Anybody want to sell me on a homebirth?

[CheerfulYank]

:) I'm not pregnant yet, but I like the thought of a homebirth for my next one. It's rarely done here in the States and so I don't have a lot of examples.

I had the typical American birth for my last one (epidural, flat on my back, hospital) and it went well and was very fast, so I think I could probably do it. I like the thought of walking around and eating if I want and having a water birth, etc.

However, since I don't have any examples of this I'm scared. Any one want to share?

Just homebirthed DS2 on Thursday. Amazing. (DS1 was bad hospital experience). Midwife care was fantastic.

Sitting in your own lovely bed, with tea, toast and a tiny baby -the best feeling ever. and DS1 just woke next morning to meet his new brother.

Go for it!

I loved my home birth. I had 2 nhs hospital births before it and don't get me wrong i feel I had 2 good hospital births but my homebirth just doesn't compare.

I was lucky I went into labour at 4am in the morning of the only day my nhs midwife didn't have a clinic on so she delivered my baby.
It wad a lovely sunny day and I spent the early hour or so pacing the garden during contractions. My friend is a doula and she arrived and I wanted to go to the shop for supplies while dh filled my birth pool so she took me with my contractions 6 minutes apart.
So things I loved about it. I had people coming and going all morning. My best friend, my mother in law who did offer to leave the room but I said she was fine to stay. I ate and drank when I wanted. I phoned my friends and family keeping them updated. I had all my own things around me. The older 2 dc were around and no childcare worries then someone took them to school.
I loved getting in my own shower afterwards then curling up on my own couch with my friends and family being able to come and go as we all pleased.
It was so relaxed.
I felt lie I was in control with all of my births but the homebirth more so. It was on my territory with me deciding where I wanted to be and what I wanted to be doing. The older dc came home from school early and we were all together as a family. Dh and the dc didn't have to go home and leave me in hospital.
Not sure if that's what you wanted but I got to be self indulgent for a while

That's wonderful, thanks! :)

The thought of having NO pain relief at all freaks me out a little, I have to say...but maybe if I go into it with the mindset of, okay, I can do this, it's all going to be fine...then it will be??

Don't know about the US but I got gas and air at home. Midwife did say I could get a prescription for diamorphine but I didn't.
Tbh I didn't need the gas and air either. I did ask for it at the end literally 15 minutes before he came but I asked because I knew myself I had a contraction or 2 to go before I wad going to be pushing and realised I wad holding my breath and wanted the gas and air to force me to breathe.
At home I was so much more relaxed and the birth pool did make a huge difference I didn't feel the same need for pain relief as I had in hospital. The water being so deep gave me support in positions that wouldn't have been possible out of water (I wad in a squatting position that would have got uncomfortable without the buoyancy of the pool)

meeeee! i had my DD at home, 14 years ago, and it was just lovely. I pottered around at home, laboured quickly as so relaxed and didnt need any pain relief what so ever, not even a paracetamol!
The whole experience was lovely and relaxed, after i gave birth i had tea and toast, went for a lovely bath in my own bathroom, came back to my own freshly made bed, with my little bundle in the moses basket next to me.
it was lovely and far far nicer than my previous hospital birth. i wouldnt hesitate to have had another at home (if id had any more that is!)

I am hoping for my 4th homebirth in April/May :) - I like them!

Walk around, don't hear anyone else shouting etc, no sitting in the car through contractions, food/drinks/music etc all on hand - nevermind what kind of CD should I have in the labour bag, your own clean shower for afterwards, a proper cup of tea not nameless brown liquid from a machine, your own comfy bed with DH and older DC

As far as pain relief goes I haven't used gas and air in 3 births, it didn't make it into the house the first time! but MWs generally brign it with them. I was also told you can get a prescription for meptid/pethidine from your GP to have ready for the MWs to administer if you want (don't know if this is the same Stateside) and I've used a TENS machine until I was ready to get in the pool each time, the pool is FANTASTIC - warm and deep and supportive, I can't imagine giving birth on 'dry land' now

Good luck

It wouldn't be wise to just go by experiences of people in the UK. The NHS provides probably the safest system in the world for homebirths, even if it is limited. The US is much more hit and miss. States have very different systems for regulating home birth midwives and cooperation between them and hospitals. Some states just don't regulate homebirth midwives at all and you could end up with someone who, compared to NHS midwives, is completely unqualified and inexperienced. That's the fundamental thing to check in your own state I think before you make any decision on it.

Yes to HBs - also in the UK though.

Try to read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, based in the US so may be more relevant.

Minnesota is pretty good with midwives and homebirths, I think.

We don't use gas and air here for anything but the dentist, so the MW wouldn't be bringing any :) what's a TENS machine?

"but maybe if I go into it with the mindset of, okay, I can do this, it's all going to be fine...then it will be??"

Your attitude will help, enormously, as will being well prepared (try Active Birth books, eg Janet Balaskas).

But you must know what your Plan B is going to be. If there are any problems in labour, or if you find you do need pain relef beyond what can be provided in your home, what are your options? Are you near a hospital, and will you be able to transfer there? How long would it take, and will it cover what could be a high risk delivery? This is not said to scare you, or put you off, but to make sure you have thought through ALL the scenarios and know you have a plan for them (a home birth which requires transfer is associated with worse outcomes so a good hospital back up is prudent: it's not high risk because you started at home, it's because transfer in labour means something is wrong).

don't want to sell it to anyone as you need to want to do it yourself and most importantly have the confidence and support network to do so.

Had fab hB with dc2 - my space, no pressure/noise/interventions, 2 mws looking after me (on NHS), all lovely.

Hope it works out for you if that's what you choose to go for.

Thanks for the link loopy ! For some reason my phone isn't connecting it but I'll check it out as soon as I'm on my computer again. :)

My house is about a minute's drive from our hospital so I wouldn't be too worried; if something went wrong I could get there pretty much immediately.

I hadn't thought about insurance. I don't have any currently but my state has good coverage for pregnant women. I'm not entirely sure what they'd offer for a homebirth though, I will have to check that out.

I know every labor is different, but I was terrified the first time and it turned out to be much more natural and easier than I anticipated. And faster too, it was about 6 hours. :) and I probably could have been at home for most of that time! The worst parts for me were things like the IV and not being able to eat, etc, and I could avoid those things with a HB.

I have had one hospital birth (with gas and air and pethidine) and one home birth (with just a pool for pain relief). The pool was waaaay better for pain relief than the drugs, for me. Planning a home birth again for number 3 who is due in a few weeks.

"Minnesota is pretty good with midwives and homebirths, I think."

I won't go on about it anymore but please do some serious research anyway. The other posters on this thread may have read Ina May and watched Ricki Lake, but they made their decision to homebirth in a completely different context to you. Because they know that the UK licenses and regulates healthcare practitioners, they could assume that anyone calling themselves a midwife has met the same standard as every other midwife and that safe procedures, up to date training etc. were be in place for them if they needed it. You can't make that assumption.

The US, as you probably know, is generally not so big on regulation. Being so close to the hospital won't help if you have a midwife who doesn't have a clue that anything is wrong in the first place because she's not properly qualified. States in the US, including as far as I can see Minnesota, leave it to women to 'interview' their own midwife and make their own decisions, 'free market' style. The trouble is, of course, that unless you're also a midwife or obstetrician, you're in no position to make an informed assessment of that midwife.

I got the below from a quick google so don't know how accurate it is but it illustrates what I'm talking about. DEM's, TM's and CPM's are not comparable to the UK NHS midwives that most posters here were assisted by. DEM's, TM's and CPM's would not be permitted to practice in any other advanced country. I know that that makes your choices more limited and the chances are that everything will go fine regardless of how underqualified your midwife is, but the whole idea of homebirth being safe is founded on having someone properly qualified, trained and experienced being there just in case yours is the one that does go wrong. The other posters here could afford to focus on the benefits of homebirth that they're telling you about because they knew that the risks have effectively been managed for them by the state. You don't have that luxury so please take this on board and do your own risk assessment.

"What are the types of midwives?

Certified nurse midwives (CNMs) have nursing degrees and may have a master?s or PhD. They have completed midwifery training and passed state and national exams to be certified in every state. CNMs mostly work in hospitals and may work alongside doctors.

Direct-entry or traditional midwives (DEM or TM) do not necessarily have a degree, certification, or training but have learned their skills hands-on. They typically practice in home settings or freestanding birth centers. In Minnesota, licensure is voluntary. Traditional midwives who choose to be licensed become certified professional midwives (CPMs) through the North American Registry of Midwives. They typically practice in homes and birth centers."

Thank you Sioda. I thought I'd read that all midwives in Minnesota had to be CNMs. I will look into it!

If you can, get hold of a TENS machine.
I used one through most of my labour - I know you don't have gas and air in the US, which plays a huge role in UK births - I had gas and air later on, but most of my pain relief was TENS.

and have a birth pool or a bath - the water is really really good at pain relief.

I'm interested to hear that home birthing isn't that common in the US. I've just been doing some reading about freebirthing (that's not only birthing at home, but without any medical staff present at all) - a movement which was apparently started in the US and is gaining in popularity, although I'm not sure it's an idea that has made it across the pond yet.

pregnancyandchildbirtharoundtheworld.blogspot.com/

Have you come across this at all?

I haven't come across anyone who intentionally had a freebirth. :) I'm aware of the movement, though. The US is so enormous that even if a movement has what seems like a lot of people, it isn't really representative of most of us.

Homebirthing is probably more common in states with a higher population of people who are in to "natural" stuff...there are people like that in every state, but it's more of a cultural thing in the NorthWest, for example.