To homebirth or hospbirth?

[WhoUsedMyName]

Please send me your home birth stories I want all the pros & cons please

I haven't had a home birth. I had a fast and easy first labour. I then had a massive post partum haemorrhage. Thank goodness I was in hospital.

I had two home births, with my second and third children. My first was very straightforward and quite fast (2.5 hours all in) and I disliked the post natal experience in hospital intensely. My midwifery team actually recommended I consider it. With ds2 it was a literal dream birth. The pain never felt overwhelming, I was incredibly relaxed and confident and secure. I had him standing next to my bed with the midwife guiding my hands to catch and lift him as his body delivered, my waters never broke and his head was born in the caul. It was amazing. He was latched on and feeding within 2 minutes of coming out! No tearing for me, I honestly felt within a few days like I hadn't given birth at all. Ds3, a bit different as he was born with both hands up and pushing him out took a lot of work plus I had taken against one midwife and lost the plot with rage and pain, but again, overall a straightforward and quick birth. I felt safe- the midwives are professionals, they know their stuff, they bring a lot of kit and can transfer you in at any time if you need it. Home birth was wonderful for me.

Two very different experiences thank you. I love the idea of a home birth my dd was born in the corridor of our closest hospital very fast and my worry is I just won't get there in time so is it worth trying in a panic or not having the worry and staying home.
I then worry a midwife wouldn't be available or what if I did haemorrhage and the ambulance doesn't get there in time. I'm seeing my midwife on Tuesday

As my first was so fast everything was prepared for a home birth for the second, just in case. I went into hospital with twinges and I was already 5cm. He was born two hours later. I felt so well that I could have gone shopping straight after. No pph, but I was kept in so I could be in a safe environment if it happened again. I then passed a clot the size of the baby almost. I now live half an hour by ambulance from the nearest maternity unit and think that's unsafe. If you live within a short drive, go for it.

I had an easy, perfect home birth with DC3. One of the best experiences of my life. My midwife suggested a home birth and after doing lots of my own research I decided to go for it. We lived ten minutes away from hospital which was a major factor in the decision, and DH was on board, which was another. It was my quickest labour at five hours and very straightforward from start to finish with no complications for either of us.

See @DramaAlpaca that makes me really keen to have a home birth

I live thirty minutes form hospital. Made all the arrangements for a home-birth - midwife delivered oxygen, birthing pool all ready, prescription drugs from the gp. In the end though DC didn't arrive on time and consultant wanted me in hospital for induction. Ended up with massive post partum haemorrhage and wasn't in a good way afterwards. My 'dream birth' at home would have been nicer - but the resus team were the ones who saved my life in hospital.

You poor thing it really is going to be 50/50 isn't I'm so undecided

All of mine were born at home. It was wonderful, I felt so comfortable, had two midwives at all times (with my third at one point I had 3 midwives and 3 students!) my husband was of actual use making tea and fetching and carrying.

After the births they sorted all the grim mess out, got me cleaned up and sent me off to my own bed.

My first birth was a bit complex as he was badly positioned and had to be encouraged out carefully, my second flew out a bit quicker than I expected and my third was a 23 hour marathon.

I haven’t got a bad thing to say about home births (with the usual caveats that the pregnancy and your health is good) and my midwife was always at pains to explain how they’d decide to get me into hospital and how they watched for the signs of things like shoulder dystocia and cord prolapse.

You have to factor in that a lot of people’s hospital near-death horror experiences often come about because of interventions. The induction process massively increases the risk of a PPH, and you wouldn’t be induced at home. An epidural massively increases the risk of forceps and ventouse, which in then increase the risk of shoulder dystocia and PPH. You wouldn’t have an epidural or forceps delivery at home. You can’t compare like for like at all.

Having said that, I personally would prefer to see what I labour like with a first child and save homebirths for subsequent children. This is supported by the Birthplace study on the safety of homebirths too.

I had a homebirth with DD2. We only lived 10 mins from the hospital too (5 with blue lights) so I felt quite confident if something went wrong we could get in quickly.

As it was it was straightforward and incredible. Agree with PP it was the best experience of my life. So quick and I felt really safe with 1:1 and then 2:1 attention from experienced midwives. Weirdly I felt safer as they concentrated on me the whole time whereas with DD1 I was mostly left alone until pushing as the midwives were so busy.

It was also very painless compared with DD1 and DTs (hospital births). I got into the pool as soon as it started to become uncomfortable and DD2 was born 15 minutes later. She sort of swam up to me with her eyes open. It was completely magical. (Except for DD1 who woke up crying mid second stage!) Breastfeeding was a dream, I think helped by how relaxed I was. I remember wanting to do it again straight away.

I felt really safe with 1:1 and then 2:1 attention from experienced midwives. Weirdly I felt safer as they concentrated on me the whole time

Yes, this is how I felt too.

Both of mine were homebirths. Do your research and do what you feel is safest for you. Mine were great and I’m so glad I opted for them, my reasons for DC1 were because:

A) my hospital is a very very busy central London one, I went to the ADU with pains after 21weeks and was horrified about how understaffed it felt and how stressed the midwives were. I didn’t feel safe
B) I was reassured by community midwives who were consummate professionals and gave me all the info I needed to feel I would be ok in an emergency (proximity to hospital, Priority blue light service, emergency dept prepped when a homebirths begins just in case)
C) having two midwives just for me as opposed to sharing one between several women on a ward (there was a horizon program that showed there are preventable deaths in hospitals because there aren’t enough staff to see when things start to go wrong)
D) I really wanted to avoid an epidural if I could and therefore the increased chances of a cascade of interventions
E) I hate hospitals - they put a fear into me and make me think of sickness and death, this is obviously hugely personal. I felt much much safer at home purely because of my own emotional state
F) I had a complication free pregnancy, my mum had had a homebirth with my younger brother And I was relatively young so chances of an easier birth were a bit higher though of course not guaranteed

Birthing is a dangerous business. I just believe all women should have all options because we’re all different, none of it is without risk. For every woman who will say I/my baby would have died if we’d been at home you could probably find another situation where a woman or baby could have died in a hospital, you just don’t know. I genuinely felt that my emotional well being was an important factor. Both my birthday were private, relaxed, caring, with two midwives present throughout my second. I felt totally safe and Non-panicked and was prepared to be transferred if they decided it was appropriate, which arguably would have been picked up quicker than if I was at hospital as I had medical professionals keeping an eye on me the whole time.

I don’t at all judge women who make the opposite decision, a good friend of mine gave birth the day before me and she wanted as many white coats as possible and felt like the control of hospital was much better suited to her feelings of safety. We both had beautiful boys safely and happily. Could have gone differently for either of us, you never know.

You have to factor in that a lot of people’s hospital near-death horror experiences often come about because of interventions. The induction process massively increases the risk of a PPH, and you wouldn’t be induced at home. An epidural massively increases the risk of forceps and ventouse, which in then increase the risk of shoulder dystocia and PPH. You wouldn’t have an epidural or forceps delivery at home. You can’t compare like for like at all.

Yes agree

Just to be devil's advocate, if I had opted for home birth two of my children would not have been here...

DD1 was born in hospital. I gave birth alone. No doctors, midwife, anything.

DD2 was a homebirth, advised on medical grounds as being safer. We lived quite far from the nearest hospital, and they didn't want to risk another unattended birth, especially at the side of the road. Instead I gave birth safe and warm (it was during heavy snowfall) with two qualified midwives plus a student. Honestly, it wasn't safe to be out on country roads that night. It was lovely. Within an hour, DD1 was curled up at my side with DD2 I my lap. She loved her baby sister from that day.

I definitely recommend homebirths, but more than anything, listen to medical advice.

Thank you all I'm taking it all in, I will speak with my mw on Tuesday

I wanted a home birth although husband was against it. In the end we were at the midwife led birthing centre due to a house move. I would 100% had a better more positive birth. In the hospital I was left in a bed of my own vomit (my DH asked 5 times over 2hours would help so he could clean it) and was also told I was still early labour. It was only when I demanded to be examined they realised my baby was frowning and had passed meconium. Yes my baby needed resuscitating but I also think we wouldn’t have needed that if we had had better medical attention. The day after I gave birth I was told by the midwife she essentially thought that because I was a first time mum there was no way I would have given birth that day.

I did a half/half measure as we live in a rural area about 20 miles from the nearest hospital and was due in December so did not fancy a home birth. I went for a tiny midwife unit in our local market town. Fab experience we were the only people there, two midwifes and a trainee. Completely relaxed and just escaped a transfer due to a prolonged second stage, I sensed them getting anxious and decided to get on with it and push the bugger out, who came out with his hand on his head!!! Loads of time alone afterwards with skin to skin and breastfeed whilst we waited to birth the placenta naturally. All in all I could not have wished for a better birth!

I planned for a home birth for my first pregnancy. I was low risk and I took factors into account like we have a specialist homebirth team in my area and I am only a couple of miles from the hospital.

We hired a pool. I laboured at home with TENS machine, pool and gas and air and enjoyed it. I liked being able to walk around the house, use my own loo, felt very comfortable. The midwives were lovely. My labour didn't progress after a certain point dilated, decided to go to hospital as the pain was getting a lot and we weren't getting any further. I needed ventouse in the end and an episiotomy, and then had a retained placenta! I went in on blue lights in an ambulance but it wasn't an emergency transfer - but when you are 9cm dilated in labour you are keen to get there quick. Handover at hospital was very smooth. Overall I was happy I planned a home birth and laboured for a long time at home even though the baby was born at hospital.

We planned a home birth, first time parents. MWs were not available and we ended up in the MW unit which I loved, I had a pool and music on, fan and easy topnuosnof hot water. In hindsight for us this was the best option as we had to be transferred to labour ward for meconium in waters, this took 10 min and this would have been trickier in an ambulance at this point I was pushing and things were quite intense. Hope your birth goes smoothly!

I had my first in hospital and found my labour stalled when I arrived there - the contractions carried on but didn't do anything useful and I took 4 hours to dilate the final 2cm... Otherwise the birth was normal.

I had the others at home. I was able to keep busy until it all got too much (my last baby was born two hours after I decided I'd better go upstairs now or I wouldn't make it, I had to leave DH to make the just-arrived midwife a cup of tea). I was much more relaxed, the local midwives were very experienced with home births, we were 15 mins from the local hospital, and it was lovely afterwards for the older DC to see their new sibling very quickly and in familiar surroundings.

I trusted the midwifery team to assess me accurately (which they did) and had they advised me to plan a hospital birth I probably would have done - certainly by the time I had my last child, I knew them very well and they knew me and if they'd said hospital might be a good idea I'd have agreed at once.

My home births were great experiences that I look back on with real happiness. For me they were totally the right thing to do.

And the washing machine sorted out the mess...

Depends on circumstances really. For a 2nd baby with a low-risk pregnancy then I would definitely consider it as the statistics show you’re just as safe with equal chance of a good outcome (But very very interestingly much less chance of medical intervention despite the same outcomes which does make you wonder about the hospital environment)

From friends stories it does seem it can feel safer to have medical professionals with you from an earlier point and constantly have a one or two midwives with you through the whole process. With my hospital births I was actually at home for the most of labour with nobody professional at all checking or monitoring.

My midwife pushed for me to have a home birth for my second. She said I was a perfect candidate having had a straight forward first birth and a healthy no risk pregnancy.

I choose to go to hospital and I was glad I did as after half hour of labour DD’s heart rate dropped so low that they started to prepare me for an emergency section. Luckily the doctor they called got her out with a ventouse in 8 mins. No way would I have got to hospital on 8 mins and I don’t want to think what could have happened had I not been in hospital