Wondering whether to go for a home birth, still not sure...

[whenskiesaregrey]

I am currently 27+5 with DC2. I am not sure where to have the baby, and I have a midwife appt next Monday, and I think it will come up.

For home birth-
I was induced with DS at 40+10, so couldn't go in the pool and was on the bed monitored throughout. I don't want that again.
I want to try a water birth, and there is no guarantee at the hospital.
I want to try hypnobirthing, and would feel more relaxed and less judged at home.
No worry about getting home after the birth.
Being able to sleep in my own bed, shower in my own shower, eat my own food etc..
I don't want any pain relief other than gas and air, and water hopefully.
All my friends who have had a home birth have said how great it is!

For hospital birth-
We don't have a lot of room, and to have the pool, it would have to go in the conservatory.
DH is stressing a bit about the practicality of the pool (how to fill it/ empty it/ clean it/ blow it up etc)
All the clean up would put me off, both before and after. I would want to give birth somewhere that is clean, so would be manically cleaning before hand, and then what about all the blood after?
What happens if you need stitches? I had a 2nd degree tear with DS.
Although I am only 10 minutes dash from the hospital, I would worry if something were to go wrong.
I think DH would feel more comfortable in the hospital, and it means a lot to me to have his support.

I don't know what to do, and don't feel like I have got long left to decide. Any advice would be gratefully received

I had a home birth with DD2. It was fab!

Does the pool really have to go in the conservatory? Really? The inflatable ones are not that large. Have you thought about moving furniture when the time comes - we had to push back the sofa and the dining table, but it really wasn't that time consuming. Might be worth a think?

Fill it with a hosepipe. Empty it the same way (they have a pump!). They have disposable liners for all the ick that you just roll up and bin.

I gave birth in the pool. There was no mess anywhere else. Oh, except that the midwife put down towels and the pads they bring for me to lie on the sofa for stitches. Buy/borrow/locate a good angle poise lamp and you're laughing on that score! You don't want dim lighting for that job if it turns out to be night time!

Could you explore with your DH why he feels more comfortable in a hospital? Has he read the place of birth study - being in hospital does not improve outcomes for second and subsequent babies. Being near the technology for whole labours is not statistically what saves lives. And you are far less likely to suffer unpleasant things like forceps yourself (even including those women wh0 end up transferring).

I think DH just worries about the 'what ifs'. Tbh, it does worry me a little bit, but less so I think. I think its the transfer, and what would happen if an emergency situation develops. And the discomfort of transferring to hospital late on in labour. I would hate for something to happen to the baby because I wanted a pool at home!

How big are the pools. I do think it would have to go in the conservatory. The living room is carpeted, and the kitchen is quite narrow. Upstairs a definite no-go.

You can fit a birth pool in a box in the space a small kitchen table takes up. In fact a MW at our home birth group said something like "If you have space for a christmas tree, you have space for a pool" Though not at the same time probably.

You can put a tarp or a couple of big cheap shower curtains on your carpet, and then an old/cheap duvet or blanket on top to make it soft and not slippy. You aren't going to be splashing about a lot though.

If you plan a home birth, you can always transfer with no judgement from the HCPs (actually I thought mine were extra lovely when I transferred) even if you just want more pain relief. CMWs are very good at anticipating trouble, and transferring before things get hairy. They have all the resus equipment, IV fluids etc that they need to cope with most emergencies. However, if you needed a crash section, they would call the unit, and an ambulance, and you would transfer. They would be getting ready for you as you transferred.It takes more than 10 minutes to assemble a surgical team and prep the theatre even in an emergency, the target is 30 minutes IIRC.

Carpets do not prevent you from having the pool in the living room, as NannyOgg has just said. And they are small. Honestly, our house is small and we could fit one.

Discomfort on a transfer is a factor, but as a second timer you are actually far less likely to want to transfer for pain relief. And in a complication, I doubt you are that bothered.

The 'gut' mistake people always make when thinking about home births is thinking that proximity to technology = safer. In fact, the stats disprove that. There will be a tiny number of cases where being at home is a factor, just as there will be hospital cases where under trained doctors stuff up, or whatever. But mostly MWs keep a much closer eye on you at home, and are very good at advising a transfer long before something becomes an emergency. Many 'emergencies' in hospital would not have become so with closer observation, or were allowed to become emergencies because it felt safe to 'wait and see' in hospital. Put bluntly, statistically, being near the operating theatre when in labour doesn't seem to have an impact on outcomes.

Thank you for your help. I will show DH later too. At what point does a MW arrive?

The pool is very easily to manage. Do a practice run on filling it (we timed inflating and filling it ) and that will also mean you have a practice run emptying it. You can empty it using the hose you filled it up with. We have had the hose trailing out of the window and also emptied it with the hose going down the toilet.

Blood - there actually isn't that much. I had physiological 3rd stages and pushed the placenta out once into a bucket (sat on it like I was on the loo) and the next time it came out in the pool. So no blood really.

Anything up to and including a 2nd degree tear can be stitched by the MW in your home.

Sorry, got to dash, boys to put to bed.

Feel free to ask any further questions

Btw I was unsure so booked a hb because you can always just go to hospital if you change your mind.

Cleaning up afterwards? In the blink of an eye the mws had cleaned everything up, put it all in a big black bag and put me in to a lovely warm bath.

I did have a little to myself though as I had to re read your point about having to clean everything before hand. My house is very far from spotless, but I'm guessing it's still a lot cleaner than many hospitals.

The lovely thing about hb's is that the mw stays with you from when they arrive. The 2nd one comes a bit later on although they only ever made it for the 3rd stage with mine as things went too fast.

You can always plan for a hb and then if you change your mind in the coming weeks, you've not lost anything.

hi skies

I am pondering exactly the same as you - but this is my first DC.

Have a look at this site: www.homebirth.org.uk/ There's a section on what can go wrong which I found really useful - From what I can make out the main problem which means speedy access to theatre is crucial is if a cord prolapse happens. Virtually everything else can be dealt with by the midwife team as effectively as if you were in hospital.

I've still not decided either

for a second birth, your baby is ever so slightly safer at home (in terms of serious adverse outcomes)- and significantly less likely to be admitted to neo-natal care than if you go to hospital.

you are more than 3times less likely to have a forceps or c/section delivery if you commence your labour at home.

in terms of mess, that seemed to vanish with the Midwife!
labour takes on average 2 hours less also. (birthplace study)

Thanks for this everyone, very helpful indeed. The midwives do seem very pro homebirth too.

I wasn't induced, but I practically was with DD1. ARM, drip, epidural, forceps. Was medically fine, but personally I found it quite horrific and it took me a long time to get over.

DD2 - in the pool, at home. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. She was born about 6.30am. By 11.30 am all four of us were chilling out on our bed, with everyone gone and everything cleared away. One of the reasons I'm lusting after a DC3 is I'd actually love to give birth again. (I do have better reasons too, I promise!) And I never thought I would say that.

You haven't mentioned your older child, but our home birth was amazing for DD1 too. Because of the time DD2 was born, she woke up in the morning to find she had a sister. DD2 came up to meet her, still wrapped in a towel (the midwife was dealing with me and a stubborn placenta downstairs) with DH and the three of them chilled out for a bit. It was a lovely gentle introduction.

Homebirth for me was the most amazing thing ever. I would not even consider a hospital birth for any future pregnancy as long as I remained low risk. I know it's not for everyone, but I loved it.

This is all really useful, thanks. I would like a home birth too, but know I will have to negotiate with the consultant since my first delivery was an elcs (have had two successful vbacs since though).

Sorry to hijack, but I wondered if anyone had experience of home birth when your nearest hospital is quite a distance. I live in a very rural area, and my nearest hospital is nearly an hour's drive away. Is it too risky?

Having said that, I wouldn't have made it to the hospital with my last birth if I'd lived where I do now - she would have been born on the side of the road!

Thanks for any insight! :)