Should i have a home birth even if i have had great experiences in hospital?

[Cuddler]

I am having my 4th baby.I had all 3 of my my babies in hospital(Worthing)and it was great,i had a water birth last time and it was amazing.
I did plan on having home births with 2 and 3,but the first time the midwife said my home wasn't suitable as we were living in an apartment(which ive since been told is rubbish)and the second time that it would take longer for a midwife to get to me than it would for me to get to hospital(i have quite fast births-i was also told this wasn't true when i was in hospital)

I've enjoyed all 3 births and had drug free straightforward labours.There is a part of me that would love a home birth but another part of me that thinks is it worth the bother of getting a birthing pool and setting everything up,plus if i go to hospital someone could be in the pool and i might not be able to use it!and also my husband is slightly worried as my third baby was not breathing when she was first born,she just needed a bit of stimulation(apparently water babies can take a bit longer to "wake up" sometimes as its not such a shock for them)but it scared him.

Also if i had a baby at home,my other 3 could just stay here and we wouldn't have to find someone to look after them(last time my husband ended up leaving them with his it assistant!)

I quite enjoy packing the hospital bag etc,coming home with the new baby,i think part of me would miss that.Has anyone had a hospital birth and a home birth and which one did you enjoy more and which one was easier practically?

I'm having my 4th too, in May, and aiming for my 4th home water birth so I can't compare home to hospital for yu, but just thought I'd reinforce how nice it is not to worry about sitting in the car in labour (I honestly don't know how people do it!) and the possibility of your older DC meeting little sibling at home instead of waiting for hospital visiting hours, and your DH not juggling visiting and childcare. Getting into your own bed, having food and drink when you like are all lovely - rememebr a friend whose DS is 3wks older than my DD saying 'jealous of your glass of champagne- I got a cup of warm brown liquid which may or may not have been tea'
I pack a 'hospital bag' anyway, so all the baby/post delivery stuff is together

Good luck with whatever you choose, although it doesn't sound like your area is too HB friendly if they've fobbed you off with rubbish twice [grr]

Not answering your question directly but just wanted to reassure you about the skills and equipment that the community midwives carry. They are fully equipped to carry out basic newborn resus and will have had comprehensive training.

DC1 was born in hospital. The experience was not dreadful but not fantastic either. I had a very fast birth with DC2 which resulted in an unplanned hb (eating dinner to holding baby in 20mins). When I had my booking in appointment with DC3 the mw recommended a hb as she said it was less risky than trying to get to the hospital which is only 10 mins away when there was a real chance of giving birth in transit. She didn't raise any concerns about getting to me in time although there was a note made on my file that if I requested a mw then one was to be dispatched asap, regardless of contraction timings- I was not to be told "ring back when they are x mins apart".

DC3 did end up being a hb and I loved it, a million time better then the hospital experience. I liked being on my own territory, own bath, bed, food etc. DH said he felt more use at home than he did in the hospital as he was able to respond quickly to my requests for tea/chocolate/biscuits/hot water bottles. The older 2 were at nursery when DC3 arrived but had it been the middle of the night I would have just left them asleep upstairs (DC1 didn't wake at all when DC2 was born even though there was a LOT of noise). I also really liked the fact that I didn't have to tell any family that I was in labour. I really detested that with DC1 as I knew that they would all be wondering what was going on and gossiping I kept all labour/baby stuff in a box in the corner of the living room so that if we did have to go in we could just pick it up and go. I would definitely do it that way again. It would have to be something pretty serious to persuade me back to a hospital birth.

Hope you get a bit more support if you do decide to have a hb this time. I found www.homebirth.org.uk really useful with my planning.

Oh, yes- the mw bring a resuscitation kit including oxygen for the baby if that helps put your DH's mind at rest.

I had 2 fantastic hospital deliveries & still decided on a home birth for my third as my local delivery unit has closed up & moved 10 miles away and I an honestly say I don't regret it. I had DD on Tuesday and the midwives (1 was a student) were the best. They brought everything with them we could possibly need and took all the rubbish with them afterwards, the level of care was amazing and I was so much more relaxed at home after the birth. The other 2 DC's even slept through the whole thing! They did bring oxygen just in case btw xx

Thanks for the great replies!I have been thinking about it and i definitley think its worth talking to dh about again,i didnt know the midwives brought oxygen etc,thanks a lot x

I had 2 very straightforward, uncomplicated hospital births

I still didn't think about a home birth for no.3 because of our domestic situation - I think at home (terraced house, baby no.3 due in high Summer) I was worried about noise etc. I go a bit primal at the pushing stage and didn't want to feel inhibited at home (ie freaking out the neighbours or sleeping children)

So glad I had no.3 in hospital... had to stay in for a bit after (not for any 'bad' reason, baby was big and needed blood sugar monitoring) and there was no way I would have got the skin-to-skin constant cuddling I got in hospital at home... not with the 2 other DC there anyway! Twas lovely, just me and baby with curtains drawn around us, feeding

Not only do they bring oxygen and resus equipment, but they ask you to make sure there's an area set aside that they can use as a resus area and they set that up whilst your still in labour so it's ready to go once baby is born. That means there's no faffing about in bags looking for a mask or something if baby needs it.

You get two midwives for the actual birth - one for you and one for the baby (just in case!).

They also bring all sorts of other equipment and drugs with them and are able to deal with things like a PPH at home (to a degree, if it's more serious they call 999) and can almost always suture anything less than a 3rd degree tear without having to transfer you to hospital for stitching. They're also trained in how to deal with things like a shoulder dystocia.

And don't forget that they provide Entonox as well :)

You should still have your hospital bag packed anyway, in case you need to transfer in at any time, and if you don't then it means everything is to hand when you need it rather than DH having to go and find your pack of maternity pads!

You still need to pack a hospital bag in case you go in.

Falling asleep in my own bed and waking up next to DH and DD rather than in a dirty smelly hospital ward was amazing- I tjink this was one of my favourite bits about my HB.

I had a HB 6 days ago, and it was wonderful. Like pinkfondantfancy I loved being in my own bed with DS2 and DH instead of in the hospital (still dealing with athlete's foot from the post-natal ward 6 years later!) One of the best bits was DS1 and DD getting up in the morning and coming into our room to find their baby brother.

I was induced with DS1 and DD was born in hospital - both quick, straight-forward labours with only gas and air. This time, I had the usual worries about something going wrong and also about the mess it would make, but these fears were unfounded in the end.

I'd been contracting most of the day. I had a bath while DH set up our birthing area in our room and my mum picked DS1 and DD up from school. He put down a tarpaulin on our bedroom floor and covered it with old towels. I also had a couple of big cushions.

We called the mw a couple of hours later. She arrived at 7.30pm-ish and set up a resuss area (as Flisspaps said). She got on with her thing while I laboured mainly standing up leaning on our chest of drawers. My mum got home from the cinema with DCs 1&2 at the same time, so while mw was doing obs etc with me, DH and mum put them to bed. They slept through the entire thing.

When things started hotting up she called the 2nd mw. I moved to kneeling against the big cushions at the bottom of the bed, and started on the g&a. I delivered DS2 in this position (12mins). I screamed a couple of times, but my neighbour (we live in a terrace) didn't hear a thing - and I didn't care!

It wasn't my quickest labour - DD (DC2) was quicker and less painful, but I was so relaxed. It was the only time I haven't torn - and he was 10lbs - 2lbs bigger than my other two.

Afterwards was amazing - my own bath, my own bed - I could even Skype my sister in Australia! The GP called round the next day to do her checks.

The mws cleared up, and stayed for an hour or two after the birth - they went downstairs for a cuppa.

I'm on a bit of a high! I've found my recovery - emotionally and physically - loads better. And my baby is super-chilled! I also think it's been the most natural and least disruptive way for DC3 to slip into family life - great for the other two and DH too.

I'm not trying to persuade you, but just to tell my story. I had a few misgivings, but now feel so lucky to have had this experience.

Good luck with whichever you choose.