go wrong and if you make that choice and it goes wrong blame yourself and no one else.

So if something during your hospital labour had gone wrong Imsosceptical perhaps caused by one of many interventions used. Or if your baby had got MRSA then I'm assuming you would put the blame for that entirely on yourself?

Babies die in the hospital, but a baby that has died because it is didn't get intervention soon enough at home has died because the mother chose to have the baby away from... Medical support.

I would rule out hb for the first timers but once I you have been through the process and know your reactions and limits it seems to make more sense.

After Netherlands moved towards hb how come death didn't fall... Why have they swung back? Who isn't interpreting the stats?

The Birthplace Study which is behind NHS Guidelines about homebirths, is a flawed study, it was weighted against hospital births and there was even found to be loss of some paperwork during and after labor transfers, which further confounds the figures.

People have given anecdotal evidence on both sides of the argument. People arguing against are not just being negative or scare mongering. No amount of positive thinking will save the life of a baby who for example, is found to have shoulder dystopia during labor: "If the midwife or doctor helping you to give birth suspects your baby's shoulder is stuck, she has to act fast. She will tell you to stop pushing.
She will immediately call for more help and the room may quickly fill up with a lot of people. More midwives, obstetricians, an anaesthetist and a paediatrician to look after your baby once she's born may be called upon. It can be frightening for parents, especially if there is no time for the medical team to explain to you what is happening. "

This is what happens during a hospital birth. During a homebirth, it would be very different.

This is not negative scaremongering. It is reality. It is very rare but it can happen.

Pickle why would she.. Once in hospital your putting yourself in the hands of medical professionals.
How would it be her fault if the rooms are not cleaned properly and she caught an infection? I'd like to think birth rooms are easier to clean than living room.

and right on cue Imsosceptical proves what PickleSarni had said

If something does go wrong InMemoryOfSleep it is in no way your fault. Either something got missed earlier on in pregnancy, MW was unable to recognise any complications arising, paramedics arrived too late or a number of other things out of your control.

By the same logic as Imsosceptical same can be said by choosing a hospital births as the stats are there about how hospitals increase medical intervention which in turn increase risk of complications and death. Is something goes wrong as a result of making a choice doesn't make anything your fault because in either scenario something can go wrong.

As stated time and time again, home birth for #2 is as safe as hospital birth.

The facts for me are that if I had a home birth my dd would be dead and I might be as well. I am not ignoring facts but merely stating them.

Twittle I understand the data, I’m saying you have no idea whether you will be the small percentage that have an awful result.

@ScrumpyBetty what can also happen with shoulder dystocia is that the midwives support you to change position, and with help this can release the shoulder and progress on to a vaginal birth. So, lengthy quoting from websites (guessing NHS) isn’t any more helpful than quoting anecdotal evidence - both just serve to reinforce your point without balance.