Home births after IVF - positive stories please!

[janepegs]

I am 38 weeks tomorrow and hoping for a home birth but have met with enormous resistance from the hospital who think I am at risk of stillbirth because of the IVF. It's my first baby I am 40 and have been having an easy and lovely pregnancy - does anyone have any stories to share? (I am remaining open-minded and have hospital bag packed - only a ten min drive from here). The hospital want to induce me at 40 weeks and for me to have continual monitoring throughout the birth - my idea of hell.

Why do the hosp think you are more at risk of a stillbirth because of the IVF?

Isn't the fact that this is your first baby and you are 40 more of a risk factor?

I understand your reluctance for a very medicalised birth but after IVF (and all the hell that that involves) I would personally never opt for a home birth in your situation. Soz, I know it's not what you're asking for at all.

Can you talk to your midwife/Obs and try and reach some sort of middle way - ie let it start naturally and then go to hospital for the actual birth?

Hi Claudia
If you look at the Homebirth UK site you'll find stories about birth at home after IVF. Have to say, in your shoes I'd be tempted to empty out the piggy bank to pay for a private midwife with confidence and experience in caring for older first time mums at home. I did this when I opted for a homebirth with my third baby against hospital advice (I had gestational diabetes). You don't want someone with you who's going to be twitchy and too quick to transfer.

Congratulations and wishing you an easy birth. However, I have been in your shoes, iui, had my dd at 39. There is no way I would have risked a home birth, i'm sorry but why would you after taking such stressful steps to get pregnant in the first place. It is a shame we can't get to conceive and give birth in the way we would hope but it is the end result you should look at and it's not just you at risk in a home birth, it's the baby. Best of luck and come back and show us your scrumptious new born

DelGirls great post. That's kind of what I wanted to say. I too have been there IVF, first baby at 37 after years of effing sodding awful infertility. Any I must say all I wanted was a safe birth and for my baby to arrive so I could finally hold on to her.

I would have preferred to have a natural birth but it wasn't to be and had an emerg C-section. Which to be honest I couldn't have cared a jot about as I finally had my much longed for daughter.

Oh and of course, Congratulations OP, it is an amazing feeling to be finally pregnant and have a baby after such a long road. You must be so excited.

Good luck with whatever and however your baby arrives.

I'm assuming the other posters on this thread have access to evidence backing up their view that the OP would be putting her baby at risk by opting for an out of hospital birth at 40?

OP - the recent Place of Birth study showed that birth in non-medicalised settings is safe. Particularly for mums giving birth in free-standing midwife led units. The study did find that first time mums birthing at home had an increase in rates of stillbirth but as these findings weren't replicated for freestanding MLU's (where there are no additional medical facilities compared to homebirth, plus often longer transfer distances to the nearest CLU) I suspect this must be down to issues surrounding midwife experience/transfer arrangements. Which you may be able to ameliorate by going for a private midwife who's experienced in caring with homebirth.

Meant to add, you can join the Yahoo Homebirth group if you want to talk to people who are positive and knowledgeable about homebirth. There are a number of people on that here .

If you want help and support NOW, you need to find out who the supervisor of midwives is at your hospital and get in touch with her ASAP. She will talk you through the risk issues in your particular situation and help you find a way of organising the birth which is acceptable to you.

Good luck!

thanks for all your comments!
I have not had any resistance to the home birth because of my age or because of it being a first baby - neither of which are considered to add risk to having a baby at home (older mums do have a higher risk of being transferred, but this is due to longer labours which are considered to be not progressing, which is not considered to be a risky or emergency situation). I have never heard of anyone being told that their first baby at home would be risky. Even the obstetricians have not mentioned either of these points to me - they only object to me having a home birth because of IVF.
The evidence that I have found which showed an increased risk associated with IVF births found a higher rate of stillbirths. This evidence is quite shaky as another much larger scale study was carried out the next year which found no difference between IVF births and other births in terms of stillbirth statistics. The midwife who came to see me from the homebirthing team considers me to be low-risk - she has delivered many IVF pregnancies at home and can't see why they are any different to any others. I certainly don't want any risk to my baby - I just can't see that there is any increased risk from the evidence that I have been given. Advice seems to vary wildly from hospital to hospital. My hospital told me that I would be advised to take an induction at 40 weeks, my sister-in-law who lives in the next county (also IVF, also same age) was never told anything about stillbirths being a risk and was told she would be offered induction at 40+12 - standard. The homebirth midwives seem to be very supportive and I trust them more than the consultants at the hospital. I certainly don't feel like a high risk pregnancy - I have had no problems, feel great and energetic, am still at the gym at least 3 times a week and my blood pressure is fine.

Thanks for the advice about the homebirth group - I will certainly join and ask around if anyone has had similar experiences to me. If I have to transfer to the hospital I am fine with it - it is close and I am staying open-minded about the whole thing. I just would like to try at home and do as much at home as possible. Just hoping to avoid a c-section if possible. I know getting the baby out in whatever way is safest is the most important thing though.

Shagmund, no I've not read up on it but for all the reasons the op states, I just would not chance it, it just does not seem worth taking the risk if there is any chance of problems or an emergancy cs as in my case. The whole process of ivf etc takes so much out of you, I personally think it would be madness to consider a home birth in the circumstances. But that is only my personal opinion.