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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

home or hospital birth?

29 replies

leannestudiowest · 14/09/2015 15:52

Wondering what peoples opinions are about a home birth and hospital birth. Which one did you choose and why?

OP posts:
NewLife4Me · 14/09/2015 16:01

I would have liked a hb each time but wasn't to be.
The first, they said not recommended for first births.
The second they said not advisable as very quick labour the first time.
The third I had gd and had had a retained placenta with no2 so once again, not advisable.

Looking back, even though I'd have been happier with a hb, they were all relatively quick stays apart from ds1 who was 10 days as that was policy then.

SpaggyBollocks · 14/09/2015 16:04

my home is only averagely hygienic. I live at least 40 minutes (in good traffic, under blue flashing lights) from the nearest hospital. I wanted heavy duty pain relief.

and I just thought of the mess. ugh.

hospital every time for me.

Pigwitch · 14/09/2015 16:10

I like the idea of a home birth but in a reality I couldn't do it for lots of reasons. All 3 of my dc's were hospital births.
We were too far from the nearest hospital for a start, DP wasn't keen
on the idea at all either.
It was the right choice for us in the end with dc2 - she was 'flat' at birth and required resus. I'm not sure what would have happened had I delivered her out of the hospital setting.
So many things can go wrong eg. Shoulder dystocia - if that happened in your home you and baby would be fucked.

naturalbaby · 14/09/2015 16:11

I knew I would labour better at home. I was 5mins from hospital and the mw was very reassuring about the support I'd get at home.

The main reason I chose home birth was because I wanted to be left alone - and I was. The midwife just sat in the corner making notes.

I had a water birth twice so all the mess was in the pool which got emptied into the outside drain afterwards. The midwives took away a bag of clinical waste and I was left with dinner in my own bed.

Cerseirys · 14/09/2015 16:13

I went for the middle option, which was a birth centre in a hospital. It was on the floor below labour ward, so if anything went wrong I could be whisked up there. Fortunately nothing did and I had the water birth I wanted!

wonkylegs · 14/09/2015 16:18

I don't really get a choice as I have an underlying medical condition to complicate things so hospital is always for me but both my SIL's went for home births with birthing pools for their last children. One was fine ( she has other children and lots of space for the pool etc), the other has a tiny house and it was a bit of a squeeze, it started off ok but she transferred to hospital close to the end as it was more difficult than anticipated and she was getting tired and stressed.

Topsy34 · 14/09/2015 20:54

Home birth everytime. Had ds at home, was lush, my own surroundings, no change of midwife, no fussing, no checks. And my own mug and my own bed after.

There really wasnt any mess, we had a absorbant sheet covering the floor, midwives put the 4 towels in the wash and dh emptied the pool with a pump.

The following morning you wouldnt have known i had given birth in the lounge.

There isnt actually any reason not to give birth at home for the first birth, my mw actually suggested it with ds (my first) because i really didnt want to be in a medical setting.

This time round we will be home water birthing again and i cannot wait.

WinterForest · 14/09/2015 21:40

I think hb sounds lovely but if I had done that I would have died. I needed an emergency c-section last minute at the hospital. It was a rough 24 of labour only to end in a c-section when my son's breathing became erratic and I was starting to have low blood pressure. So because of complications I'd pick a hospital birth.

onthematleavecountdown · 14/09/2015 21:44

Topsy**

My friend thought like u. Wanted a lovely home birth. Her husband changed her mind. Thank god because an hour after he was born the she had a sudden massive haemorrhage. Was in theatre within 4 mins. If it had been just 5 mins more she'd be dead. She would have been dead if she had a home birth. She is young fit and healthy. Low risk easy pregnancy. You can't predict these things.

It's rare but happens.

Parietal · 14/09/2015 21:44

hospital, because if there is a real crisis then help is right there.

A good hospital can give you support & let you move around and have nice music and all the fluffy stuff you get in a home birth. but with the crash team next door if needed.

RhinestoneCowgirl · 14/09/2015 21:50

I had both my babies at home. For me it was because I wanted continuity of care from a midwife, not one who was trying to attend to several labouring women on a busy ward.

The bonus was that I was more relaxed as I was in my own environment, but that wasn't main reason for choosing home birth.

I also approached births in terms of labouring at home for as long as I could, was perfectly happy to go into hospital if needed.

SliceOfLime · 14/09/2015 21:55

Hospital for me. Luckily mine has a birth centre so there are birth pools, midwife care etc available. I actually felt more relaxed in hospital than at home - I wanted to be away from familiar stuff and in an environment that was clinical and neutral, where my total focus was on the labour and birth. Plus the security of knowing the medical help is there if you need it actually helped me to relax. I know some people would say the opposite but that is how I feel. And in retrospect it turned out there was a fair amount of mess both times so I'm glad that someone else was in charge of cleaning that up!

nicoleshitzinger · 15/09/2015 14:46

"Shoulder dystocia - if that happened in your home you and baby would be fucked."

Happened to me at a homebirth and it all turned out fine.

OP - it all depends on your circumstances and what's important to you. If this is your second or subsequent baby and you are healthy the research suggests homebirth is no more risky for your baby, and significantly less risky for you because of reduced likelihood of surgery and all the risks that go with it.

nicoleshitzinger · 15/09/2015 14:47

Oh - mess is not the mothers business, it's for the midwives/DP to deal with.

RolyPolierThanThou · 15/09/2015 15:04

A homebirth isn't as dangerous as people think. Yes, complications can occur and interventions become necessary but it's extremely rare for that to happen without plenty of warning to the midwife. Even something as dangerous (potentially fatal) as a cord prolapse (which means the cord has appeared before the baby and will become constricted during the second stage, depriving the baby of oxygen) but in this case the mw would ring an ambulance, and have her hand up you to hold the baby's head up into the uterus until you can get to theatre - a marvellous sight for the neighbours, I'm sure.

Even in hospital it can take 15 minutes to prep for theatre for which you'd wait. If you were being blue lighted to the hospital from a homebirth all that prepping will be going on while you are en route. In other words, you may not lose any time at all.

Midwives can generally spot a potential problem even an hour ahead, so even an emergency c section will have had plenty of signals.

I had an intervention-heavy first birth an ended up in theatre but it was plain quite early on that things weren't going well. I knew an hour beforehand that forceps were looking likely. Had I not already been at the hospital I'd have just transferred.

My second birth was so easy I wish I'd had a hb but the trauma of my first experience had put me off.

Considering a hb this time around, though.

LemonBreeland · 15/09/2015 15:10

I had a hospital birth fro DC1, and home births for DC2 and 3. I would not have had a home birth for DC1, it is too unknown, and I wanted lots of drugs! Little did I know there would be no time for drugs.

My fast labour and only gas and air made me choose a home birth for DC2. I also hated being in hospital. My home birth with DC2 was a wonderful experience, so relaxed, and there is nothing better than getting into your own cosy bed afterwards. So of course I had a home birth with DC3 too.

Pteranodon · 15/09/2015 16:31

Home. I had dc1 at home and dc2 in hospital as induction for placental issue and we'd have been safer at home, even with him needing resuss (HV midwives bring oxygen). My husband couldn't get a midwife to come over until our baby was crowning, bc I wasn't making a noise (I wasn't able to call out in either labour, didn't have the energy), it was so stressful. At home we had one and later two midwives focussing on just my birth, and far lower risk of iatrogenic harm.

Pteranodon · 15/09/2015 16:31

HB midwives

Lightbulbon · 15/09/2015 16:35

I've had both. There is no reason for someone like me who is low risk and has easy births to go to hospital.

Hospital is for sick people and unless something's wrong pregnancy isn't an illness.

Pigeonpost · 15/09/2015 18:43

First birth was hospital induction. It was hideous. Everything went wrong. Baby in Nicu, scbu and home after 5 days. Second time round the baby literally fell out 10 minutes after walking into the delivery room, I had no idea it could be so easy. So third time round I went for a Hb. Much longer labour but in my house so waaaaaay more relaxed. Had a lovely bath etc. 5 mins blue light ride from hospital if necessary. Baby came out with cord round neck but mw just hooked it off. I was on my knees over a birth ball in the living room with mats provided by the mw on the floor. I stayed on my knees until the placenta came out then moved onto the sofa where I stayed for two hours whilst DH made a delicious breakfast and woke DC1 and 2 up to tell them. After two hours I was showered, dressed and made up. It was FAB!! Most painful labour by a long way (apparently I was doing so well that I didn't need G&A?) but still better than previous as no ridiculous long wait to get discharged. Lots to think about it but it worked for us.

CityDweller · 16/09/2015 15:23

Second-hand stories like onthe and winter's really irk me. It is impossible to know what the outcome would have been if they'd been at home. Chances are they would have transferred as rarely is an 'emergency' completely unforeseen by the mw. HB mw are very risk-adverse! Hb mw are also trained to deal with shoulder dystocia.

As a counter piece of total non-evidence, I have a friend who had a stillbirth in hospital whose baby most likely would have survived if she'd been at home. (Turned away due to busy hospital, raced to then get back in time later, nowhere for her to give birth, ended up on a sofa in waiting room, baby asphyxiated in birth canal because they didn't realise it was in distress, etc - truly heartbreaking story).

Basically, go for what you feel is right for you. I had a hb with my first because I too felt that birth isn't a 'medical' procedure that needs a lot of intervention. It was completely straightforward (I think DD had cord round her neck, but that was a total non-issue - mw just whipped it off as she came out). However, I wasn't stupid about it - at the first whiff of trouble or on mw advice I would have transferred. Similarly, I have no opinion on other's birth decisions. ELCS what you want? Great, go for it. Full epidural? Ditto. (I do reserve the right to raise eyebrows at cavalier freebirthers and the like, though).

ThereGoesaTenner · 16/09/2015 21:57

I wanted a home birth but got forced into a hospital birth because it was my first baby. I will never have another hospital birth or baby again. There's no way of knowing that had I not been at hospital I would have been fine or not. The only thing that maybe would have been different was my son's state afterwards, he wasn't crying or anything, but homebirth midwives I'm sure still deal with that.

I don't even know why they make you go to hospital with your first baby. I really didn't want to. I've still not dealt with it years later.

CathLill · 17/09/2015 21:05

Home, hopefully!

As pp said, I don't think birth should be a medical thing and hospitals are for illness. You've less chance of intervention at home and the full attention of at least 1 mw (I had 2).

I had #1 ds in a mw unit which was lovely, it had closed by the time #2 came along so we went for hb. It was hard, but I felt completely safe throughout.

Am hoping for hb this time (only 14 weeks!) but am on Clexane and not sure of my mw views yet??

Check out homebirth.org, I've just discovered it and it has loads of info which might be helpful. It's a really personal choice though, good luck.

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 18/09/2015 14:39

1 hospital and two homebirths here. There won't be a 4 but if there were that would be another home birth.

Katieemilyxo · 28/09/2015 15:26

Definitely a hospital birth you have everything there you need straight away if something happened to you or your baby I bled loads when having my baby and needed blood soon as possible my mum also had shoulder disochia and her son (brother) came out dead and had to be bought back to life without being in hospital he wouldn't of made it. I would only have a home birth if there was no complications in the scans or being pregnant and there was no past history of any bad births in the family