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

Be prepared to be flexible, I was booked in for one and at 36 weeks my heart rate started to increase so I advised against it. Instead I had a wonderful completely drug free birth, no intervention birth at hospital (the same as with my older and younger DC).

That’s how it works in some areas. I was with the homebirth team from my first appointment with DD2. You can choose a homebirth later on, but if you choose it from the start you’ll have all your appointments with the homebirth team. Obviously if anything comes up during the pregnancy, you’ll be moved. My waters went at 34 weeks so I had to be induced at 37 so obviously couldn’t have a homebirth. That was fine, I never had any intention of doing it against any medical advice.
I also had a consultant appointment at about 25 weeks due to me having a low pre-pregnancy weight. I’d have had this regardless of where I planned to give birth, but that consultant also signed off my giving birth at home provided the additional growth scans they did were fine (and again, I’d have had those scans regardless of where I wanted to give birth, they weren’t done due to the consultant having additional concerns around the homebirth).

Yes, but OP hasn't expressed a preference which is what the form is doing, she has expressed an absolute decision with very detailed specifics of how it will go and exactly how she will feel months down the line.

That's what's so naive about it. I would say exactly the same if what she was saying she wanted now was every intervention and drug going or an election caeseraen or anything in-between.

It's not the wanting a homebirth and this hands off approach that's the issue, it's the daftness of saying "this is how it will absolutely be unless there's an emergency and I will not waiver in 9 months".

OP I have had four births. One in hospital - staff missed all but the last 20 mins so no examinations. Three at home all examination and hands off - my best friend is a midwife and she is rather of the opinion that in ordinary deliveries if you can’t tell what is going on through mum’s behaviour and responses then you aren’t a mid wife. Outside of problems and of course they can occur and hospital care become needed it’s a no brainier that things go better at home if that is your oxytocin rich environment.

Ha!

‘They shouldn’t have let us decline’ ‘we declined because we didn’t know the risks, they didn’t tell us’ etc. Despite being told not to talk to the birthing woman.

If you’re in someone’s home ‘caring’ for them, you will absolutely be thrown under the bus when the shit hits the fan. Even if you were banished to the kitchen.

ETA this hasn’t happened directly to me but it is not rare.

just because I haven't mentioned preparation for a 'plan B' scenario doesn't mean that I am not prepare or considering such. I asked a question specifically for woman who have homebirth experience. You lot decided to respond with your opinions and assumptions, despite me asking you not too!

I would urge you to read or listen to the guardian's investigation of the free birth society and keep your mind as open as possible

I was booked for home births x 3 and they didn’t happen as I have pregnancies that last beyond 42 weeks.

Even on the day it depends on staffing so can be denied.

You can still have a low/no intervention labour & delivery in hospital, I wasn’t even in a MLU.

You can refuse continuous monitoring etc, I did despite being induced each time. I never needed any other assistance despite being induced. No drip, no forceps, no ventouse despite having unexpected 10lb+ babies and being very tiny (short) myself and meconium in my waters for one of them.

I think key is being relaxed about the whole thing so don’t be resolute that it has to be home birth else you may feel very stressed if it can’t happen on the day for whatever reason.

Also time it would take to get to hospital in rush hour is a consideration too.

I hope it all works out for you, my midwives were all very supportive even though it didn’t happen in the end.

Thanks but I am not freebirthing!

I haven’t had a HB, but my oldest was born 25 years ago and people seemed so much more open about home births then. Back then it was very much considered that problems were less likely to occur when you are in your own space.

People have been really negative here. I’m sure the OP doesn’t need to be reminded of all the things that could go wrong (reminds me of my sil who had a horrific story for every single week of my pregnancy) - yes shit happens, you need a contingency plan, but no one should go through their lives (or pregnancies) focusing solely on the potential horror stories and not planning out their dreams because they might go wrong!

If you have experienced homebirth why haven't you respond with your experience when that was my initial question?

Because I think, like anyone, she will have an easier time if she's flexible from the outset.

Because it's irrelevant to my opinion on the fixed nature of your decision at this stage.

It’s absolutely fine to want a home birth, absolutely fine to want minimal intervention during the birth but you midwife does need to ensure you are progressing at some point, and in my case she used a handheld Doppler to check the heartbeat periodically, dd arrived within 4 hours, zero drugs. Please do though remember that medical professionals want two things, a safe delivery of your baby and for you to have minimal medical issues subsequently (I didn’t need stitches but they will be trying to minimise it) etc. they will let your husband catch your baby but they can’t stand by for hours without any checks

She won’t know if she has placenta praevia if she declines scans.

I did not have a home birth, but do believe women should be free to choose the option/care that is best for them. I know you said you couldn't afford a private midwife, which is a shame - mine was an invaluable advocate for me. (And you're absolutely right, you can decline/accept any intervention - I didn't agree to any internal examinations either.) What I would suggest is (1) try to find a doula that has midwifery/nursing training, as it really is helpful if you do need to transfer to hospital, that the team at the hospital respect your advocate (2) make sure your birth plan covers as many eventualities as possible, so that if something doesn't go to plan, you've already thought about and decided on options (b) and (c).

I know. But it gives a lot of information about what can go wrong in a homebirth with little intervention, and you are wanting hands off care from the midwives.

If midwives aren't in the room when baby is born and your husband catches, does he know how to stimulate breathing? When to worry about slow breathing? Etc.

I have had twi homes births but I was happy to be monitored and to be examined so they knew I was progressing as I should do. I was also happy for the midwife to deliver my babies.

You don’t know if you’re low risk at this point in your pregnancy. One of the biggest risk factors to PND is when a pregnancy . Delivery does not go according to plan. Keep an open mind, keep your options open.

Did you mean to come across as spiteful and patronising as you did? Have you had a bad day? And did writing that make you feel better?
My documentation is fine.

Planning a birth isn’t suppose to be for ‘planning out your dreams’, it’s about getting the mother and baby though the process safely. Midwives being allowed to touch is pretty useful in that.

I recently had a wonderful home birth with no examinations from the midwives attending - I was actually happy to have examinations and they told me they could see I was progressing perfectly well without needing to feel internally and therefore left me to it!

I prepared myself for home birth by joining my city's home birth network meetings (run by NHS midwives in my city), hiring a doula (INVALUABLE!) and doing pregnancy yoga with an instructor trained in biomechanics.

This was my second birth though - first was in hospital with forceps. My first experience of birth taught me a lot which helped me during my second birth.

Congratulations and good luck!