my midwife has asked me if i would like a homebirth your experiences please

[mustsleep]

i have two children already (will be nearly 7 and 3 by the time i is happening) and my midwife has said i would be a perfect candidate for a homebirth

she said i was really low risk and as i had had no pain releif in the first two that a homebirth would be a good option for me

now i hate the hospital and hated having to stay after (altough with dd it was only for less than a day)
am thinkibng with regards to childcare if it's a night time labour this would be better also and last time i was really in labour and got to the hospital 15 mins before dd was born!!

so what do you think and is there anywhere with the standard procedure for this etc

Go for it! Had one with DD (my first and only so far) wouldn't want to give birth any other way now. My favourite memory is snuggling with DH and DD in our own bed an hour after birth having had tea and toast and a bath

oh thats right i wouldn't haven't have to have a bath in that awful room less than 10 mins after would i? and dh wouldn;t have to leave if it was the middle of the night (if he behaves himself)

Sounds ideal.

I had homebirth with DS, after an easy hospital birth with DD, and I have raved about it to anyone and everyone who will listen as it was FANTASTIC. If your midwife is suggesting it then go for it if you are happy to, for some people (though not me) getting the midwife to 'agree' is the hardest part.

Best bits for me were:
Your own toilet, bath and bed
Your DH/P NOT having to leave you and your newborn overnight in hospital - I hated that
My DD coming in to meet her new brother 5 minutes after he arrived
Your own food (and lots of it!) once its all over and everyone has gone - omelette never tasted so good
All 4 of us curled up in bed together the next morning

Go for it!

X-posts there!

Its wonderful, do it, do it, do it

I booked in for a homebirth with my second - didn't happen in the end, but I'm still glad I booked for it (& wish it had happened!)

My mw (who was also the one who suggested it) pointed out that you can always change your mind - no-one is going to be annoyed if you feel you don't want to cope at home/need to be in hospital. However, you can't easily change your mind the other way, iykwim

ooh am excited not sure that dh will agree to it as all his family are a bit meldramatic his mum's one of those that when you phone her she doesn't say how are you he's like omg whats wrong are you all ok i thought somehting had happened pita

will try and tlk him round

Big advocate for home birth. No hospital aquired infections, food you want when you want, familiar surroundings, comfort, less stress hormones interfering with birth, own toilet, own bed, one to one care from your midwife. The list goes on! The research says it is safe, and that the outcomes for mums and babies are consistently good. Especially if you had a fast delivery last time. Go for it. I loved my homebirth, every minute of it, and as for post partum, lying in your own bed cuddling with baby and DP after using your own shower and coming back to find the midwives had put fresh bedding on - wonderful!

anyway so what do you actually need for you homebirth, where does it happen (upstairs downstairs) and do they have the monitors for the heartbeat they do in the hospital, although again with dd didnt have this as was sooo quick

omg woyuld have to make sure we had fresh bedding ironed and maybe actually tidy up a bit

have you looked at www.homebirth.org.uk yet? That'll tell you everything you need to know. My 2nd and 3rd were born at home - neither birth was straightforward, but in both cases I was so glad to be home and not in a hospital.

Go for it!
I had 2 homebirths - hate hospitals too.
Both over nght labours, when DD was born DS slept through the whole thing.
Re- childcare - presumably if you have a hospital birth someone looks after the DC'S? would that be at your house or theirs?
So lovely to have a bath or shower in your own clean bathroom, and snuggle in your ow clean warm non scratchy bed after
Remember you can book a homebirth and still have a hospital birth, but if you say no homebirth it is more difficult if you change you mind when in labour!

thanks geekgirl that website is really helpful and i think i definately would like to give it a go if sh agrees!

Get Dh to meet the midwife and talk through any concerns he has (its usually to do with mess ). If your midwife is suggesting it to you then I'm sure she will be able to reassure him. Not sure about the MiL though!

It's great mustsleep. Did it with my first and had the best experience of all my friends. The best thing for me was having a community midwife who had been involved in ante-natal care there through the birth.

In terms of persuading your family, there is lots of information about risk on the www - all very positive re homebirth.

You can 'be' wherever you like. I had a birthing pool in the living room, laboured in the pool and gave birth on the floor!

I think being at home gives you a real sense of control. It's your 'turf' so to speak.

Oh, I would do it again tomorrow.

oooh, lovely
so worth doing
mine was a 'high risk' hb as also a vbac but even better if you are the 'ideal candidate'

You've got nothing to lose by planning one. You can change your mind at any given point and go into hospital if you prefer, but atleast if you've planned one you have the choice to do either.

I think I would only do it again if I lived nearer the hospital.

I had very quick births and it was a bit touch and go with my second, which I had at home. It could have gone really wrong and it takes 45 mins by ambulance because they downgraded the hospital here.

How far are you from your nearest consultant led unit?

I just mean I would not have wanted to be travelling in that state, but might have had to if the synto hadn't stopped my bleed. I lost about a pint during the minute or so before they could administer, and thank God it worked.

I don't like seeing panicky midwives...

I had my first 2 in a midwife-led unit, so like you, had no pain relief. Had a healthy pregnancy with DC3 and gave birth in a normal bath at home, very relaxed, very easy. Other 2 DCs had gone to bed (they were 1 & 2yo) and slept through it.

I had the same midwife attend the birth (but only just - it was very quick!) who had done all my appointments. The 2nd midwife stayed downstairs as not required.

I was showered and tucked up in my own bed with my new baby within an hour of the birth. DH supplied hot chocolate etc on demand! When I needed the loo or a shower or whatever, I had my own bathroom. For the first time ever, I had a new born baby that fed immediately and then slept on my chest for 7 hours straight - but that's probably coincidence!!!

It was utter bliss. DC4, due in May, is also planned for home.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

thanks everyone think that you have helped me make my mind up!!

FloraPosteschild i live prob about 30 mins away from the hosp at rush hour so by ambulance prob quicker but i'm sure the midwife would have better info on that than me, am seeing her again in 3 weeks after my scan so will discuss it with her then

Just to add to what the others have said - I had a homebirth with my third child at the mw's suggestion and would definitely recommend it. Mine was a wonderful experience despite the pain. Gas and air was brought to the house and I had my own baby tens machine. It was great just being able to sit on the toilet for an hour because that's where I felt most comfortable letting everything relax and 'drop down' so to speak. I wasn't allowed to go to the toilet with my second in hospital as the midwife was convinced I'd give birth there. After the birth my older children came home from school and discovered their new sibling - no visit to the hospital required. Also for my husband it was the first time he got to spend all night with the newborn, rather than being send home after visiting. Best part for me was stripping off naked and holding my newborn skin-to-skin (would not have done that in hospital with all the comings and goings) all wrapped up in fluffy towels for as long as I wanted.

Having said all that, it was my mw that made it such a great experience. She was totally confident I could do it at home (I was 50/50 whether I'd actually go through with it, until I was in labour and then nothing would have got me out of the house - except for concerns about the baby of course!). She also made sure I didn't tear, let me go anywhere I wanted in the house, assume any position etc. I also felt very special having two women there just to look after me and my baby when it arrived.

Would recommend it for sure.

With regards to tidying up, I went into labour 10 days early and the house was a pig sty but once they had unloaded all their stuff there was no point doing anything! The house was tidier when they left than when they came, they even washed up all the cups Next time I'll leave the vacuum cleaner out for a quick once over

I booked homebirth for #4 dc, so pleased I did. It was so empowering to feel in control, we decided when the time came to go into hospital as kids tired and emotional, and didn't know mw on duty.

Was very fortunate when got to hospital we were allocated a community mw who had been called in as short staffed. She gave us what she called a home birth in hospital. Was brilliant felt in control as much as anyone can feel in control.

Would have liked to have had lo at home, but didn't work out but still pleased we tried.

I think go for it, i had a homebirth with my second DS who is now 7mths.

1st labour was very quick only 2hrs, got to the hospital 10 mins before he was delivered, no pain relief and no stiches and insisted i wanted to go home the same day and did. After this experience and nearly giving birth in the carpark i decided a homebirth was the best option for my next baby.

2nd labour was a planned homebirth, it lasted 2.5hrs, no pain relief, no stiches and was fab. The midwife came 10 mins after i called and was excellent.

We bought loads of cheap 99p shower curtains from ASDA and got loads of old sheets we could chuck from the inlaws.
We had just had a brand new cream carpet in the bedroom and a brand new bed and both were pristine afterwards.
My DH was a bit stressed prior to the birth about mess, safety etc but he thought it was the best option after it had happened and if i have anymore babies i'll be homebirthing again.

Good Luck

I had DD2 at home 5 days ago and it was wonderful (well, as much as giving birth can be!). DD1 took 27 hours to arrive in hospital, I was exhausted, stressed and felt totally out of control. At home, it took 6 hours, I felt relaxed, empowered and totally confident in myself and the mws. The pool was fantastic, and so was snuggling up on the sofa afterwards and then going off to my own comfy bed. DD1 got to meet her new baby sister when she woke up in the morning and DH wasn't sent packing when it was all over. Brilliant experience!!! Go for it!!!