Would love to hear about any home birth stories please :o)

[CarrieLouise25]

Providing all is well, am seriously considering a home birth, and would love to hear anyone's experiences of giving birth at home (positive or negative), and any top tips you might recommend or think might be helpful?

Thank you! x

I had a home birth for my first in November and it was lovely. No real negatives that I can think of. It was really nice to be in my own space and wander about/do my own thing. And after DD was born it was lovely to have a shower in my own shower and then curl up on the sofa, and was nice to have DH there and none of having to go anywhere. Oh and proper food. I managed to miss lunch and dinner so made DH phone for a curry before we even told our parents the baby was here would have been unimpressed with a hospital bit of toast.

When are you due? If it's in the Winter then my top tip would be get a little electric fan. Our (old, draughty) house struggled to get to the temp. the midvies wanted so DH had to run to the shop at the end of the road and buy a heater mid-way through. He didn't even ask to skip the queue because I was in labour, waited patiently and had a nice chat, I think!

Don't think I have any other home birth-specific tips, to be honest. Everyone says biscuits for the midwives, but mine refused biscuits and even tea! (I had a fairly quick labour, though).

I had a homebirth in june 2009. Cant think of anything negative to say about it all. It was a brilliant experience, my midwives were lovely. I had a student midwife as well and she was also very respectful of all my choices.

I had a pool in th lounge and used hypnobirthing, 6 hour labour and no stitches.

I showed the midwife where tea/biscuits were when she came a few weeks before and she asked where the pool would be and a few other bits

We will be home birthing with this baby in november too

Following as I'm due in a couple of weeks and planning a homebirth too :)

soundsystem - how lovely. Everything you've mentioned are the very reasons I'd love to do it. Due February (I know, long way off!) but it will be cold, so thank you for the tip on keeping warm!

I LOVE the sound of a curry after! And snuggling up on my own very comfy sofa and not in a hospital bed. Biscuits for the midwives, noted (if the kids don't find them and eat them all first!)

Topsy34 - Obviously it was so lovely, you're doing it again, so that's great! I think using a pool would be a great idea. I used a pool for DC2, but it was luck we got the pool and no one was using it. At home you'd be guaranteed the pool. Good luck for November! x

misskatamari - ooo, that's brilliant! Please update us on how you get on, and lots of luck to you, hope everything goes just the way you want x

A cup of tea and snuggled up in your own bed after is lovely, i slept SO well!!

I had two home births (both summer babies) after a hospital birth and they were brilliant. Best part is having midwives with you the whole time (compared to being left on your own a lot in hospital). I had quick labours and all went very smoothly. After the birth, paperwork etc, I had a bath, then got in to my own cosy bed!

I aimed for a home birth and laboured for two days at home. It was great, very calm and even had a stream of girlfriends coming to visit! After two days the midwife suggested I go into hospital as I wasn't progressing. I am glad I did even though it became very medicalised and ended in a c-section.

Downside was my DM dropping a bottle of gas and air on my foot mid contraction.

I´ve had three of my four at home and all three births were wonderful. I had straightforward, fast labours with no complications.

Pros
I like being at home
DH was there the whole time and didn´t have to leave after (all were born in the wee small hours)
tea and toast on tap
having a shower in my own bathroom
getting back in my own bed with my new baby and DH (the absolute best bit)
lovely supportive midwives

Cons
errrrrrrr ...... I can´t think of any tbh

I planned a home birth with DC2. She had other ideas! Always have a contingency plan!
Bag packed and route in the sat nav!

I've had three at home.

Pros

own bedroom/stairs/kitchen/living room
clean shower/loo
eating as and when (I made a victoria sponge once to keep my mind off contractions)
no interference from MW and doctors - no VE every four hours!
DC met their brother or sister straight way

Cons

keeping MIL and DM at bay - as soon as we didn't answer the phone, they turned up. DH had to get quite shouty to get rid of them

I've had a hospital birth - 14 hours - and a home birth - 3 hours. No comparison tbh. Obviously the second birth was the home one, so I don't know if that was the reason labour was so much shorter, but I think it was down to being relaxed, in my own space. It wasn't, as I recall, even very painful. I was starting to push down the toilet as the first midwife arrived. DS was born in our bedroom, went into DS1's room to be introduced while they were seeing to me afterwards (a few stitched as I pushed quite fast) and then we all popped into bed together afterwards. It was absolutely blissful apart from DH making the midwives tea and forgetting about me.

I had my middle of 3 children at home - no. 3 would've been a HB too but due Xmas so complicated to find childcare for dc1&2 and I knew I wanted them out of house.

Was my best labour, not quicker or less painful than others, just nicer. Especially loved being at home afterwards, comfy and safe in my own space. And with my own bath and shower when ever I wanted.

No real negatives and dh feels it was most moving experience he has had. Only one of our 3 DC births he has cried at.

I had a homebirth with my third baby, my first two hospital births were fine but the MW suggested it might be nice to have DC3 at home. The only negative for me was that the MW on call was one I didn't know and at first she didn't seem convinced I was in labour - she apologised when she arrived and luckily the second MW was my own so that helped.

DC3 was born in late January so once I realised I was in labour the heating was put on as our house is cold - it was the only time I didn't care about the bill :) DC1 and 2 were in bed when my waters broke at 9.30pm, pains started just over an hour later. 1.00pm DH had a shower (why I don't know) and I called the MW at around 1.30/2.00 am. MW's arrived at 3.00 and 3.15pm while I was pacing the bedroom which was warm and had just a lamp on so very subdued. DC3 was born at 4.07 and the MW's left at about 5.30am after clearing up all the pads from the floor - not that there was much mess despite her being born while I was kneeling at the end of the bed.

At about 6.30 DH woke DC1 and 2 to tell them they had a baby sister - it was perfect.

I had a home birth for DC3 and it was fantastic.

2 and a half hours after he was born, the midwives had left but not before they had cleared everything away as if nothing had happened and had even put sheets, clothing etc in the washing machine. Me and DH were in bed with the baby in the Moses basket next to us sleeping peacefully.

In the morning, when my other 2 DC woke up they had a quick look at their new brother (they had no idea he had been born in the middle of the night!) then we went down for breakfast as usual with the older 2 while the new addition to the family carried on sleeping.

The only negative for me was that I rushed back to normality way quicker than was necessary. So the day he was born I was tidying, cleaning, looking after the other 2 as I normally would, popped to the shop all while trying to recover and breastfeed. And in truth I didn't need to do all this as my DH was there and willing to do everything. But as I was in my own house it just seemed natural for things to carry on as normal.

While in one way that was great as it made me feel in control and secure, really I could have done with letting go and relaxing as it did affect me physically (for eg. the PP bleeding took much longer to stop than it should have as I kept over exerting myself). With the other 2, I had very different births (1 was epidural, spinal blocks, back to back labour and delivery and ventouse, the other was fast labour and delivery in MLU) but I was able to relax in hospital afterwards and forget my other responsibilities.

Having said all that though, if I were to have any more kids (which I'm not!) then I wouldn't hesitate to have another home birth.

I had a homebirth in march for DC2 and I loved it. My labour was 4 hours from no pains to baby born so quite quick. In fact I sent DP off to work! He and the midwife both arrived an hour and a half before baby was born.

I loved the fact that I didn't have to rush to the hospital and wait in triage etc. If I had I think baby would have been born in the hospital corridor. It really helped me to keep calm knowing I was in my own space and had everything I needed to hand.

Also DC1, 3yo at the time, watched her brother being born. She was fascinated, and while DP stayed by my head she stood at the end of the sofa with the midwife (who talked her through what was happening)and didn't even flinch. The bond she has had with the baby from the first moment is amazing to watch.

And being able to get in my own bath afterwards was great, so much nicer than the hospital.

The 2 midwives and student midwife were so so lovely, let me get on with my thing, never told me what to do or invaded my personal space, which for me was a godsend. And I had one of the midwives do all the visits after, which I much preferred to the handful of strangers I had after dc1s birth.

I also had no stitches, only a very small tear, and strangely it didn't even hurt to wee after unlike DC1, which was stitches and eye watering stuff.

When/if I have another one I will definitely opt for a homebirth again.

Negatives: the only negatives I can think of were all my own fault like sending DP to work and thus spending half my labour rushing around finding all the sheets and towels and packing the hospital bag just in case, and being too engrossed in pushing out a human to remember to cancel the dishwasher repair man he came just as I was getting in the bath and the midwives were clearing up and getting baby cleaned up and dressed. In my defence, DC2 was born a week early and I thought he'd be late.

My top tip: if you aren't having a birthing pool, shower curtains (for under the sheets etc to catch all the mess) are less than a fiver on amazon and do the job very well

Thank you all so much for all your replies! I love reading them

So far everything sounds very positive and I'm actually getting quite excited by everything now, which is odd for me, as I've been dreading the labour experience again.

I love the fact that there is someone there all the way through, and the comfort afterwards.

Although, I hear what you're all saying on doing things too quickly afterwards!! I think (if I can) I will try and do absolutely nothing (although in reality I'm not sure that will happen

Alwayssunny - thanks for sharing, and yes, both sides please so I can make a informed choice as much as possible. I didn't think of coming early! Both mine have been very late, so I'm just (stupidly) assuming this one will be too. I think you're absolutely right, it has to be the right decision that you're confident with. So sorry for the trauma you went through.

Wolfiefan - great advice, I will have a back up plan and not focus completely on home birth and nothing else. Thanks!

MairzyDoats - haha, I have this vision of DH and the midwives having a lovely chat and a cup of tea whilst I labour on. At the hospital he gave me his undivided attention, and I want that here too!

Thanks for all the top tips and advice, all being noted

I had a hb with DC1 and am planning one with my second. It was great. Partly cos I'm a lazy sod and liked the idea of everyone coming to me, rather than me having to travel to hospital in labour, to potentially get sent home if I wasn't 'in labour enough'.

As it was, it was all very straightforward. The (NHS) midwives were absolutely great. I moo'ed like a cow and bellowed like an elephant in the privacy of my own tiny flat only waking up one neighbour

Was great not having to go anywhere after the birth too. And while we had bf problems, the community mw team were great at getting a bf supporter round to come to us, etc. As most others say ^^ no regrets at all and no negatives that I can think of especially as DH cleaned up the pool and generally tidied up while I dozed with the new baby

I recommend www.waterbabybirthingpoolhire.co.uk for birth pool rental. Very user-friendly, everything you need and felt like great value at £90. Will be renting one from them again for round 2.

Good luck!

This is not a plug for my blog at all (as I never write on it anymore!) but I wrote DD's homebirth story on there so have a look if you like.

Currently 38+5 with DC3 and hoping for another wonderful HB experience in the next couple of weeks!

Good luck

Birth Story Part 1

Birth Story Part 2

CityDweller - thanks for recommending the birth pool rental website, I will definitely look at that, as I really do want the pool. Brilliant you had a straightforward home birth, and you're happy to do round 2! x

TerrysNo3 - haha, no worries! I will look at your blog now over a cup of tea. You're nearly there, I'm so jealous. Only 14 weeks, still sickness, and now SPD has kicked in early, so it feels like a prison sentence at the moment. Very good luck for your third, hope all goes well with another home birth x

I've loved reading this thread, thanks for posting op :) planning my first home birth for dc3 next year, all being well.

How exciting MouldyPeach! - I'm hoping 3rd time lucky will be a much better birth experience! Good luck with yours, hope it goes well x

Thank you carrie :)

I had a lovely home birth in April and my then 5 year old was there when his sister was born! It was a lovely intimate family experience!

My only con is a bit similar to mentioned above, I was pottering about cleaning and tidying the same day, took DS to school the next day ect and I feel that it make my DP feel that it wasn't a big a deal as it was so didn't muck in to help at all after, or ever since. Spent most of his paternity having lay ins and at the gym

torn I have 2 DCs 11 & 6 and I suppose that's one thing I'm worried about, not so much them being there but how they'll feel if something goes wrong & I have to transfer to hospital. Can I ask what helped you decide having your DC there? I'd love mine to share the experience.