Low intervention - homebirth

[thismonthsfad]

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

That’s incredibly insulting. I don’t know how you can say this if you have never experienced a low intervention pregnancy or birth? Birth is a natural physiological process that has been massively medicalised.

Op with the utmost gentleness you really don’t know how your pregnancy will progress. Fingers crossed it will be an idyllic journey and you’ll need minimal intervention but even home births come with a level of protection in the forms of examinations etc. I had a private midwife who was absolutely brilliant, but she still needed to (respectfully) make sure things were going in the right direction. I hope your home births go fully without a hitch but understanding that there is always the possibility that you’ll need a plan B, is never a bad thing. Yes our bodies are generally designed for childbirth, but every body is different and honestly, you really just don’t know! I speak as someone who found themselves with a bicornuate uterus at 32 weeks after a previously uneventful pregnancy that ended up with my baby lying across my ureter in one of the ‘lobes’ of my uterus, resulting in a nephrostomy, a breech baby and a c-section - none of which was detectable at 8 weeks.

im a rare case, but it helps not to be too rigid when it comes to both your health, and that if your baby!

I wish you well. I’d have loved home births for my three but sadly it wasn’t possible. Good luck

When I completed the referral form, I ticked the box for homebirth and my first appointment is with the community team. I don’t know why some women are struggling with the concept and suggesting that my decision for homebirth is early - it was literally a question on the initial form 🤡

Do midwives agree to do that? Just be present but not allowed to do anything unless the woman asks? If it’s really what you want, I would ask if it’s even possible with an nhs midwife, especially when you have no idea who will turn up on the day.

it might be something you need to pay privately for.

That sounds so lovely and exactly the sort of birth I wanted!

I had 2 home births, aged 35 & 38. I had an independant midwife, who did exactly as you described you are wanting. I never went to the gp’s, all my midwife appointments were carried out by her at home. It was an incredible experience from start to finish, all my nct friends used to comment on how relaxed I was.
I also went to a home birth group, that was really useful and informative.

I know this thank you! I’m open to the possibility of an emergency situation whereby I won’t be able to homebirth however, until that happens, I’m focusing on a homebirth. I appreciate you sharing your story.

Also to add I was 39 when my second was born and still classed as very low risk

I don’t understand how you’re going to safely deliver a baby with a midwife who isn’t allowed to examine or touch you.

It was a midwife examining me who discovered my DS was in trouble.

The thing is @thismonthsfad that your body can tell you it’s time to push before you are fully dilated but if you listen to it, you will potentially put yourself and your baby at risk. This is why midwives touch you to check that you are fully dilated before you start to push.

It’s also advisable to let them at least check the heartbeat if the labour is long to determine whether the baby is in distress. A friend of mine had a lovely birth in a midwife left centre with minimal intervention and pushed for 2 hours. Unfortunately because the baby’s heartbeat wasn’t checked it wasn’t spotted that she was in distress and she sadly passed away at a few days old having experienced oxygen deprivation

home births are safe in most circumstances provided the midwife is allowed to give adequate care. What you are proposing however is high risk so worth thinking about more and researching in depth.

Outcomes were great for birthing women before it was "medicalised" weren't they? Likewise nowadays in countries where women have no choice but to "listen to their bodies".

I’m not sure anyone is saying you can’t express a preference for a home birth this early. People are saying you may not end up with a home birth and your dogmatic thinking is going to serve you badly if you don’t end up getting what you want.

I really wanted a home birth with DD1, but nature intervened and I ended up with a (brilliant) section.

I still believe that home births can be great. But if you go in with an attitude of I WILL be having one (not I WANT to have one), you risk disappointment.

I’m speaking as a midwife who is very pro home birth where it is safe to do so.

Almost every midwife I know would support the wishes of a woman to birth at home, provided that home is a suitable and safe setting.

Two points that I would make:

It’s great that you currently sound to be ‘low risk’ and I really hope that continues. I would encourage you however to be open minded and flexible. Things can change as pregnancy progresses, and your midwife will have yours and your baby’s safety as their utmost concern.

The other point is to please consider your midwife as a person. It is absolutely horrendous to be in someone’s home as an unwanted spectator who has their registration on the line simply by being in the room and ‘caring’ for you, but not allowed to actually have anything to do with your care. Whilst a doula or similar gives dangerous or life-threatening advice and is welcomed with open arms.
I have been involved in some very serious cases where women have had a midwife present but absolutely declined all care, there has then been a poor outcome and the woman/family sue the hospital trust/midwife for not giving adequate care. Despite specifically preventing them from doing so.

Midwives can absolutely give ‘hands off’ care but this still involves care. Remember that we have seen it all, the good and the bad and we want to keep you safe.
Also remember that the stories where women refused care and then had tragic outcomes aren’t generally the ones who post their stories on YouTube. But there are plenty of them.

I’m not saying this to scare you but just to please consider your midwife as a person, who will also have to live with your decisions. Especially when your decision is to decline all care.
We are people too and we only want to keep you safe 💕

I’m so sorry.

my experience wasn’t great either. Understatement.

I wouldn’t want to be left to go it alone to the degree the op is talking about.

Thank you for sharing this. It’s much appreciated. I’m sorry you had to be transferred to hospital but I am pleased everything worked out.

I know things may not work out however I am open to going to hospital should an emergency arrive, until that point my focus is on the homebirth 🩷

Was coming on to post exactly the same point

Birth is a natural physiological process that has been massively medicalised.

It definitely has been.

But where do we row back? Medical interventions now are why it is vanishingly rare in developed countries for women to die in childbirth. Just 100 years ago it was still the time to write your will. Now we don’t expect women and babies to die routinely as they have throughout history.

If we ‘de-medicalise’ then some women and babies will die as collateral damage, to allow others to have a nice candlelit delivery.

There is a balance, but I don’t know where it is.

Fair enough but knowing how dilated you are isn’t an indicator of how much longer labour will go on for..

Yes! They do! My friend has had 2 homebirths and requested to be observed only - unless there’s an emergency. We can consent to any medical intervention.

If you have had high quality antenatal education and decided that home birth is right for you, then fantastic! But if not I really recommend investing in some good education before definitively deciding. Social media algorithms for birth being unnecessarily medicalised can be very seductive and it is so important to understand your individual level of risk (which is usually hard to do at the start of your first pregnancy). I hope you achieve your home birth if you conclude that is the safest option for you.

I’d add, not as a midwife, but as a mum, that your midwife’s character/personality is massively important - having a good rapport with your midwife is sooo important - I think it can really affect your experience either way - not sure if you are in the position to have a private midwife op, but it could make the difference?

I was booked for a homebirth with my first child. It didn’t happen as he was late, and I had meconium in my waters. I did have a very uncomplicated unmediated birth and came home 4hours after he was born though.
I don’t know about your trust, but mine has a policy where if you intend to decline regular monitoring at home they will not send a midwife to care for you, as they explained that a midwife can loose her registration if things go awry but I had refused to let her examine me. They also didn’t allow dads to “catch” babies either.
I wish you a happy healthy 40 weeks and I hope you get the birth you want.