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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Ever wonder why so many women are scared off by the thought of a home birth?

269 replies

foxytocin · 19/10/2010 01:29

These questions [[
store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gcse/qp-ms/AQA-3561-H-W-QP-JUN09.PDF from AQA]] give an insight into our mindset.

3 (a) Suggest four advantages of having a hospital birth.
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(4 marks)

3 (b) Name three types of pain relief usually available in a hospital.

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(3 marks

Where was the mention of home births here - or the disadvantages of hospital births.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Panzee · 19/10/2010 10:22

omaoma you misunderstand me. I need a week's notice for any visitor so I can make my house presentable. I ain't tidying when I can go out! :o

Poledra · 19/10/2010 10:24

I live next door to the Post Office. Through the party wall, I can hear people talking to the postmaster. I did not want the entire village hearing me give birth............

TrillianSlasher · 19/10/2010 10:25

Because giving birth is scary, and having medical people and equipment right there is reassuring. Plus anecdotal evidence is more emotive than actual studies (you know, real evidence) and if you know anyone who had to have an emergency c-section then that is going to worry you.

Hawkmoth · 19/10/2010 10:31

They transfer you to hospital with the first whiff of trouble! At hospital you can be left alone not really knowing what's going on!

Well they can try to transfer you anyway. I had HB with DS. Blood pressure went up, they called an ambulance... I shouted at paramedic to fuck off and had baby with a six minute second stage. Whose BP doesn't go up when pushing out a baby?

I had two MWs, one from 2200 - 0300 and one from 0000 - 0400... all to myself... they were great.

When I had DD in hospital we had to convince them I was in labour, then I got stuck in a bath on my own, then my mum had to drag someone in when I started pushing... then they strapped me down for 'monitoring' leading to ventouse with a roomful of people.

Anyway, there was NO mess whatsoever (tho I did have to throw away the washing up bowl the placenta went in!

Basically, you get better care earlier in labour at home so problems are spotted sooner... and it's just more comfortable. I was walking up and down for about four hours stark naked in front of strange MW and didn't care!

Tangle · 19/10/2010 10:31

See for me the thought of giving birth in hospital was scary. The thought of being put on someone else's time frame was scary. The thought of hearing other women screaming was scary. The thought of having my labour dictated by hospital policy was scary. The thought of having to discuss options and talk to people while in labour was scary.

DD1 was a planned home breech birth with IMs. For me, being at home in my own environment with MWs I new and trusted was reassuring :)

oxocube · 19/10/2010 10:35

I so understand you Tangle. I had dc 2 in hospital as we were in Switzerland at the time and they laughed at the idea of me having a baby at home . My other two home births were much less fraught. As it was, I spited the Swiss doctors as my labour was so quick that I ended up delivering in reception

omaoma · 19/10/2010 10:36

Was totally the same frame of mind, Tangle.

Can;t believe the midwife said to somebody 'we'll leave the baby and take care of you'!!!!! she clearly just didn't want the woman to have a home birth. The whole point of 2 midwives is so there is one for the baby, one for you... a lot more attention than you get in hospital most of the time which is another reason i wanted a HB.

ScroobiousPip · 19/10/2010 10:36

I was petrified at the thought of ending up in hospital (well, our local hospital - better now but horrendous lack of facilities at the time), and ending up in a cascade of interventions scenario, with a bad outcome for me and baby as a result of being in hospital. The statistics on HB v hospital were a big reassurance, as was the reassurance from my midwife that being in the place where I felt most comfortable and confident to give birth was probably going to result in the best outcome.

I can see that for others, the same might well be true of hospital but I'm a bit at comments in this thread that there are still people out there who would actively discourage a HB.

oxocube · 19/10/2010 10:37

And by the way, just in case anyone is worried about mess - HONESTLY - there is none! The midwives deal with it all!

ScroobiousPip · 19/10/2010 10:41

Ditto oxocube - was almost disappointed after faithfully making up some 'birthing mats' from shower curtains topped with newspapers and towels that they weren't needed!

upahill · 19/10/2010 10:41

oxocube what no mess at the end of it? Do they wash the dishes, hoover round and do a spot of laundry!!

oxocube · 19/10/2010 10:53

Really, honestly, truly upahill . Scroobious, I did all the stuff with the cheap shower curtain and clean newspapers but the midwives bring everything with them don't they?! All the disposible sheets and stuff. My mum was there for dc 3 so she did the washing up and the hoovering!!!

LynetteScavo · 19/10/2010 10:57

The lack on an aneathetist in the next room able to give me an epidural.

When I knew I could give birth with no pain relief (and that the hostiptal staff may well treat me like I was in a cattle market) I was more than happy to have a home birth.

omaoma · 19/10/2010 11:00

Well exactly Lynette - 'access to an epidural' is so rarely explained to you with the caveat 'if the anaesthetist is on duty/available so it might actually take 2 hours to arrive...'

thedollshouse · 19/10/2010 11:04

Dh is a worrier so a home birth would not have been for us, we are also 30 minutes away from the nearest maternity unit so it isn't ideal.

My first birth was csection because of breech presentation, I personally feel that the risks associated with a natural delivery at home with a breech baby are too high. My second delivery ended up being an emergency section and it would have been too stressful to consider that birth at home.

I know of lots of people who have had relatively natural births that have gone wrong at the last minute. I also know lots of people who have had home births with no problems but it is the former that stays in my mind and would prevent me from having a home birth.

RiverOfSleep · 19/10/2010 11:10

I had a horrible hospital birth and a wonderful home birth. And no mess

Tangle · 19/10/2010 11:12

thedollshouse - in an ideal world I think I'd have had a vaginal breech birth with competent MWs in hospital. But the NHS wouldn't/couldn't support that - they recommended a CS (whilst telling us that the research used as the basis of that recommendation was deeply flawed) or, when pushed, a highly medicalised vaginal breech delivery with a large supporting cast who'd treat me like a novelty act [hmmm]. I didn't prepared to be pushed into major surgery with no evidence it was going to reduce risks and was fortunate to find an IM with very strong breech experience who could take me on at 36 weeks.

All we can do as individuals is make the best decision we can for our families, based on the support available to us and the information we're given.

But if we're only told "the advantages of hospital birth" (which is what that exam paper seems to suggest), how are women supposed to make an informed choice?

Ghoulysses · 19/10/2010 11:15

I've got a vague longing for a home birth (am 4 months pg) but am rather disappointment that neither of the two midwives I have spoken with have suggested it.

The vast majority of the hb experiences I have read are positive, far more so than hospital deliveries and I think some of the stats being cited here dubious.

What's putting me off is DH and I don't think he can be persuaded and I think it's only fair that he feels comfortable with it.

omaoma · 19/10/2010 11:19

I had a close rlative who was an ex-midwife who could act as my doula at home and who I trusted implicitly.

If I hadn't had them my ideal would have been a midwives-led unit with fantastic facilities/waterbaths etc next door to a hospital so I could be transferred if anything got hairy. But that was only available privately :( I hate that there isn't enough resourcing or political will to truly service individual women's needs in the best possible way. Having a personal midwife who's with you from week 12 to birth, labouring in a private, comfortable and clean environment (whether home or homelike) with individual attention and access to medical help if you need it is the BEST possible way for baby and mother, it's clear from research and personal stories this is the case. Pushing hospital births is all about money and not about needs/best care and i hate that they use this so emotively in such a dishonest way, and divide women over each other's choices.

if hospitals weren't so dirty, understaffed, chaotic and poorly run we might all be jumping to give birth there.

nameymcnamechange · 19/10/2010 11:21

My dd was born by crash c/s 15 minutes after the monitor showed her heartrate had dipped to below 60bpm. She had cord compression, probably. If I'd been at home I would still be waiting for an ambulance after 15 minutes. There is no doubt in my mind that she would have been severely deprived of oxygen or dead had I been at home. So I thank my lucky stars every single day that I chose a hospital birth.

oxocube · 19/10/2010 11:23

Ghoulysses, my DH was v worried at first too. It was only after I visited the local hospital and came back in tears saying I couldn't have our baby there, that he gave in. Despite his initial misgivings, he would now agree that HB can be wondeful . Our third DC was born in Netherlands where HB is so common that DH didn't even question it!

slhilly · 19/10/2010 11:28

Re opting for hospital births because of reassuring presence of doctors. NHS hospitals are still crap at making sure that a consultant is on hand at all times. This is not least because every sodding hospital in the country wants to provide maternity services, which means that nowhere has the volumes of births needed to support 24/7 consultant availability. So you can give birth in your local hospital ... but you can't be sure there'll be a consultant around. Additionally, virtually no effort is made to move low risk patients to midwife-led care (e.g. colocated or standalone midwife-led units, as well as homebirths), with the result that doctor time is spent on low risk patients with little additional benefit to anyone, instead of being kept back for higher-risk patients.

CatIsSleepy · 19/10/2010 11:29

my home birth was bloody fantastic, truly one of the best days of my life

I wish more people would go for it!

not to be stuck in a post-natal ward being neglected was wonderful, just being able to relax with dd2, be looked after by dh and not worry about visiting hours etc. Lovely.

And the midwives transfer you very quickly if there are problems, I don't know why so many people seem to be convinced that you have to struggle on at home if things are going wrong. That would be crazy.

jollyjollymom · 19/10/2010 11:29

Well, I wouldn't encourage anyone to have a home birth, cos, things can go wrong at any moment even if you are low risk and each and every birth is different. I also wonder why would someone risk their own and their child's life by giving birth at home.. I just wouldn't do it.. Hospitals and medicines are there for you, when you need it, and why should these women go back to STONE AGE when it comes to giving birth, would they not feel guilty if something happens to their baby.....?? after all (agree or not) home is a place for happy dwelling, not a place for screaming and suffering...

slhilly · 19/10/2010 11:31

Ghoulysses, what is bothering him about it? Safety? Something else? On safety, I suggest you suggest that he does the research because it's counter-intuitive.

Have you considered other options? Esp is there a midwife-led birth unit near you? Either in a hospital or standalone?

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