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

It might not be an option where you live, but a birthing centre birth might be worth considering incase home birth ends up off the table. I’ve just had my second at a midwife led birthing centre and had a water birth. It was amazing and I’d say it was no/low observation. Other than checking my blood pressure on arrival I was not touched by midwife’s and they largely either left the room checking in every so often until the last 20 minutes so and even then stayed back and unobtrusive until baby was delivered.

My plan/preference/whatever frigging word will make you people happy is for a homebirth and I wanted to hear from ladies who had experienced this..... This does not mean that I have my head buried in the sand and don't think that plans won't change
That is pretty different from your starting posts. And a much more sensible approach. You did come across as absolutely fixated on one way of doing it being the only acceptable way. I hope you get the birth you want. My own preferences and experiences are irrelevant.

Thank you lovehearts for sharing this - yes I have a community midwifery team and I feel so blessed to have this. I will have 2 midwives with me at home, plus I beleive they have an ambulance on call for an emergency situation.

I love the idea of having my appointments at home - my first appointment is only 10 mins walk away where the community midwives are based which will make things so much easier. It's sad that many women don't have access to this.

I am pleased with your outcome and that everything worked out so well for you. Thank you again for sharing your experience - this is very reassuring x

Feeling empowered during childbirth is so important, and definitely listen to your body, and it’s great you want this for your experience and you’re so ready to advocate for what you want. Please be sure to educate yourself about the problems that can occur that your body can’t communicate to you, and be open to letting the midwife examine you/check on baby. You won’t know if there is an emergency if you don’t, and by the time you work it out it will be too late.
I had a low risk pregnancy, everything seemed fine. During labour they were monitoring baby’s heartbeat (as standard), and it dropped dramatically and I had to have an emergency c-section or baby would not have survived.
It’s great you’re saying you’re willing to go to hospital if there’s an emergency, but a midwife can’t know there is an emergency if she isn’t allowed to examine you.

A "home birth" is a dream, not reality. I am not a midwife but there are real complications associated with giving birth. You are looking at this with "Disney Eyes" and a lot can and will go wrong. That is why NHS really promote hospital or midwife led birth. What happens when the baby's shoulders are stuck, your blood pressure goes through the roof, baby is borne with spinal problems that prevent breathing? Do you really want scenarios that cannot be foretold and no help on hand? How would your partner/husband bring up your child(ren) if you bleed out/did not deliver placenta? Home births have been discouraged in 1st/2nd/3rd world countries for very real reasons. Listen to midwives and specialists. They might not tell you the reasons hospitals/midwife centres can prevent or help in emergency situations because scare tactics do not work.

Do not believe the hype from the internet, do what the professionals recommend. Your baby and your health comes before advertising.

To be realistic.

Midwives definitely do not ‘discourage’ home birth. Most of us love them!!
IF safe to do so.
There’s nothing nicer than helping a woman have a baby at home in her own bed or in front of her own fire.
We just only want to do it when it’s reasonably safe. Which I think is fair.

Good luck with it all op. I had the opposite (maternal request C-section) but I hope you go smoothly 💕

"Birth is a natural physiological process that has been massively medicalised." Now I know you're just trolling bollocks.

Birth was incredibly dangerous to mums and babies before it was "medicalised".

So the midwife cannot touch or examine you! Why bother having her there? This would be laughable if it was not so misguided and potentially tragic for all involved.

Stop being a fool - I asked a question about homebirth and women's experiences. This is my initial question, I did not think I had to explain comprehensively every single worst case scenario that I have considered because ultimately I do not have a crystal ball. My plan is for a hands off homebirth which is what I will have unless there is an emergency situation. I didn't think that I would have to explain this in my post asking a simple question about women's EXPERIENCE OF HOMEBIRTH!

Although I didn't chose home Births with my two, I had two MLU waterbirths, but I was born at home .it is absolutely possible to have a hands off Birth and to be primarily observed, a good midwife can tell much without touching. I had one vaginal examination with each of mine which I could easily have declined but I'm just too nosey. A waterproof copper was used to monitor heart rate and both time the midwife caught the baby which was my choice. What I'm saying is that it is possible to have a hands off birth as I had minimal hands on but that was my choice. I would suggest reading Birth your way by Sheila Kitzinger, this was my absolute bible. Oh and because of my beautiful births my daughter had her own hands off water birth last summer because she had confidence in her own body because of my experiences.

But those are pretty common scenarios

I had all my appointments at home as I signed up for a home birth at my booking appointment and that's how it's managed here. Loved that!!! The homebirth midwife who attended while I was in labour was amazing and very supportive of my decision to go in. I'd do it again!

Not a home birth but I delivered in a midwife lead birth centre within a hospital. I wanted low to no intervention delivery but with hospital back up if needed and it was needed.

I got my no intervention hypnobirth lead delivery and it was amazing. The midwives totally got my approach and the birth centre was lovely.
however placenta delivery complications meant I ended up in theatre afterwards.

2nd time around I was told due to the placenta complications I couldn’t use the birth centre. Would need to be on a ward with a pre-emptive cannula and I knew a cascade of interventions would follow.

i did my own research and pushed for the birth centre. I was referred to a consultant who agreed that the birth centre as fine and as I was at the hospital, no more of a challenge to get into theatre than a ward.

i had the same complications but it was all fine.

so you do have to sometimes fight a bit for what you want as the midwife 2nd time around was very ‘computer says no’ but personally id recommend a birth centre as you never know what could happen.

Thank you so much for sharing this! I think some people here are struggling to understand that some women don't want to be touched/spoken to during labour. I appreciate you sharing your story with me.

I was 29 and fit fwhen pregnant with DS1. Would have assumed low risk.

As it happened I had various issues during pregnancy that led to it being discovered I had GBS and was therefore high risk requiring antibiotics during labour. He was also back to back and just didn't come out so after 3 days of contractions we had an emergency section.

I hope you remain low risk but be open to the possibility that you may not be. The best birth is the one that is safest for both of you, whatever that may be (and if you remain low risk stats suggest that may well be at home)

Thank you - I am completely open to my homebirth not going as planned, I appreciate you sharing your story and I am pleased that the midwives were fully supportive 💖

I had a home birth for my 2nd child and I am a massive advocate of home births. Mine was a very quick labour and sadly after birth I was blue lighted in with a PPH. Do I regret my home birth? Not at all.

I had minimal intervention from the midwives during labour. The observed, and did have to check dilation once during my labour but they had reasons for doing this due to scar tissue on my cervix from cervical cancer treatment.

I did have numerous back up plans on my birth plan though. If you have those and are not totally fixated on a home birth to the detriment of anything else I hope you have a great birth.

I’ve had 2 homebirths.

My first home birth (second baby) is probably a textbook example of low risk homebirth possible.
I woke up having mild, regular contractions around 4am. Intensity ramped up around 7am so I called the midwife. She arrived around 7:30am and we went through my birth plan - which was basically that I just wanted to be left alone 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 I had intermittent monitoring of baby’s heart rate, but other than that I was left to it. I don’t have any cervical examinations or anything like that. At around 2:30pm, midwife encouraged me to go and try to do a wee…..which I did and as soon as I’d done it, I felt that unmistakeable urge to push. Quickly got back downstairs and DS was as born at 2:45pm, out in 2 pushes.

My 3rd baby was also a low risk homebirth……but she was really early to the party 🫠😂 She was born an hour after my first contraction. Midwives ran into my house to find ex-H crouched under me, holding a slippery, fresh baby 😂
I did bleed a bit more than expected as my placenta detached, but midwife administered the injection and the bleeding stopped quickly.

You sound a bit precious tbh OP.
A latex gloved hand will not cause your child future psychological problems

I have had many labours where I haven’t examined, or have barely spoken. It is absolutely possible but you just can’t predict how labour will go.

Being relaxed is key. Rigid plans pretty much never go well. There’s a saying that a laminated birth plan is a short cut to a section and for some reason it is eerily accurate. I think the less pressure you put on yourself, the easier it goes.