Home birth and neighbours

[Milsplus3]

I’m hoping to have a home birth with my next (and last!) baby.
My worries are that I have bad neighbours either side of me. The walls are very thin and I can hear one side constantly fighting, they have loud music regularly and like to make a lot of general noise. The other side have a dog that barks for hours upon end.
I’m fairly quiet in labour, I don’t scream or anything, but with midwives and a crying baby there will obviously be some noise. I’m not concerned about disturbing the neighbours after the way they treat us, I’m concerned their noise will disturb me and make the Labour unenjoyable and stressful. If I can hear the shouting one side and the dog barking the other, it might ruin the experience for me. Plus just knowing they can hear and know what’s going on will feel like an intrusion in a way, they’ll know my baby is born before family etc. I don’t want my birth choice to be decided by those factors though.
Would you still go ahead with a home birth with these issues? Am I being unfair to consider it? Am I overthinking it and I won’t actually care during the birth?

Our house is rented and we will be moving in 2-3 years when our landlord plans to sell, but I’m worried I’ll get really sentimental and attached to it after having my baby here. Did anyone find it hard moving from the house they gave birth in?

I would be more concerned that it's likely to be off putting for you, probably one of the last things I'd have wanted to hear during labour (wouldn't have cared closer to the birth)- any noise you make is natural and it wouldn't be for long so I wouldn't worry much about that to be honest. Aside from the fact they might be pathetic and turn their music up etc if you are loud. I have birth in a birthing centre it was lovely, at the moment as you have your own room partners are allowed to stay throughout as well here, obviously varies though.

I had two home births in our old military quarter. I was devastated to leave it and was very sentimental about the home. On the day we left, once the furniture had gone, I sat On the floor in the place I gave birth and sobbed and sobbed, uncontrollably.

But, I am still glad I had my home births there and wouldn’t have changed my birth plan because it was a rented property.

I also had my next door neighbour in the kitchen as I had my second home birth. They’d had to call an ambulance as there was a possibility I might have needed to transfer and we needed someone there to have the other dc. So she met my baby before any family even knew it had happened. I never really thought about it tbh. It was just the Way it was. I loved my home birth experience and found the whole experience very positive.

Get some calming music ready to play.

Thanks for your replies ladies. I have a white noise machine I regularly use already, so I guess that could be an option with headphones if it’s unbearable.
Sorry to hear that’s how you felt Maryann, that’s my concern too as I get very attached to places with memories. When I moved out of my first house with my first baby I was devastated as that had been where I brought her home from hospital, so an actual birth here does make me doubt my plan.
I considered if I post a polite note and some chocolates to let them know and ask them to keep the noise down as will I, but I know it will come across passive aggressive and they may be noisier on purpose to annoy me if I warn them.

I would suggest music, headphones if you want to, hypnobirthing scripts, make your bubble, block out their noise and don't worry about yours. As for leaving a house your children were born in... I don't have experience of this but we have moved a lot!!!

I had a homebirth and had affirmations and my playlist going through my headphones. Once I took them off I had my music playing in the background. By the time I took my headphones out and in transition, I couldn’t have told you if a brass band was playing in my garden lol the way I see it you’ll have noise everywhere. Labouring woman and doors opening and closing on the labour ward too. You just make it work. And yes they will most likely hear you, my neighbours did but thought it was my dog howling only after a day or so did they realise it was actually me!

Thank you, I think I will wait and see how things go, I may get lucky and have new neighbours by then. I’m fine with all noise generally but the shouting, music and barking really irritates me in a way I’ve never had before. I like to record my births too so the last thing I want is their noise in the background.

Have you looked at local birthing centres?

Do you have any very close family members where you could have baby instead?

My DH couldn't even concentrate on our online NCT session because of the noise of neighbours f-ing and blinding at each other, can't imagine trying to labour through it too 🙈

That’s what I fear Margo, if I was a loud birther I could possibly drown it out
There isn’t anywhere else I can go unfortunately and if I look into birthing centres I may aswell just have a hospital birth. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what the situation is like when the time comes. Thanks for all replies.