Homebirth experiences

[2mumlife]

Looking for anyone whose had a homebirth and how you found it? Particularly if you happen to be in the Forth Valley NHS area.

This is second baby. First baby was born in the alongside midwifery unit. I only used TENS machine, birth pool and gas and air for most of labour, but had a little bit of meconium, long labour and long pushing stage without making progress. so birth ended in a non-emergency forceps delivery.

I felt that moving from home to the hospital was really disruptive to labour, so considering a home birth this time around, which midwife was supportive of. My NHS area seem to have very little available information on home birth (nothing on risk assessment needing done, when gas and air gets delivered, what to expect from midwives attending) so any experiences appreciated. Particularly looking for reassurance from those who previously had a forceps delivery but had a successful home birth that its doable :)

Congratulations and good luck, definitely discuss with your community midwives-they will be the ones coming out.

I’ve had 2 and a half home births, the kit, including gas and air, was dropped off at 37 weeks when the midwife did a quick recce of our set up. You’ll need certain basics like a dining table, change mat and desk lamp. A cheap shower curtain and newspaper come in handy too.

Home births are much nicer and if things don’t go to plan, as happened with my third, then that’s cool too. They will always prioritise yours and the baby’s safety so if something arises that can’t be dealt with at home you will be transferred. Trust me it takes longer for the consultant to leave their desk than it takes to get you to hospital.

@CostaDelOrchard Thank you for sharing your experience. Do the midwives brings lots of pads? My waters didn't break until I was pushing last time and I remember it being messy!

Yes they bring an entire birth pack in a large holdall, I just slung it in a corner until action day. As far as the mess goes, buy a cheap shower curtain and everything will be gathered up and taken back to the hospital for incineration

Maybe check the current ambulance response times in your area. Our area suspends home birth services most of the time anyway due to staff shortages.

3 home births here (all planned), 1st randomly on the sitting room floor, 2nd in a bedroom, 3rd in the kitchen in a birth pool! So 3rd was the only one I really got anything ready for as I fancied using a birthing pool, got one on ebay. Actually, tell a lie, I do have avahue memory or bunging a plastic sheet over the bed perhaps? Midwives come out and bring you a box of what will be needed well before potential due date. Never saw any mess as everything was just dealt with swiftly and discreetly by the midwives.

Yes I had dc3 at home.
the midwife brought over pads, wipes and gas and air at around 37 weeks iirc. We got a shower curtain for the bed and a tarpaulin for the carpet in the guest room.
didn’t use any of it as DS turned up v quickly and was born in the hall. Midwife arrived 45 minutes later!

Three home births (first unattended and unplanned 😵).

I just bought a cheap tarpaulin from the pound shop for the planned ones.

I don’t remember the midwives dropping anything off first. I didn’t most of the labours in the bath and then just got out to push on the bathroom floor.

Community midwives were lovely.

My first was a forceps delivery after a long slow labour.

my second was a 3 hour planned homebirth. And my 3rd was a 12 hour planned homebirth. I loved my homebirths.

@CostaDelOrchard Ah fab thank you for the info :)

@Rosesanddaisies1 Ambulance response times aren't too bad in our area. I'll ask the midwives if they've had to suspend home birth services due to staffing, thank you that a useful thing to know to check.

@ElvenDreamer I love you've gone for a different room each time 😂 I'll maybe invest in some plastic sheets / show curtains in we go ahead.

@Twoshoesnewshoes Oh wow! were you left with babies cord attached until midwife showed??

@Bettalife At least bathroom floor is easy to clean up :)

I loved my home birth. It was 18 years ago but I don’t think much will have changed. Once I said that was my plan I had my midwife visits at home, so I got to know the community midwives who would be delivering him.
They contacted the hospital where I’d had my first baby to check I was a suitable candidate and brought a birth pack round about 37 weeks. Lots of pads and everything they needed.
On the day, one midwife came, and brought gas and air. Then she mostly pottered around taking notes, doing the odd examination, making cups of tea etc while I got on with it. Later on another midwife arrived to help with the actual delivery.
Once it was over they ran me a bath and while I was in there they stripped my bed, tidied my room and made it all nice for me to snuggle back in with my new baby.
It was an absolutely wonderful experience. He was my last baby but I’d never opt to have a hospital birth again if there had been more.

Dc2 was a homebirth, after a horrible hospital experience with dc1 the only way I was going back there would be in an emergency. Don't worry not a hospital in your area.

Homebirth team were great, all my appointments were done at home. So much easier as dc1 was less than a year when I was pregnant. The midwives in my area didn't drop any supplies before the day but were in constant communication when labour started and came toot sweet when I requested. They were very hands off until the actual catching baby part. I asked to not have any checks or interference apart from the needed ones to check baby was well.

I used vet bedding on and around the sofa to birth on. Easy to clean and softer to kneel or lie on.

Everything went smoothly and once all checks were done the midwives left us to it. I got a shower and tucked up in bed with a domino's pizza next to a snoozing newborn. All postnatal checks were done at home and was so much more relaxed. Tbh the homebirth healed the mental trauma I had with DC1s birth.

@PiggieWig @LongLostSock Great to hear some more really positive experiences. I don’t think any of my midwife appointments will be at home, as because this is an ivf pregnancy I’m technically consultant led and have to have extra growth scans. That was the only real caveat midwife had was that my growth scans all had to look normal for home birth (which they were with 1st).

@LongLostSock Was your DC1 at home when your home birthed?

Loved mine, I would recommend 100%. I also had an accidental homebirth first time round however, so not forceps or anything difficult.
Puppy pads were useful and we used decorators plastic covered in a fleece blanket to protect furniture etc. if using a pool then get that sorted and make sure you have a liner etc.

My first daughter was upstairs in bed through the whole thing and it was absolutely magical to introduce her to her new brother when she woke up, we were all tucked up in bed together. The midwives tided everything, you wouldn't even know anything had happened when they left.

We also had our later antenatal appointments and all postnatal appointments at home which was lovely. And we had the same midwife for all our appointments, unfortunately she wasn't on call for the birth but we had met the midwife that came beforehand too.

I had my second as a homebirth and loved it. I was blue lighted in afterwards due to a PPH but I don't regret my homebirth at all. I felt so relaxed and in control. I could go where I wanted to, in the end I gave birth bent over the sofa and it was just perfect.

My 4th was an unattended birth at home. The home birth team had been suspended due to staffing. Luckily he sensed I had no desire to go anywhere near the hospital so I was treated to an incredible 20 min labour and birth.
Wish all my births had been at home now, it was amazing

I'm due DC3 in June and I'm signed on with the home birth team so I'm interested to see what people have to say about previous home birth experiences. DC1 was labour ward and DC2 was maternity led unit

2 home births here OP and I MUCH preferred it to my hospital experience with DC1.

I properly got into “the zone”. Really trusted my midwives and I had talked to them about all the different “what if scenarios” that had been worrying me so I felt really safe.

i didn’t have forceps with my first but it was slightly tricky for other reasons and those problems did not reoccur with the 2nd or 3rd. And one of those was a massive 10 and a half pound baby!

labour, birth and afterwards were all just so much nicer not having to get in a car and be in a hospital. I was on a total high!

I had forceps with DC1 thanks to a long labour and an epidural which meant I struggled to push.

I had a normal, but long labour with DC2. No issues other than a bad tear.

DC3 was born at home, a lovely labour, quick for me at five hours. Only gas and air needed, and I didn't tear. It was a wonderful experience.

Oh, you’ve reminded me actually… my iron was low during my pregnancy and I had to get it up to an okay level to be allowed to have him at home. I managed by a whisker, thankfully.

I’d had a second degree tear and lots of stitches with my first and I was worried about that aspect but I didn’t tear second time, even though he was 9lb 8oz, which I think was down to how relaxed my birth was.

I only lived 7 minutes from the hospital which was reassuring as in an emergency it would take that long to get me to theatre from the mat unit anyway.

@DramaAlpaca Thats reassuring you managed a home birth after previous forceps delivery :)

@PiggieWig Ah that’s something to watch as I was on iron tablets with DD

@2mumlife dc1 was sat on the sofa next to me watching Little Babybum on the TV. Not the soundtrack I would have personally chosen for labour 😂

@LongLostSock That’s hilarious 😂 he obviously wasn’t bothered at all? I do prefer the idea of DD being able to be at home if I don’t conveniently go into labour whilst she’s at nursery 😂

@LongLostSock @2mumlife this is exactly what I want, ideal situation is when they are both in nursery but if not I want them with me. Just hope it doesn't scare them

Just to add, my first birth was episiotomy and ventouse and my second was 2nd degree tear but born in the pool without intervention