Please can you tell me why you are going to have / have had a home birth?

[CranberryMartini]

Because I just don't get it!

DS would most probably have died if I'd have had him at home. His heart rate dropped rapidly and needed a ventouse delivery with a resuscitator (sp) on standby. It was scary but I felt surprisingly calm with all the doctors and midwives around.

Why are you prepared to take any risk with your baby's birth? I can vaguely understand a home birth if it's not your first child and you know what to expect, but your first child?

I've also heard (could be wrong) that it costs the NHS £3000 to fund a midwife to do a home birth.

And doesn't it make a huge amount of mess?

Sorry I really don't want to offend anyone with this post and I would like to hear your reasons for choosing a homebirth. Try to persuade me to have my second at home!

I have to say that this has been the most interesting thread I've read in a while.

I don't really have anything interesting to add, but I've had two hospital births that have been fantastic.

That being said I still want a homebirth for baby #3. My thoughts being that if don't have to be in a hospital, I really don't want to be there.

I have to say that this has been the most interesting thread I've read in a while.

I don't really have anything interesting to add, but I've had two hospital births that have been fantastic.

That being said I still want a homebirth for baby #3. My thoughts being that if don't have to be in a hospital, I really don't want to be there.

I hate double posting!

something you want to tell me, MKG??

lulumama x

Not yet, I think dh is avoiding me because, "I kiss you and you get pregnant".

not yet, eh? hope you and the boys are all well xx

I am sure the stats in relation to the present rate of homebirth in this country are ok, because it is a low rate (1-3%)and the women who choose it are probably more educated and health aware generally. There is also the big factor of the fall back hospital option, which seems to be used by quite a number of homebirth MNs from what I can gather.

I do have a problem with the more "evangelical" postings which seem to want to vastly extend homebirths. I think if the rate were to rise to say 10% the stats re infant/maternal problems would rise greatly. There was a recent article in the Times (some one else has quoted it) from a medical organisation which said that childbirth problems were on the up and that the trend towards natural childbirth was contributing towards this.

I'm really glad that some very pro HB posters like Camilla have encouraged the odd dissenting voice because I think it is a really important debate. As anyone who saw Channel 4's "Bringing up Baby" will know, there are some very vulnerable new parents out there and I think all sides of the debate need to be heard.

But I think what posters really want is for every woman (taking into account ante-natal health and other factors) to get the birth they want. Which of course is the birth that they believe will have a healthy baby at the end of it.

I don't think that those that are pro-homebirth are suggesting that there should be a set percentage (i.e. 10 percent, 50 percent or whatever) of homebirths. Just that if there if women want a homebirth, then they should be listened to and they should be available.

Because as far as I can see there is no evidence that a homebirth is more risky or more dangerous than a hospital birth. So why then are some health care professionals so keen to dissuade?

I am posting as someone who had 2 hospital births. Although the second should have been a homebirth if there had been enough community midwives on duty on that particular Friday night. Both times I had a healthy happy baby at the end of it. But the first time (planned hospital birth) my labour was really quite distressing for me. The second time, I effectively laboured at home, and made the hospital really only by the skin of my teeth. And then had to cajole beg and plead to be allowed home that night. But it was still a thousand times happier an experience than my first. And next time, I so hope that I will be able to be at home for the whole experience rather than having to have a mad dash to the hospital.

Anyway, my point really is that if the rate of homebirths went up to 10, 20, 30 or 40% I really do think it is highly unlikely that there would be an associated increase in post-partum maternal or infant deaths. So long as the increase was as a result of health care professionals accepting that in some circumstances there is no reason for an expectant mother to be in hospital, and taking into account the wishes of the expectant mother.

I've tried really hard to think of reasons why homebirth is better for the baby rather than the mother (and I don't always think the two go hand in glove). The only ones I can come up with are less chance of baby catching an infection, less chance of baby suffering injuries from forceps etc, less chance of mother catching an infection and therefore potentially leaving baby motherless and any PND as a result of the mother not bonding properly with baby due to a traumatic hospital birth experience.

The risks (for me personally, not trying to impose my risk assessment on anyone else) in relation to all the sudden, irreversible problems that can arise in a difficult homebirth are just more of a worry than the above.

loopymumsy
when I was having a hb with ds3 and the mw didn't think she would get there in time she called an ambulance. We live on the border of 2 counties and consequently 2 ambulances and crew turned up!
they spent a good 10 mins arguing in my bedroom about who was going to stay and who was going to go as neither of them had actuaaly helped at a homebirth and they didn't really want to either!
My mum told them to shut up or clear off and thankfully the mw arrived!
so yes as you say paramedics may have had training, but no experience!

evelina yes but problems arise in any difficult birth, wherever you are!
In theory a hb shouldn't be a difficult birth as it should be very low risk!

Oh I agree Evelina that much of the issue is about what the parent considers to be the greatest risks. So of course you may rule out a homebirth ofr your baby because of your assessment of the risks.
But my personal opinion is that the risks you've cited against the hospital birth are very persuasive, naturally taking into account the health of the mother and the baby prior to labour.

I had a homebirth when they closed down the local hospital. I hated travelling to hospital in labour, and at the time, the journey was one hour on country A roads in freezing conditions. Much better to have the local midwives come to me, a the stress the journey caused previously meant that I was contracting every 90seconds.
I loved it the homebirth
The first time hospital was a large hospital, overheated and overcrowded. People were arriving in labour and being sent home. - not a possibility for me.
In contrast I made toast just before I kicked hubby out of bed to have the baby.
No mess - the 2nd homebirth I even had new cream carpets down.!I put a runner down between the ensuite and bed but that was it. I also bought jumbo bed protectors to go on normally toddler beds for bedwetting. they soaked everything up. The midwifes had the smaller ones and a shower curtain did the trick to cover the kingsize bed. They cleaned up so fast - I didn't see any mess.
I lay in my own mess for ages in hospital before they did anything about it.
I agree with mintpurple.
I spent ages on the radical midwives website researching the myths. And decided on no drugs except gas and air, and no jabs afterward unless it was an emergency. I was worried about bleeding out, but I was close to the local med hospital where blood was readily available.
A lot of mothers never get into the position you are in because most homebirths go very smoothly and calmly, but if anything were to go wrong during a homebirth, the midwives are trained to know what to do.

Evelina, please take a look at the work of the Albany Midwives.

They work in Peckham, south London, one of the most economically and socially deprived areas of the country. Their homebirth rate last year was over 47%, with excellent outcomes for both mothers and babies.

If homebirth rates were to rise, it is in fact arguable that perinatal morbidity/mortality rates would actually fall, since more midwives would gain experience, confidence and knowledge in assisting women to birth safely at home. As for the 'hospital fall-back option', again much of that occurs because sadly NHS mws do not get enough experience in homebirth and sometimes transfers occur in situations that a more experienced mw might be quite confident with managing at home.

Believe it or not 'evangelical' has nothing to do with it. To many of us who works with pregnant and birthing women on a daily basis, homebirth just makes sense on so many levels - physiological, emotional, social, financial - for them, for us and, indeed, for the NHS. But no-one's pushing anyone into anything - we just want more than rhetoric around 'choice' in place of birth.

Anywaaaaay... I hope no-one is irritated or offended by posts on this thread - I keep coming back to it because I find it so fascinating and I love the debate.

Less chance of the baby getting an infection, suffering injuries, or being left motherless seem quite big advantages to me! I don't know about the rest of you...

completely agree snaf - around the time dd2 was born 8 babies in our local hospital neonatal care unit had MRSA.
I was told that there may not be any mw available to help with a hb around the time I was due (good friday this year) I seriously considered having my baby with no help rather than having to go into that hospital!

Evelina - regarding your earlier point, I'm not saying we should necessarily follow their lead as we have a different health service but it is interesting to note that a third of babies in the Netherlands are born at home and they have a slightly lower mortality rate for both the mothers and the babies at birth than we do in the UK.

An increase in homebirths, if that is what mothers want, would not necessarily lead to an increase in deaths. It is not necessarily an inherently more dangerous option to birth at home.

I had a homebirth when they closed down the local hospital. I hated travelling to hospital in labour, and at the time, the journey was one hour on country A roads in freezing conditions. Much better to have the local midwives come to me, a the stress the journey caused previously meant that I was contracting every 90seconds.
I loved it the homebirth
The first time hospital was a large hospital, overheated and overcrowded. People were arriving in labour and being sent home. - not a possibility for me.
In contrast I made toast just before I kicked hubby out of bed to have the baby.
No mess - the 2nd homebirth I even had new cream carpets down.!I put a runner down between the ensuite and bed but that was it. I also bought jumbo bed protectors to go on normally toddler beds for bedwetting. they soaked everything up. The midwifes had the smaller ones and a shower curtain did the trick to cover the kingsize bed. They cleaned up so fast - I didn't see any mess.
I lay in my own mess for ages in hospital before they did anything about it.
I agree with mintpurple.
I spent ages on the radical midwives website researching the myths. And decided on no drugs except gas and air, and no jabs afterward unless it was an emergency. I was worried about bleeding out, but I was close to the local med hospital where blood was readily available.
A lot of mothers never get into the position you are in because most homebirths go very smoothly and calmly, but if anything were to go wrong during a homebirth, the midwives are trained to know what to do.
I think it is about trusting your body to do what it does naturally andyou also feel empowered.
My last was born in hospital and it was quite disappointing I was persuaded to have morphine which made me sleep for 4 hours and my midwife left half and hour before I gave birth, and a horrible woman replace her who did not listen at all. I had no rapport with her and was treated like a teenager, not a woman who'd had 3 other births.
The only consistency I had during my first birth was the assistant nurse. i saw 6 different midwifes and was in only 24 hours before transferring to a smaller hospital.

I have to say this discussion has been very persuasive.

If I wasn't completely terrified of labour pains I would definitely consider a home birth next time, even though my hospital experience was good.

Well done!

Snaf, no problem . Will definitely look at that study- looks interesting. Good to hear people sharing their positive homebirth stories as well.

evelina, thanks for coming back to the debate..

your points about why a homebirht can be better for the baby are pretty much teh reasons we all are pro homebirht..

as an option available to women who want one.........the fact so many women have to fight for one, or book one, and are told in labour they have to go to hospital , or have to book an independent midwife at vast expense to get one is wrong....

it is a safe, reasonable option for low risk women

evalina - you are sooo wrong when you say that an increase in hb will increase the maternal / neonatal morbidity and mortality, actually, if you look at the stats for New Zealand here where they have a higher homebirth rate of about 10%, they also have a lower perinatal mortality rate look here. In Holland, with about 30 % homebirths, the perinatal mortality is the same as ours.
Thats not to say our rates are great, still being one of the highest in northern Europe.

Do not believe what you read in the newspapers - their main aim is to sell papers, not enlighten the population!

As for the transfer rate, as has been mentioned, it is possibly down to experience, and if you look at some of the other posts on mn, there is such a reluctance by some nhs m/w to do homebirths, that these m/w will transfer in at the drop of a hat. Its easy to say to the mum, 'oh, too much blood' or 'the heartbeats too slow' or 'babys in a funny position' and then they transfer. However, its also a safety net and its good if there are genuine transfers, as this is what keeps homebirth as safe as it is.

Camilla

I've found this thread soooo interesting.

Yes, have always come from a pr-homebirth where applicable stance. But I wouldhave been hard pushed before reading the thread and posts from both sides of the argument to be able to say why I so wanted one for ds.

I just knew I didn't want to be in hospital. I wanted to be with my family, at home. And yes, the maternal comfort side of things played a large role - getting into freshly made bed. Having access to my food and my drinks. Having a bath in my bath. All of that, which on the face of it could be seen (and has by some) as selfish.

I think the discussion here has made it clearer to me that women should have more of a say in what kind of labour they want, be it in a hospital or at home (or in one of the disappearing home-from-home units).