Has anyone had a homebirth?

[34weeksAndCounting]

Would love to hear your positive homebirth stories :-)

One of the best things I did!
I could relax, mop the floors (I panic about there being housework to do with a new born), watch a film.
My DH could sleep until I needed him.
DC1 was there and came and went quite happily. He got to hold his sister straight away and their bond is amazing.
The midwife was far more relaxed and hands off.
I felt up to visitors straight away as it was my home.
I got to go in my own shower afterwards, drink tea and nap in my own bed.
If all goes to plan, I won't hesitate with DC3.

@Fannyfanakerpants hello! You've just written on my other post about times babies were born 😊 sounds amazing!! How old was your first child when you had the Home birth? My boys are 3.5 and 2, so I'm just hoping they'll be asleep 🙈 xx

Hello. He was just over 2. We had talked to him a lot about what was going to happen and that I might make noises but it was ok. The childrens book Hello Baby is beautiful and about a whole family being present at a homebirth. He was asleep for most of it but woke up about an hour before she was born. My mum was around so she got up with him and played trains but he popped in every so often to see what was going on.
I'm due number 3 in May and plan to do the same again but I'm not sure that my mum's available. Might have to have a friend on stand by.
And in response to your other thread. Yes, both the same time, give or take 20 mins. But I don't know anyone whose had a 3rd and it been the same. My friends a midwife and jokes that you can tell 3rd labours as something always goes off plan.
When are you due?

I opted for a home birth after a very traumatic first birth which included birth injuries

It was brilliant. Laboured/gave birth in the living room while my husband watched spider man

Midwife was relaxed and hands off. My daughter slept through the whole thing (happened overnight) and I got to have a shower after which was lovely

Midwife removed all rubbish and mess

Best choice I could have made. I was secure in the knowledge I’m 5 mins drive from the hospital should anything go wrong

Yes, DC2 and 3 were both born at home. Both were lovely relaxed births in the pool. Midwives were great and just let me get on with it, checking baby’s HR every 15 minutes.

We shipped our older kids off to friends when I was in labour. With DC3 it kicked off around 5am, then my contractions slowed right down when the kids got up. Baby arrived 30 minutes after the children were gone!

I had DC2 and DC3 at home too. Would have had DC4 at home but for a shortage of midwives so I had to go to hospital. The home births were so much nicer for me and everything went well. DC2 would probably have been born in the car anyway if I had tried to get to hospital. DC3 was my one and only much wanted water birth.

@Fannyfanakerpants noooo I don't like the sound of 3rds not going to plan 😂 your home birth sounds lovely though and so nice your little one could be there. We're going to have people on hand to take the boys out if it's in the day and my mum will hopefully be around too, but thinking as we're at home my husband can help with their routine too! I'm due in 6 weeks!!

@Ridingthegravytrain sounds amazing!!!! We're around 10 min drive to the hospital too which is very reassuring but hopefully won't need!

@fizzicles @Mycarsmellsoflavender sounds perfect!! Shane about your 4th @Mycarsmellsoflavender 🙁 hope they don't pull that one on me, lots of shortages in my area!!!

I have had two home births ( and one hospital birth). Words cannot explain how incredible they were. I loved being in my own space with limited interaction with others so I could focus on the task at hand. My 14 montj old watched as his sister was born.

@whinetime89 sounds absolutely beautiful ❤️

Yes just! Couldn’t recommend enough. So much more relaxing and chilled out. No conveyor belt system and they can allow your body to take the time it needs (without speeding things up).
I’ve just had a water birth at home. I was able to take my time (in hospital I would have had my waters broken to speed up contractions) which meant I was able to deliver baby naturally (back to back with cord round neck) without baby getting distressed. Apparently I would have most definitely have had to have a EMCS or forceps delivery otherwise. This is my third I had hospital birth for first and that was most definitely my hardest. This time and last have just been much more relaxed. I’d look into hypnobirthing too

I had a home birth after three previous hospital births. It was fab. Lovely to be in your own familiar environment. DH felt more relaxed because the midwife was there the whole time rather than dipping in and out. Only down side was kids friends knocking on the door!

@Lollipop30 so the birth you've just had at home would have ended in EMCS in hospital??? Really? Under what grounds? Was back to back not really really painful 🙈 I'm worried about having something like that and not being able to manage the pain but I'm thinking it will be easier to manage the pain at home. This is also my 3rd 😊

@yumscrumfatbum sorry had to laugh at kids friends knocking on the door, what happened with that???

I've had 3 and they were all positive empowering experiences.

Ds2 was back to back. He was my first HB and I was a bit worried because ds1 was born in hospital with ALL the pain relief 😂
Anyway my labour with him was about 8 hours start to finish. Pushing was around 2 hrs because of being back to back.
I had no pain relief because the midwife left the gas and air in the car and I just never got round to asking for it.
It was a hard labour but my favourite out of all 4 of my births.

Ds3 was born in the middle of the night. Woke up having an immense contraction and he was born 48 minutes later.
Ambulance and midwives all missed it ;-)

Ds4 was born in the evening. I got pool up, exdp got the other 3 to bed and I laboured in the pool and he was born a few hours later live on my Facebook thread haha
All went smoothly

I had DD1 at home in 2013 and about to have DC2 (40 weeks today)! We have the pool up ready in the kitchen

I'm still nervous as you would be with any birth, but I'm totally ready to do it at home again!

I had similar conversations with the midwife about how my first birth would have gone in hospital. At home they didn't break my waters, so they didn't go until 10mins before DDs head appeared, when they did go, there was meconium, but the midwife decided best to stay in the pool as I was so close. Then head and hand appeared together and she struggled to turn as her shoulders were squashed by her arm. So, I had midwife holding my legs open while I had to try not to push and wait for her to naturally sort it out which she did like a superstar! Apgar score all good and no subsequent problems.

Midwife said that without a doubt, I'd have been taken straight out of the pool at hospital on the sight of meconium, probably slowing birth down, then given what happened with the hand, they would probably have done episiotomy and "help" so I'm really glad I stayed home

If you feel confident enough and have hospital/ambulance station near enough then I'd recommend it to anyone!

@cakeymccakington oh my god! You had 2 hours of pushing, back to back and NO PAIN RELIEF!!!!!!!!! I am speechless!

And the 48 mins one 😱 what happened with no one there, describe the birth please haha x

@PurplePoppySeed eeeek good luck!!!!!!! Please let me know how it goes! Are you anticipating little one being late?

Arghhh the alternative sounds awful doesn't it? My first was an episiotomy and it was horrible. No thanks!!!!

I've had three.home births. All brilliant in their own way. :) I am much happier in my own environment, without the stress and hassle of going to hospital and following their set routines. One on one care from a dedicated midwife (who, tbf, has a low threshold for problems and keeps a keen eye on progress), it's really the way birth should be regardless of location.

My youngest is 1 in a few days and the memories keep flooding back. It was a very speedy birth and I didn't get the expected buildup of contractions; everything just started fast and got faster. I went into transition and started pushing before she arrived, but I was so happy when she did get here - she was a huge support.

Yeah. It just kind of happened. I got into the "zone" and worked through it.
Totally amazed myself pmsl.

Ds3 who took 48 mins was late. I'd had loads of BH but nothing else
Woke up in the night needing the loo, had massive long contraction. Went to toilet, immediately had another long contraction.
Quickly woke my (now ex) dp and told him to get the pool up and filled asap.
He rang midwives who said they were an hour away and to ring ambulance if I needed to push before they arrived.

The pain was unreal. Because there was no gradual build up I was literally climbing the walls, didn't know what to do with myself.

Anyway I needed to push so OH rang ambulance who were not keen to send one out just for labouring woman. I remember him telling them that I was absolutely certain tis baby was coming NOW.

I made him put phone down to help me into pool because I hadn't got to use it with ds2 and I was not letting it go to waste.

Got in and with next contraction I delivered the head. Had tis weird moment with head out and nothing else and thought to myself I'm not sitting here waiting so I pushed and pushed and delivered him.

It was lovely just the three of us. I cuddled him in the pool.
Ambulance arrived about 10 mins later and the midwives turned up after another 10.

I was really shellshocked for ages because it was just so sudden!

Thanks ladies for sharing these stories and OP for asking. I’m still a long way off my due date but so far am actively pursuing a homebirth and am desperately hopeful all goes to plan so that I can have it. My hospital has a small but v supportive homebjrth team and I’m 10 mins drive from the hospital so as long as all is straight forward I feel v optimistic.

OP I’ve joined a Facebook group called ‘home birth uk’ and there are lots of positive stories on there.

@34WeeksandCounting

Yes when you go into hospital they tend to hurry things along if they’re not progressing as quickly as they’d like. This happened with my first in hospital too. At that point baby becomes more distressed and they have to then react quickly to get baby out.
My last was back to back too. I’d say it’s just a different sort of pain as a lot more pain in the back than front.

Another one with only positive stories. DC2, 3 and 4 were all home births. DC1 was 14 months when DC2 was born, then DC2 was 22 months, and the. DC3 was 2.5 when DC4 was born. Somehow the siblings never got in the way. DCs 1&2 we watching a dvd. I went in to them, told them the baby was on the way, they got up, plonked themselves in front of the telly and I went to the bedroom and had her. DC4 was a bit touch and go, I managed to get them all bathed and into bed before going into full on Labour about 6.30pm and she was born by 7.30.

Funny thinking about it now, that was 10 years ago.

Had two home water births, both fab. With my first started contractions at midnight, left DH in bed and went downstairs and tried to chill! Got him up at 6am to phone the midwife and sort the pool. Midwife here at 7am, in the pool at 8am, gas and air, 8lb 5oz baby born at 1pm. Skin to skin and first breastfeed in the pool. Had a retained placenta which wasn't pleasant but midwives sorted it out (injection, more gas and some pulling).
Second time, contractions started at teatime, midwife and student came 1030pm, pool soon after, gas and air, lot more crowning pain this time but when she weighed in at 9lb 8oz and 98th percentile head I realised why! Had skin to skin and breast feed in the pool. Retained placenta again, sorted same way. Hardly any intervention apart from temp (me and pool)/pulse/baby heart rate.
Not planning on another baby but would recommend home birth every time if the situation allows. Good luck!