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)

Are you really a doctor?

Most doctors wouldn’t have a home birth if you paid them to, and wouldn’t recommend it to anybody.

I didn’t but my colleagues wife did and the baby died. I don’t know what happened. I could never ask him.

It's always horrific when someone loses a baby, but if it had happened in hospital would you have assumed that the setting was to blame?

Low risk doesn't mean no risk.

Just as high risk doesn't automatically mean a poor outcome.

Research and make an informed decision.

Anecdotally, my 4th should have been supremely low risk. Was far far from it sadly. No mismanagement, just unlucky.

OP for a first time birth I wouldn’t even consider it. Does your hospital have an MLU? That would be a good compromise. Your SIL’s experience is sad, but I really don’t think doctors use ventouse/forceps/episiotomy etc ‘unnecessarily’. They are all there to help deliver the baby safely. I was dead set against forceps. However in the pushing stage his heart beat suddenly dropped and he needed to be out ASAP. Healed fine. In the moment I didn’t care about the forceps at all in fact I was very grateful.

A doctors probably wouldn’t recommend a home birth because they are arrogant fuckers that think they deliver babies .... midwives and nurses on the other hand would and do.

It's always horrific when someone loses a baby, but if it had happened in hospital would you have assumed that the setting was to blame?

^^exactly this. I've only heard of babies dying in hospital personally.

In terms of doctors there are three things - firstly they are medical people so like the control that intervention gives. Secondly they actually feel comfortable in hospitals, many other women feel very differently. They have probably also been there when things go wrong in hospital.

I think a lot of people think homebirth is like on call the midwife, you really are monitored carefully (far better than hospital ime) and they transfer at the first sign of trouble. There are processes for when things go wrong and yes if that happened then you'd have rather been in hospital but assuming the worst is

It's always horrific when someone loses a baby, but if it had happened in hospital would you have assumed that the setting was to blame?

^^exactly this. I've only heard of babies dying in hospital personally.

Well, obviously. Because all the babies and mothers who get into distress are blue lighted to hospital so if they eventually don’t make it, it counts as a hospital death.

I think it’s important to remember that a very high percentage of first time home births end in a hospital transfer. What you need to consider is would you find it more relaxing to give birth in a hospital setting on your own terms, or the likelihood that your home birth may well result in an emergency hospital transfer.

I wanted a home birth with my first, I had friends who had homebirth and lived in a very pro homebirth area.
My options were hospital care, which was less than 2 miles away or the midwife led unit 10 miles away which had the same criteria as homebirth.
My mum had a hospital birth with me in 1967 and had a bad time but a homebirth with my sister in 1970, she was very supportive. I also happened to live next door to a midwife!!!
Unfortunately I developed hight BP at 36 weeks and had to switch to hospital. I still wish I had got my homebirth. Same thing happened with dc 2 so it just wasn't to be.

Because all the babies and mothers who get into distress are blue lighted to hospital so if they eventually don’t make it, it counts as a hospital death.

Because that happens frequently . Vast vast majority of deaths don't start at home.

The vast vast majority of deaths don’t start at home because the vast vast majority of births don’t start at home, especially high risk pregnancies.
For a planned home birth in a low risk first pregnancy there is twice as likely to be a death or other serious outcome than if you’d planned hospital or MLU. If that’s a big increase or not is open to interpretation and I would say the crux of this thread.

Well exactly pink the deciding factor is rarely whether it is a planned HB or not. A lot of the thread though is extremely anti homebirth in general rather than looking at the actual evidence for first timers, which is what the OP ultimately needs to base her decision on as this is her scenario.

OP are you a journalist researching a Meghan Markle story by any chance?

I think something else to take into consideration is that mistakes / being left unsupported are more likely on a busy, overstretched labour unit than they are at home with 2 midwives.

If you decide on giving birth in a hospital, would you consider having a doula - studies have shown it has many of the benefits of a home birth? I had one for my first (in a busy, overstretched labour ward), and it made a huge difference having someone there on my side to make sure nothing happened I didn't understand and agree to. The hospital still makes mistakes in my care post birth, but at least she made sure the pre birth bit was OK.

I had my 2nd at home, but the increase in risks for a 1st birth put me off as did the high transfer rate.

Well, obviously. Because all the babies and mothers who get into distress are blue lighted to hospital so if they eventually don’t make it, it counts as a hospital death.

That isn't true in the birthplace study, which is what people keep referring to.

It always amazes me how many people on MN think they're better at spotting problems with correlation/causation and flaws in the data than professional data scientists.

I had a home birth for my first, who's now 5 weeks old. I ended up having to transfer after 30 hours of labour and 6 hours of pushing as baby had decided to move at the last minute, having been in the correct position the whole pregnancy! Baby was fine the entire time though and I felt supported and not scared. My hospital experience however was horrendous, luckily it was only half an hour or so, but the way I was treated by the midwives and doctors there was horrible. The midwife in charge actually came and apologised after and said that lessons will be learned from my delivery (forceps) and that it should not have been so traumatic. I would 100% have another home birth though! I really recommend the book 'The Positive Birth Book'. It's not necessarily aimed at home birth but gives all the statistics and great info on having the birth that you want!

Thanks so much everyone for your input, this has been really helpful.

I feel like for me, the pros are that the process won’t automatically be medicalised - only if it needs to be (which I completely understand may happen and is likely nonetheless). I would be more relaxed and comfortable at home. My husband won’t have to endure so much blood and needles, which he is genuinely phobic of (real phobia, leads to vomiting and fainting, not just fear or dislike - he’s working on this!). Less likelihood of foreceps etc. Closer monitoring by two full time midwives.

The good practical considerations are that I am fit and healthy, so will hopefully have a low risk pregnancy (obviously might not be the case, and wouldn’t consider a home birth if anything other than textbook / safe). Live very close to hospital.

The obvious con is that while the increased risk may be small, if things do unexpectedly go wrong the consequences could be significantly more severe than in hospital. This is obviously a huge consideration and I will need to give much more thought to it.

I am definitely going to look into MLUs, as this could be a good compromise for me.

I really appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts and experiences - thank you!

I did. It was a mistake - despite a very straightforward set of circumstances. Despite being reassured that midwives would attend when asked, the duty midwife on duty at the hospital that night refused to believe I was in an advanced state of labour despite mine and my husbands increasingly desperate calls. They refused to believe that a first labour could progress as quickly from first contractions (labour was about 6 hours in total). In the end when I was literally begging them in tears to send someone out, the normal team of midwives from the hospital were occupied elsewhere and they had to call in back up community midwives. They arrived with half an hour to spare so I did the majority of my labour all by myself. Then had to transfer to the hospital to get stitched up - 2nd degree tear - and had to wait 2 hours for an ambulance for a transfer (for a 15 min drive - but they wouldn’t let me make my own way there).

This all happened overnight on a Sunday - less staff on duty? Who knows. I was never offered a proper explanation despite my complaints. A friend who had a home birth a year later had a similar experience with only one midwife making it to their home on time for the birth.

This was 7 years ago in a large city - can’t imagine resources and staffing have improved since then.

I had my second birth in the MLU and it was a much better experience and I was in control of when I presented myself at the hospital.

So - overall it was a bad choice for me and I wouldn’t recommend relying on being attended to in good time for a first labour.

I can highly recommend an MLU for a first birth. I considered a home birth but once I'd read about the risks I opted for MLU. The facilities and midwives were good, and when things very quickly went very wrong I was in theatre within 2 minutes and they got DS out safely. If the same scenario had happened at home I don't think we would have had such a positive outcome.
Having said all that, I'm hoping for a home birth for my current pregnancy, as long as everything stays healthy and low risk.

If you have a good MLU that might be the best of both worlds for your partner and you - no drips or needles if everything progresses smoothly, and less drama / faff transferring you if things are complicated (assuming on site MLU). Will your husband be able to help much if the midwives are delayed / you progress quickly as with PP or will his phobia complicate things?
Some MLUs are really lovely - I’m very lucky with St Thomas’ in London but I know not everyone has the same provision.

I had a home birth with my third after two uneventful midwife led, drug free active labours and births.
It was fantastic. So relaxed at home, by the fire and felt perfectly safe. Labour moved so quickly that I ended up free birthing by myself and the first midwife arrived 15 mins after DD was born.
In my experience, midwives are well prepared for situations to go from safe and healthy to needing a transfer due to complications. They have drugs to slow bleeding post birth if needed and are very good at seeing when a transfer is necessary, even before the birthing woman thinks there may be a problem.
Two of my closest friends are home birth midwives and have had many wonderful outcomes for mother and baby.

Most of the transfers are for pain relief rather than emergency.

Also NHS states

The overall rate of negative outcomes (a composite of outcomes of death or serious complications) was 4.3 per 1000 births (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.3 to 5.5) and there was no difference between non-obstetric unit settings compared with obstetric units. This indicates that as a whole, home births are as safe as ones in medical settings.

Never in a million years. Birth is the start of life not an important experience in itself.

2nd birth at home.

No stress or fuss and everything to hand.
I was 40.
The hospital was a good half hour drive away though so if anything had gone wrong....🤷‍♀️

Birth is the start of life not an important experience in itself.

I really disagree with this. For a huge number of women it is, unfortunately, the most traumatic experience they will go through, even if the outcome is good. It can cause life changing injuries. It can lead to PTSD and increase the risk of PND. It can be profoundly distressing. I think it’s really important to acknowledge that and have these conversations about birth, instead of downplaying it and claiming it isn’t an important experience. Women should absolutely be empowered over birth and given options and choices.

Not every choice will be available to or suit every woman, but I think women deserve to have the reality of birth acknowledged and to be supported in so far as possible in the choices they make.

I had a home birth with my second. I couldn’t with my first due to complications. One of my friends had a home birth with her first. The HB team in our area are fantastic. Find out about yours. They may have a Facebook group where you can talk to local women who’ve had a home birth.

My friend and I both did a lot of research first. I would recommend the Positive Birth Company digital hypnobirthing pack, and Ina May Gaskin’s book on childbirth. As well as looking at the home birth place study.

Things to bear in mind are that if you go down the home birth route you can change your mind at any point.

A hospital birth is not risk free. I felt fairly traumatised by my first hospital birth (unnecessary intervention, feeling pressured and out of control), bf was harder to establish due to blood loss (due to interventions). My first few weeks with my baby were impacted as I was in a lot of pain and weak. My baby was probably also impacted by her traumatic birth.

My second birth was fantastic. I birthed a calm baby with no pain relief. I had an epidural first time round. Being at home in tune with the birth process helped me manage.

With a home birth you get a very experienced midwife providing constant care. Better care than you get from an over stretched hospital midwife.

So I would say go for it!