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

I think you should save the money of taxpayers and give birth alone with your husband, he can google what to do and watch a YouTube tutorial step by step through labour.

It is a bit depressing when some are so negative about woman who want to plan for a low intervention homebirth. If only all care was more responsive and woman centred and all women more confident at advocating for themselves and others who may make different choices.

Just want to make a small point off the back of this though that a home birth actually costs the tax payer far less than a hospital birth does.

That's great, but I assume they'd want me and baby to hang out with them at home for that 4 hours. Sounds stifling to me, but useful if requested.

@thismonthsfad

Hi OP :) I had a low/no intervention Homebirth in June. This thread has turned into the usual pile-on but feel free to PM me!

Precisely. More money can be saved if they avoid having a midwife, as they’ve done extensive research on how to handle the perfect homebirth. Her body knows what to do that's all that matters.

OP I’ve just found this thread which is 18 months old but it’s got really lovely and useful responses on it. Second page mentions refusing VE too! ❤️

(Not sure where all these anti-home birth posters were that day but made a refreshing change to read it 🤣)

www.mumsnet.com/talk/pregnancy/5138545-home-birth?page=1

This is so typical of how we don’t recognise or respect professionals. I agree, let the DH deliver the baby - the op and dh know everything - who needs a midwife? Clearly a useless profession.

Your assumption is incorrect. The midwives make sure everyone is comfortable before leaving. They’ll come back and check on you before 24 hours.

The ironic thing is none of you are actually respecting the professionals. Because this is what they are trained to do. Just not in an over crowded, low staff, germ infested hospital.

And people’s homes don’t have germs? Are somehow sterile and cleaned to high standards? Pull the other one!

My home has never been as filthy as the postnatal ward I was on after DC1. I’ve never been wildly impressed by the cleanliness of ward when visiting as hospitals pay for the bare minimum from cleaners and housekeeping.

The figures on post natal infection have long been lower for home births - I’ve seen hypotheses suggesting its simply the immunity we build within our everyday environment but not aware if that has been proven as the reason.

I must have been lucky then. Very clean birthing suite and room.

yes you are lucky.

You’d be lucky to get in a birthing suite now - this would by my first choice but all three local hospitals are in special measures and have shut the birthing units. We do not have one hospital within 45 minutes that is rated ‘good’. So what does that tell you ? Or are all the ratings wrong now too ?

i was in a pre natal ward over Christmas and it was absolutely fifthy. My partner was helping the midwives to clean the floors because no cleaners had turned up to shifts.

is it possible that you had a good experience and others haven’t ? Or is that not something you could consider.

this is getting as ridiculous as formula vs breastfeeding. Everyone has a choice. There’s horror stories in both hospitals and home births. Unfortunately none of it is perfect. There’s a reason why there is a review in maternity care.

I agree with all this. In my area there are no “birthing suites” there is a labour ward and then communal wards for pre and post natal women. No suites, no private rooms. Women regularly gave birth in corridors at busy times.

The hospital where I had my horrific first experience was supposedly a flagship maternity centre so lord knows what the others were like.

In terms of actual care, whilst in hospital I was sharing multiple staff attending to multiple women. with many staff evidently not experienced. For home births the policy is still two experienced midwives in attendance which I suspect contributes to the lower complication rates and faster recovery for home births (in normal, healthy pregnancies). I worked on data - for my situation and pregnancies the data supported home birth, had I had complicating contra indications I would have had to suck it up and go back to hospital but I would have seriously considered a loan to go private before returning to that maternity unit.

I don’t hold out a great deal of optimism over the maternity review having seen so many over the last few decades, none of which resulting in improvements for the women giving birth. I will cross my fingers and continue to offer my DD/DiL the money to go private if they wish - something I couldn’t do in my own birthing days. Interestingly the only one who so no point in going private was the DiL in a country where home birth is very common and well supported, hospital being for women with contra indications (or simply that preference).

I had a wonderful home birth with DD2 who is now a teenager, still remember it with much joy. From your response OP I think that you're doing your research, as I did. unlike some of the ill informed posters in this pile on. If you'd like some positive stories, rather than more research, about ordinary home births then you might like to read Abigail Cairns book "Home birth, stories to inform and inspire". It's an old book, but then so is the process of birth. Wishing you a happy birth day whatever you decide.

@princesseauxchampignons Yes, I did have a good experience but I had two epidurals (2 dc) and fell asleep during labour for DD1 and had to be woken up when baby was ready to be born. I was happy to be in hospital. Epidural was bliss. No pain is a big gain.

I have read horror stories about maternity units but I’ve also seen reports on the “natural birth” policies midwives and lack of experience to know when this is wrong. They can attend home births and there have been issues with this. Home births are difficult now if you have a problem because of ambulance delays. The idea that every home birth is low risk is wrong too as the coroners report suggested that I posted earlier. Unfortunately women who don’t engage like the op don’t know if a home birth is low risk or not and plenty don’t engage. My (self important) friend was too busy at work for anti natal appointments and was an emergency at 30 weeks because she was expecting twins and didn’t know! I just think some women play fast and loose with another human being and some midwives have their own agendas. I agree not enough is done about it.

im confused I didn’t think you could have an epidural in a birthing centre ?

I think here lies the difference. It’s all choice. Some women wouldn’t want an epidural. Some women would. Some women don’t want an elective c section, some women would. Some women would feel more comfortable in a hospital, some women would feel more comfortable at home.

there’s a difference between a free birth (which the OP has clarified many times is not what she’s looking for here) and having two trained professionals with you at all times for a home birth. They also carry emergency equipment with them who can call ahead to a hospital and skip triage. The level of risk accepted in a home birth vs a hospital is completely different for the travel distance reason alone.

In my circumstance, there would be little difference between getting to the hospital and straight into theatre than the theatre prepping for if you are already on the ward.

Just like the hospitals, some areas are better than others. Our neighbouring county openly admits they’re not set up for home birthing.

It all depends on your own situation and ultimately, where you live. But I do believe in informed choice and ultimately, also having the choice to change your mind.

The BBC podcast Child is very good.

all sounds a bit hippy trippy to me its ok dreaming things like this but the midwife is there to help not hinder. an awful lot can change during a birth and even more can go wrong

Given the hippie decade was the 60s and between 1960 and 1970 midwife care transitioned from home to hospital, you could argue hospitals are the hippie trippy era 😁

My mother and all her friends had their babies in a maternity hospital in the late 50s/60s/70s!
Now my grandma, who had her babies in the 30s, gave birth at home.

My mum had all her babies at home 62 to 69

I’m in my mid 50’s - I’m sure many of my generation were born at home. I can’t imagine anything worse. I wanted a hospital with all the medical equipment available. I had an early epidural and an amazing birth experience. Plenty of sleep and no pain.

The reason we moved to hospital births was to reduce death rates of babies and mums! The poorest had the worst mortality rates. Men didn’t help and midwives barely existed in many areas - although we had a community one in the 60s covering a large rural area! Many women were grateful for hospital births.

It’s a bit like vaccinations. Children were dying. Vaccinations invented and there’s a huge take up. Then we stop having vaccinations for spurious reasons and deaths start again. We don’t use common sense.

I’m 56 and my DM’s experience was a fortnight stay in hospital, pubic hair shaved off, babies slept in the hospital nursery and brought to mum every four hours. She had a natural birth with no complications or stitches.