Any have their first baby at home?

[naturelover]

I'm hoping to have mine at home but am getting lots of negative comments from people. Midwife is not anti but is at pains to remind me I'll get no pain relief except gas & air. I'm hoping hypnobirthing methods will help.

Have been reading Ina May and it's very inspirational.

I live very close to the hospital.

I'd love to read your experiences of home births for first babies. Did you transfer? Any regrets? Any advice?

wow cheritongirl! well done you. sounds as though your birth was amazing.

cx

Sorry haven't read the whole thread but thought you might like to hear a really positive home birth story! My bf had a little girl two weeks ago. It was her first and she had planned a home birth. She had ordered a birth pool and a tens machine in advance, and from my own experience I know how much relief the pool can give. She was lucky enough to have a very short labour, no time even to get the pool set up but she did make good use of the tens machine and the baby was delivered two hours after the midwife arrived. She only used a gas and air to deliver the placenta and needed a couple of stiches which the midwife did herself. It all went really well and I think it really helped that she was in relaxed surroundings.
Your midwife does not sound very encouraging! Mine was always going on about me having a home birth but I had chosen to go to hospital where I only had gas and air and use of the pool during a very long and difficult labour. I hope to have a home birth next time but it is always worth remembereing that, especially as you are near the hospital, you can change your mind and go in! Your birth plan doesnot have to be set in stone, it is best to be open to all possibilites. Call on Lulumama for more advice Good luck with whatever you decide!

oh, also, forgot to say.... I did have a bit of a bleed afterwards (mw said about 400ml, and that 500ml is classed as a haemorrage) so couldn't deliver placenta naturally as planned. Had had a bit of an internal tear because ds came out with hand by head, and they debated whether to stich me, said it would be really painful if they did etc, They waited to see if the bleeding stopped naturally, which thankfully it did. They said that had i been in hospital i would have been taken straight to theatre and stiched.

I had my DS at home 5 weeks ago - was great, and I HUGELY recommend it. Was very relaxing being at home, and I think that may have contributed to our baby being really chilled out as well. Go for it!
(PS I used TENS and water and the Natal Hypnotherapy CD (brilliant), but never needed the gas and air.)

Hi I am also first time pregnant and have decided on a home birth with an independent midwife. Have to admit there is still a small fear inside me as to whether I have made the right decision as a couple of people have asked me about insurance and that if anything went wrong and the baby was disabled because of negligence I won't be covered in any way. I feel I shouldn't be looking at it in a negative way at all so have ignored this so far but did it worry anyone else?

hi patty.. i had an NHS mw so i didn't really think about the insurance thing, but i know that i did have niggling anxiety that i was actually being crazy not to be in hosp(as so many people thought!) - but underneath all that I just had a very strong instinctive feeling that haveing a HB was going to best for baby and me. I hope you can find peace about your decision - all the best
p.s. sorry in my glowing HB story i forgot to mention what someone else also said: i bled an awful lot so they used syntometrin (sp?) which really helped - i had asked for this only to be used if really necessary so it obviously was. Also had 2nd degree tear and the stitching was pretty painful as they ran out of G&A and i was knackered - took a couple of weeks to be able to walk properly. But it was still a great and positive experience!

Wow, thanks everyone for the positive home birth stories. I feel more sure than ever that this is what I want. And thanks for the various recommendations too.

Most of all, congratulations to all you new mums.

I had two at home but not my first. This was a mistake ini retrospect as I already knew I wanted home births and should have had the courage to do the first one at home as well. I would not then have had to fend off the obstetrician who decided that I'd occupied the labour ward for quite long enough. I ended up having him the nature-designed way in the end after six hours in second stage, but do wish I had told that ob to f*ck off. It would have been a good memory...

The next two labours were lovely (well, sodding painful, but gentle and unhurried and MINE). Can't recommend it enough.

thanks cheritongirl, I do feel deep down that a homebirth makes sense to me, appreciate your support and it's great to read all these positive stories