Has anyone had a home birth for a first baby?

[HBStowe]

And if so, what was it like?

I don’t know if IABU to even consider this...

(Also not actually pregnant yet, just trying! So have no idea how I will feel when actually pregnant)

Just one other thing to think about, the impact of birth (good, average, bad) does vary significantly by person.

I had a complicated birth by some standards. I was in hospital and ended up with an emcs but overall I feel positive about it. I always felt safe and supported.

In my experience the people who cope best with complications are those who are open minded going into labour and don't have too much of an idealised idea of what their birth will be like. That's not to say you can't/shouldn't have a preference but I think getting too fixated on it going "right" is actually counterproductive.

I didn't consider a home birth as I was too nervous, but in hindsight it's a good job I didn't. I had to have my waters broken and there was meconium in them, so I would have had to be transferred to hospital. Personally I would have found that to be a load of unnecessary extra hassle, especially since the contractions intensified once my waters had been broken so I'd have had the horrible contractions whilst in transit!

My experience is slightly different, in that i've noticed that the people who cope best with complications have been the ones who have been well supported in labour. The mindset at the start of labour didn't make anywhere near as much difference as being listened to, having clear explanations, and having choices and autonomy respected.

I know plenty of people who've had serious complications who would consider their birth experiences as positive because they've been well cared for and respected throughout, and people who've had medically uncomplicated "natural" births who've been left with flashbacks and nightmares.

SIL had a home birth. She ended up tearing and PPH and had to be transferred to hospital. However, she doesn't regret the decision to have a home birth. Ultimately, they live only 5-10 minutes from the hospital so the risk in her case was minimal - it would have taken about the same amount of time to get a doctor to her within the hospital as it took for them to meet her from the ambulance at A&E.

Planned home birth for dd1. I had severe SPD and was fine. Dd2 was an undiagnosed breach so I got to 3cm and the midwife came out and discovered she was breach so had to have s section. Ds1 was a vbac home birth. I can't imagine giving birth in hospital. I hated the idea of it. It was my midwife who suggested the first one and I'm glad she did. Straight forward although I had a 2nd degree tear. Just gas and air for both home births. I'd recommend it as long as it's safe to do so. I had to fight a bit for ds to be born at home but I only live 3 miles away and knew that I'd given birth naturally and at home before so my body knew what to do.
Arm yourself with lots of knowledge of the birth process as that's what helped me feel prepared. The section was horrendous in comparison. I'll never understand anyone choosing one but respect it's a personal choice.
Good luck!

I had an entirely low risk first pregnancy, I'm healthy, normal BMI with no family history of complications during labour. My midwife encouraged me strongly to have a home birth. I'm very glad I didn't - I had a large post partum haemorrhage that quite simply couldn't have been predicted (and I didn't have an instrumental delivery) which needed immediate intervention, I dread to think what might have happened at home.

2 really good books I'd recommend are "Childbirth without Fear" and "Home Birth" by Nicky Wesson. They helped me decide.

I second the recommendation of Childbirth Without Fear.

I had #2 at home after a very traumatic hospital birth for #1. The home birth was hands down a better experience, despite some problems, and I'm very positive about home birth. However, I would not do it for a first birth. Leaving aside medical risk, which is statistically low but, as a pp said, has the potential for huge consequences, the fact is that until you've been through labour and birth you're not in a position to know what would constitute a good experience for you. I read some wise advice when I was pregnant with #1, to the effect that some people feel more in control when they're drug-free, and some people feel more in control when they're pain-free, and that you won't know which you are until it happens to you. I would add to that that in some respects having a good labour is all about accepting not being in control at all, and you won't know until you're in the thick of it how you cope with that either. I hated my over-medicalised first labour and loved my home birth, but I'm glad I didn't have to deal with the tsunami of newness, strangeness and fear that is a first birth in a relatively unresourced environment.

One other thing, for a home birth, the quality of your community midwife provision locally is paramount, so research it as exhaustively as you can. #2 would have cerebral palsy if my midwife hadn't been so experienced. Think about that.

Yes I did, all three of mine were born at home - water births and gas and air.

Midwife actually mentioned it to me as an option with no. 1, hadn’t really thought about it prior to that. Best decision I ever made!

I’m very “each to their own” but it just seems like a very unnecessary risk. It feels, to me, like the woman is putting her own comfort ahead of her baby’s safety. If I’d had a home birth with DS, we both would have died. This followed a very low-risk, complication-free pregnancy. Two years later, I had a very straightforward, calm birth in hospital with DD where I felt listened to and respected. It is possible to have a lovely experience but in an environment where medical staff can be there in an instant should you need them.

Yes my first child was born at home. I am happy to tell you about it if you pm me

I did, and then another one for dc2.

The midwives came over to check on me after I texted them to let them know I was in labour. At some point she came back and stayed with me until shift change when she swapped with two midwives. They just kept an eye on me in the pool and stayed away when I told them to. After a while my contractions slowed down so they made me go up and down the stairs and do squats/lunges. He was then born in the bathroom upstairs. Contractions slowed as he was back to back and took a long time turning around the correct way.

I felt it was a very positive experience, the idea of a hospital stay makes me extremely stressed and anxious, let alone giving birth there.

Goodness me, you are putting yourself and your baby at risk if your BMI is high. But you never hear people discuss this as a cause for mortal concern for the safe delivery of a baby.

Statistically you are more likely to have a stillbirth or complications in delivering your baby, not from a home birth but if your BMI is high ( which is the case for many women unfortunately).

But you don't hear any talk about that because it's taboo and too sensitive a subject to broach.

The risk factor for a home birth is extremely low for uncomplicated pregnancies where the mother is not overweight and in good health, regardless of whether she has to be transferred to the hospital at the end. Most outcomes for this are extremely positive.

OP says her BMI is healthy Prettyvase.

I did. Was great and very straightforward. I was high risk with my other dc so had them in hospital.

@Prettyvase think you must have misread something. My BMI is comfortably within the healthy range and I’m fit from running and riding.

Is that you Meghan?

I think @Prettyvase was saying that people criticise home births due to risk but don't criticise people for having a high BMI when that also has risk associated with it.

I can see the point but personally I'm not sure you can compare the two.

DearTeddyRobinson

Ssh, I am incognito!

prettyvase I’ve just realised I misread your post, sorry! I understand what you mean now!

I too thought is this Megs

Re your original post, I'd be guided by the midwife/wives. They will know the availability of home birth MWs/transfer times etc. Hard as it is to hand over control, and yes medical professionals do get it wrong, but you really need to take their views on board.
What happened your SIL is awful but who knows how it would have gone at home? It may have been better, it may have been worse, but there is absolutely no value in second guessing.
I wanted a water birth, ended up with an ELCS. And thank god I did as I had a very rare condition which would have resulted in massive haemorrhage and possibly foetal death, if I'd delivered naturally. None of this was apparent on the numerous scans etc.
I think home births are a great idea, as long as you are flexible in your approach.

The birth was fine. I was transfered in after for grade 2 tearing and needed internal stitches but was much happier at home than I would've been at hospital. Our local womens hospital it godawful though.

Out of everyone I know, approximately two have had straight-forward first deliveries.
And perhaps some of them were a result of being over-medicalised.

But in my own case, I started at the MLU (about 40 mins away from hospital) after labouring at home for 2.5 days (which was actually horrific - I felt much more relaxed when they finally admitted me. And although the labour at home wasn't 'active' labour, I was still getting 1 minute painful contractions every 4/5 mins which left me unable to eat or sleep).

But anyway, a further 12 hours at the MLU and I still wasn't progressing which led to instrumental broken waters, a transfer to he hospital, drip, epidural, baby in distress and eventually a cat 1 EMCS.

So what I'm saying is you never really know how things are going to go and I would have been a prime candidate for a first time home birth - low risk pregnancy, fit and healthy (was walking 2 miles a day and doing yoga up until 41 weeks etc etc). And my birth plan included water and dimmed lights, the former I wasn't even allowed..!

Oh, and my BMI didn't even go into the overweight category even at the end of pregnancy