Low intervention - homebirth

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Hi. Just wondering if any ladies are currently pregnant and planning a homebirth?

I have self referred and noted on my form that I’ll be having a homebirth. I have my first booking appointment in 2 weeks.

Just looking for some positive stories on the process so far and how to navigate avoiding landing on the intervention conveyor belt.

not looking for opinions from people who are against homebirth/haven’t experienced it

On a slightly different topic do you swim OP? I found swimming regularly during my pregnancies helped with my labours. I swam until the day before all my DC were born.
Apart from 2 paracetamol with my middle DS I didn’t need any pain relief or forceps, stitches etc.

As of right now I am planning a homebirth! Just like if I was driving to work, I would be driving the normal route - I cannot predict any unforseen circumstances or changes until I am on the road.. Is that acceptable to you?

I am positive about a homebirth and not riddled with anxiety and fear as what will happen will happen - I know that may be a struggle for some of you to comprehend but you do you!

I didn't roll back - I clarified my position because you people were relentless with assuming that I hadn't considered or even thought about the possibility that things may not be straight forward. What you've clearly struggled to understand is that this thread is about hearing about HOMEBIRTHS!!!! This thread is not about my specific birth plans, preferences and alternatives if things don't go as expected.

I don't know why you are still replying to me. I have acknowledged multiple times that you have clarified that you are not as adamant and black and white as your earlier posts suggested.

That clarification is very sensible and I am pleased to hear you are in no way as naive about it as your first posts suggested. Makes it much more likely you will get the birth you want as I hope you do.

Thank you for sharing this! This is the type of comment I wanted to read. When I self referred I was placed directly with the community team and my first appointment is next week. I wanted to hear peoples experiences of this and their homebirth journey.
Unfortunately it doesn't matter what I say, people are pouncing on the specific words that I use and it's just irritating now.
Anyway, thank you again for sharing this - I am looking forward to meeting my community team and I believe that they are advocates for homebirth.

I don't but there is a swimming pool apprx 15 mins from me! This is great advice thank you! Perhaps I will do a weekly swim. I do run and lift but I haven't done any exercise since finding out I was pregnant. I will look at doing some swimming though - gosh it's been years since I went swimming lol

Apologies @SoIMO that comment wasn't meant for you - it was for another poster @DappledThings

Your concern was about safety. The 12 week scan is not unsafe.

I explained that you are conflating the 12 week scan with ‘early’ scans. I’m not sure you understand the difference. Let alone that the website you’ve linked to contains 30+ year old articles. You’re right that the research is sketchy, but not for the reason you think it is.

I am replying to your post at 08:22 - if you don't want me to respond, then stop replying to me! It's not hard!

What has this got to do with homebirth? I was asked a question about scans, I answered - don't like the answer, move along! I do not care what you think, nor did I ask for your advice and I do not owe you anything.

That wasn't a reply to you though. I replied to someone else and you've taken it as directed at you.

Lol exactly or a scheduled induction... Because theres zero risks with those of course (sarcasm).. Homebirth baddd.. Interventions good.....

STOP REPLYING TO ME!!!!

They absolutely would. There have been plenty of threads where that is exactly what has occurred.

OK!

I don't know what TTN is. You said "nobody would tell you to be flexible if you wanted an elective caesarean.". That is what I am saying has happened plenty of times.

Women are told to listen to their midwives who will be expecting them to listen to advice about all the options and anyone who states this early in pregnancy that they will absolutely be having an elective section is told by multiple posters not to make a decision so early and to consider counselling etc about their fears of childbirth.

OP - there are always going to be good and bad stories for both home and hospital. I also find the generation before ours are adamant against home birth, even though it’s likely they themselves were born at home. (Not a generalisation for all - but in my experience for both)

BUT this is the generation is where hospital births are pitched as the safest option. After covid, hospitals have drastically become under staffed and in some instances, unsafe. For example my recent hospital stay I was in for 72 hours. Not once was I offered water, my canola was supposed to be flushed (it never was), they were going to give me pain relief (it never happened), the ECG they gave me was inclusive three times and they had realised that it was because they had set my age as 50. The baby wasn’t monitored as frequently as they should have been.

There were four women waiting for their inductions to be started which held up beds, they had been there for at least 24-48 hours. All that time those women could have been mobilising themselves. There were women giving birth in the corridors because triage was so over run.

it was carnage.

because the staff were quite rightly tied up for medical emergencies. The staffing levels just isn’t what it used to be. (And I say this having my first pre Covid)

I think acknowledging that you need to stay fluid throughout is the most important.

Some of your original posts came across like it was your way or the highway, which in reality I don’t think you actually meant. I understand what you’d like to happen and you are completely entitled to that.

Have a look at the Positive Birth Company hypnobirthing, they are a strong advocate for home birth and have a good Facebook community. I would recommend hypnobirthing for any kind of birth, it helped so much during my induction&hospital delivery and then unplanned home birth with my second baby.

Thank you so much! I have just requested to join!

To honest OP, in terms of scans, blood tests etc, I would take up everything offered by the NHS.
And for ladies who have given birth in more recent years (than me) does The Bounty Lady still come into the unit with lots of goodies? 😍😍

Give your head a wobble for a minute. You aren't comparing like and like here.

How exactly would that work? You get halfway through your section, and some a doctor suddenly says why don't we sew you back up and wait for a vaginal birth because something has emerged that would make it safer 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂.

You aren't comparing like and like here. Planned C-sections (love them or hate them), are full of fail safes, and if anything goes wrong you've already in the right place. Yes, there can be complications, but by and large they are predictable operations.

In contrast a vaginal birth is very unpredictable. Sometimes it goes great, sometimes it goes terribly. Often it's somewhere in the middle. You can't plan for when it'll happen, or what assistance will be needed. Emergencies can and do advise which require a change of plan midway through, but it's not a two-way street. You can't have an emergency doing a C-section which then requires a vaginal birth. So you're talking absolute rubbish.

As someone that had a maternal request C-section, I was very aware that there was a small chance that I could go into very rapid labour early, and then not be enough time to give birth by section. I'd made peace with that as a small possibility, so yes, there was that degree of flexibility because there are no guarantees in childbirth.

Also, a lot of people are flexible about this. It's quite common for somebody that is veering towards a section to have one booked in, but if they go into labour first they'll give natural a go first. Or were they will try vaginal birth but have a low threshold moving to C-section. Or where someone will try a vaginal birth but C-section is to be used instead of instrumental. So yes, even those that are quite happy with a C-section. Often there is some flexibility.