First baby - homebirth

[DashingRedhead]

Sorry to add yet another homebirth thread, but all the previous threads seem to be either started or answered by people having second or later babies at home. I'm planning a homebirth and it's my first. Is there anyone out there who did it successfully?

A midwife told me that 40% of first-time mums planning homebirths end up transferring to hospital and that the reason is usually maternal exhaustion. She said the secret is not to throw yourself into it too early, save your energy and pretend nothing is happening for a while. If you peak too early, you won't make it.

Anyone else have any useful advice for me? Thanks.

sounds like good advice. Have you been to this website

hi dashingredhead

i didnt have a home birth, would have loved to though - was too far along when I heard about it, however I was at home for 11 and a half hours of a twelve and a half hour labour. So I got to the hospital with an hour to spare and 8cms dilated. All I did was take a shower, hung over the back of the sofa, went and sat on the toilet (gravity is great!) which did wonders and even did some washing (mum's idea). Just relax and let your body tell you what it wants to do.
Good Luck!

Thanks Stefallie - I was beginning to wonder if all first-timers spend the early stages of labour rushing to hospital and being sent home again! Can't seem to find anyone who stayed put for that long!

Toady - I have looked at that site, thank you, and although it's incredibly useful and informative in many ways, I always need to find out a bit more!

I had a home birth for my first and it was fantastic. (They told me this figrue too.) I've had four home births altogether and I can highly recommend it.

I can also recommend some books if you like reading about these things.

I would love to have a home birth for my second (not ttc as yet), but we will be travelling around australia at the time so I dont think it will be an option. Maybe with the third (if I can twist DP arm once again!
How far along are you DashingRedhead?

I'm currently trying to negotiate a home birth for my first... I too had seen the 40% statistic (which was really handy when the midwife started spouting that "most" first timers transfer). Alas she is more wily than me and has now started to come up with more reasons that it would be a bad idea to be at home... I have another appointment on Friday to "discuss it further"...

If you were after more info, have you seen MIDIRS there are loads of useful leaflets on there; 2 particularly on home birth, 1 ("for professionals") which has all the research papers referenced....

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I baked too! Cinnamon buns, which we all ate after DD was born.
In the early stages, I baked and watched TV. Later on DH and I sat on the bedroom floor (we put a plastic sheet down, then towels etc, and made a sort of nest) we were quite tired and kept falling asleep between contractions! DH pushed on my back when I had a contraction and reminded me about my breathing.
DD was born onto the floor next to the bed. Then the midwives and DH helped me and DD up into bed and covered us with duvets while we waited for the afterbirth.
One tip is to make your bed, then cover it with a plastic sheet, then put some towels/newspapers down, then make it again. That way, DD and I got into bed all messy, but after the afterbirth and all the checks, we both got cleaned up a bit, and meanwhile the midwives stripped the bed back to just under the plastic sheet and it was a ready-made fresh bed to get back into.

The only book I had was 'Ina May's guide to childbirth' by Ina May Gaskin . It's very hippie (not quite the right word, but...) for example they talk about 'rushes' instead of contractions, BUT: it is a book about giving birth without medical intervention, and I think that can be quite a useful thing.

I had my first at home successfully. I am now of the belief that the first is most important to go well because it will set the blueprint for future births.
I think the 40% figure in terms of 60% of first time mums achieve their aim of a home birth, which means 60% of them have a non-intervention natural birth which is better than the national average, so by planning a home birth you are giving yourself the best chance.

Your midwife's advice was good by the way. For me it was just 8 hours of labour but that was tiring enough.
My advice is to unplug the phones. We had my mother calling at 1.30am the night before to ask how it was going - and then 2 further calls when I was in labour.

I stayed at home until I was in transition with my first (and did that make for a fun drive to hospital - NOT) and am planning a homebirth for my second.

I used TENS at first & watched TV then put on some classical music when the Tv got irritating. Got in the bath when TENS stopped helping and stayed there till I was too sore & feeling pressure. In retrospect I wish I'd planned a homebirth as things slowed right down when I got to hospital and I had a long second stage.

My advice is move around plenty, listen to what you body tells you - instinct told me to get in the bath at exactly the right point and have someone around you feel really relaxed & comfortable (no offence to DH but I'm going to make sure my mum is with me this time too!!)

Good luck - wish I'd had the confidenece in my ability to labour to do this BUT that is with the benefit of hindsight!

Sadly, the NHS is so understaffed that even when women book homebirths, they are told on the day that there are not enough midwives to go out to them. Booking an independent midwife is an excellent option as very supportive of homebirth and you are guarranteed one to one care for your labour where ever you end up. Check out the Independent midwives association website.

I had my first at home 4 months ago. I wasn't aware of the 40% stat - all my mws were incredibly supportive. I was slightly panicky when they brought round the 'home birth kit' a few weeks before - it was just a big plastic bag with waste disposal stuff and sanitary towels inside! I thought 'is this all we're going to need?!' But I read and read and read - mostly internet stuff and sheila kitzinger, went to yoga classes specifically for pregnant women and used a hynobirthing cd to relax and focus in the days leading up to the birth. I had a 15 hour labour but I wasn't tired during it at all - it was incredibly relaxed. However, during the second stage, I found the mws were really egging me on to push even though I didn't really feel like it. They told me afterwards that they don't let you push for long at home. I'd imagine this is related to the maternal exhaustion thing. This may be something you want to ask about? The bottom line is that even by thinking about a home birth, you're giving yourself the best chance for a non-intervention birth, so go for it. It was an amazing experience for me and if I go on to have more children, I wouldn't think about doing it any other way, it was fantastic.

Sharklover, it doesn't matter one jot if they say they are understaffed when you phone in in labour. They have to attend you at home if you want. It is their legal responsibility to do so, sadly very few women know this.

I had DS at ohme - first baby. It was a planned homebirth but i was a complete coward and didn't tell my GP/midwife until I was 30 weeks gone!

It was BRILLIANT! and no hassle at all. DS was early but I still got my homebirth and actually I think I panicked less being unexpectedly in labour at 37 weeks knowing i could stay at home.

One thing I'd say though - make dammed sure you know all your options on pain relief and when you have ot take any of them for them to work. I had a fast first stage so was 10cm dilated after 30 mins of contractions starting. I couldn't then have the pethidine I wanted because I was too far on in labour, neither could I have the wtaerbirth I'd planned becasue it was all going too fast for the birhting pool to be got up!
Given that the dammed gas and air cannister they brought in a rush didn't work I gave birth woth NO pain relief(they hadn't got around to bringing out the homebirth kit beforehand)

So... ask what has to be done if you want Pethidine and when you should have it. Push for your homebirth kit to be delivered at 35 weeks. Get EVERYTHING ready at 36 weeks! they will try and get you to go in if you go into labour before 37 weeks but after that you're fine to give birth at home, and you want to be ready.
I kept getting told that all first babies go to at least 40 weeks and every examiniation said I was nowhere near ready and would go to 41 weeks, then out he popped!

P.S (actually I'm sure DS was only 36 weeks by my dates and he was fine and healhty so feel free to push for a homebirth from 35 weeks onwards!)

Hi everyone,

Thanks SO much for all the advice and encouragement - so many top tips on pain relief, bedding etc! I must say that in our area, the homebirth rate is v high (Brighton & Hove - nearly 10%) and the midwives have been very encouraging indeed. It was actually my community midwife who encouraged me to think of it as a viable possibility; I hadn't really considered it seriously before. The midwife who told me the 40% stat only told me because I asked (at the NHS antenatal class) and gave me the tip so I could avoid a transfer.

I've just turned 35 weeks and am seeing the consultant on Monday to get the go-ahead from him, as I had to have a fibroid checked out by scan this week, but my midwife has told me she's happy to book me for a home birth and DH and my parents are all preparing!

I LOVE the tip about baking - I adore baking and find it very soothing, so will bake DH loads of cakes . Ha, domestic goddess has nothing on us!

kittywitts - sadly although there is a legal responsibility and duty of care to attend women - if the unit in the hospital is busy then they have a legal responsibility to stay in the hospital - its a difficult ethical dilemma and a male midwife in London got suspended for attending a homebirth when he had been told not too - and he was off-duty at the time! Unbelievable.

sharklover, I was told be the woman at AIMS that if necessary the have to start sending out the midwifery supervisors, but that they have to find somebody from somewhere .
My midwife came to me for my homebirth even though she wasn't on duty. Her boss gave her a real tongue lashing until my midwife pointed out that if it hadn't been for her then the supervisor would have been called out in the middle of the night ! ;o

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DashingRedhead- Glad you like the baking tip! My waters broke at 3am and I 'killed time' by making my cinnamon buns.
DH says that when he woke up in the morning it was great: something really exciting was going to happen that day (ie. DD's birth) and the house smelt of baking!

Hi DashingRedhead

Good luck! I did the first portion of my last labour at home and it was noticeable that things did slow down once I got into hospital. Your midwife's advice is sound, I think - I got over excited and did too much walking and changing positions early in my labour, not appreciating that it would be 31 hours long. Result was I was a bit out of it by the time it was all over.

Kittywits, I have a different understanding of the legal situation (I probably need to revisit the homebirth.org site), which is that the local authority has a legal obligation to provide midwife care, but not necessarily in a place of your chosing. So if they really cannot find the resources to cover the ward and all homebirths that are booked, they are within their rights to insist you come in. This is a live issue for me right now as I have been told that my local hospital is vastly overbooked for births in Sept/Oct and it might be difficult to ensure a midwife for my homebirth. I made it clear that I have no intention of going in, but if push comes to shove and they really have no midwives available, I don't want to labour on my own, so I'm not sure I'll have an alternative.

Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

They could send out a supervisor but often they are management and very out of touch with normal labour - so would you want someone who is de-skilled and resentful of being there? When you're in labour, you need to feel relaxed and supported and stress-free. No one should have to battle to get a midwife and especially for a first labour when its unknown territory and you dont know how things will go. Homebirth is fantastic but you need the right level of support and if the hospital cant provide it or there is a chance they cant - an independent midwife is worth the money. It makes such a difference.

Gizmo, have a read of this AIMS site stuff about home births, nhs trickery and your rights. It also gives really usful ideas as to what to say/ write in the event of homebirth opposition here

hello
i too have just had my first baby Joseph James Born at 5.26am on Tues 19th ! I had planned a home birth and had an incredibly supportive team of midwives who all actively promote home births (Winchester). My waters broke at 7pm in monday evening and as we needed to go shopping and I felt fine we carried on as normal and did our weekly shop at tescos. Then we came home and watched tv- my choice of channel obviuosly! We went to sleep at around 10.30 as i knew it was going to be a while before anything happened and i would need all of my energy for later. My contractions started to become stronger around 3.30 so we phnoed for some advice but as we were coping well by ourselves and it was so early on we said we didn;t think we needed anyone. By about 4.30 they were almost back to back and by 4.55 i felt ready ro push!! dh called the midwife who said she would be there asap. We were imagining a good hour or so of pushing but Joseph had his own ideas and popped out half an hour later into his daddy's arms. The midwife arrived just in time for his fisrt scream!! I loved ever minute of it and wouldn't change it for the world. I felt completely relaxed adn in control throughout. It funny everyone says you'll know what to do when the time comes and your body almost just gets on with the job in hand! I ended up having to transfer to hospital to have stitches as he had arrived so quickly and was 8lbs 10!! i would def plan for a home birth again- just brilliant!!!

Haven't read all the other postings, but I went for a homebirth first time round. Unfortunately I was transferred - but not because of exhaustion. I just didn't get any pushing contractions once I was fully dilated and none of the three midwives at my home (two midwives and one student) knew what to do with me! Sadly, due to the positioning of my baby, I ended up having an emergency c/s - but I'm still really really glad I tried for a homebirth.

My labour was fairly long (bout 24 hours) and doing it in the comfort of home with 3 attentive midwives was fantastic. For me it took away the fear factor of being in a medicalised environment, and of having to transfer myself to hospital in the middle of labour (I am still baffled by how you're meant to know when to go in, and how on earth you're meant to endure a car journey when you're in labour).

When I did transfer in to hospital it was still a fairly positive experience - I had my gas and air with me in the ambulance, and my husband and supportive midwife. Of course when I got there things got a bit more grim, but I wouldn't have exchanged my home labour experience for the world.

Good luck and I hope you manage to have a successful home birth.

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