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

Ah, I see you are not going to attend your 12 week scan. You do know that it’s a really important scan to check on the health of your baby, don’t you?

I had a wonderful homebirth, should have been two but of course they ruined my first one!

Expect to:

• do plenty of your own research Sara Wickham is a good source,
• stand up for yourself - a lot,
• using your research, rehearse asking them for statistics and evidence-based facts, for whatever they are scaremongering you with,
• have to remind them that it is your body and you will be making informed decisions, and will not stand for any fearmongering,
• ask for different mws should any not respect your informed decisions, or should they apply the pressure, or try manipulation tactics to attempt to coerce you into complying.

Just a few I can think of right now, I massively regret being bullied by them first time round. My second was amazing and completely hands-off, as you are envisaging.

I should say I was 18,19 24, 25 and 31 and had already had one baby in hospital.
All were low risk except the last where I was placed under consultant care due to having an increased risk of bleeding after having had lots of babies.
He was happy to discharge me to birth at home though as I had been a while since the previous birth, my iron levels were good and he thought the risk of me giving birth in the car was higher than at home (I have fast labours)

For my 3rd birth and my last 2 the midwives didn’t arrive in time despite me calling as soon as my contractions became regular.

Thank you so much for sharing this! I have been fairly undecided about the doula but talked it through with my husband and we both think it'd be a great investment. The doula I have chosen is also a pregnancy yoga instructor and trained in biomechanics. Thank you so much for this advice, it's much appreciated x

All maternity care in the UK is optional. I have had two full term pregnancies and have never had US scans. Please do not guilt, shame, or attempt to emotionally blackmail the OP, just because her choices differ to the norm.

Not backtracking!! Yes I made my decision to homebirth from the start - I didn't explicitly say that this means I would be ignoring any sort of emergency situation.. I thought it would be pretty obvious that I wouldn't endanger myself of my child... You lot have assumed that because I have said I have decided on a homebirth, that means that I am ignorant to any other scenarios which simply is not the case at all. and I have not said that anywhere?

I've had a homebirth. It was lovely. I was booked to have a homebirth with my second but ended up having to deliver in hospital following an induction.

The hospital and the induction was also fine. I was very worried about interventions too. But the induction was nowhere near as bad as I'd read about or imagined and the birth was lovely in its own way. No interventions either.

The reason for my post is to say that even if for some reason you end up in hospital in the delivery suite (as opposed to the lower key birthing centre) it can be lovely too.

I don't think theres anything wrong with considering what you want this early, like you say they ask pretty early on. Fingers crossed everything goes the way you hope for!

They're not struggling to understand that preference, they're struggling to accept that you'd put that preference above the safety of your child.

I hope it goes well for you, but it’s unhelpful to have fixed ideas at this stage. Obviously, pregnancy isn’t an illness and it’s great that you are well. Home births can be wonderful and I understand why you would want one. However, there are lots of things that can happen in pregnancy to otherwise healthy mums, that increase risks or make a home birth unadvisable or riskier, even if it’s not an emergency. For example a bigger baby due to gestational diabetes or baby presenting unusually. It might all go smoothly or you might have a very long and tiring labor or even change your mind and need pain relief that isn’t available at home. Gently, I’d suggest that you aim for a home birth but accept that it might not be within your control ultimately. It’s not just about what you want, it’s about the safety of your little one too.
Also, birth works best when you work in partnership with those assisting you in achieving the best birth for you and your baby. Your attitude comes across as quite immature; whilst of course your ‘wants’ are so important, but respect and understanding go both ways. You may find it difficult to get a midwife or team who are prepared to go with being completely hands off, for legitimate safety reasons.
You might only want happy stories of wonderful home births, but they as great as they are, they aren’t always reality. Being rude to people won’t change this.

I really don't think you can rely on medical negligence settlements and awards in support of your argument that birth has been "overmedicalised". If you took a few minutes to read the judgments or reports of approvals of those cases where babies have tragically been left with life long injuries (they're the high value ones which take up the vast majority of negligence budget) they're almost all if not all cases where midwives (at home or in hospital) or less often obstetricians took too much of a hands off approach and failed to proceed to induction or c-section sooner.
I work in legal sector, not that area but close colleagues do, of the half a dozen female clinical negligence lawyers I know, all have chosen to have elective C- sections in tertiary units.

Thank you so much for your message. I am having to scroll past the ignorant comments on here from people making assumptions about me just because I simply didn't give them a 32 page bullet point list of every single scenario that I have considered and every single life experience that has lead me to the decision of planning for a homebirth. Then I get accused of 'back tracking' .... it's flipping exhausting when all I wanted was to hear from women like you.

Thank you for sharing your experience - I definitely feel that the more research I do, the better prepared I will be 💖

Thank you @Superfoodie123 It is definitely the case when you go against the grain it exposes other people lack of advocacy and blind faith.

Thank you for sharing that your homebirths were the best 2 days of your life! Reading this has made me feel excited for what is to come 💖

OP I totally respect your decision. However childbirth was for most of history one of the main causes of death for women and babies. When you say it’s been over medicalised, make sure that you’re not putting yourself and baby at risk by refusing checks.

So was I , ended up 7 weeks in hospital with Pre Eclampsia

Given the nhs midwifery services are so stretched, how can home births be offered? They can take a midwife away from other mums for hours.

My DM had a home birth for my Dsis. I was just outside the bedroom. We didn’t even have a bathroom. My Dsis had a home birth 40 years later and it was a nightmare. Yes, it was an emergency - for the baby. I’d rather be where there’s a chance of seeing a doctor rather than waiting for an ambulance that didn’t come. And no, the midwife didn’t take dsis to hospital with baby - she refused! Not her job. Ecentually the ambulance came but they took them to the wromg hospital - they had to walk to the right one - no ambulance again. The nhs is so chaotic. Good luck but I’d be scared stiff.

You’ve had a hard time on here. But it isn’t ’blind faith’, I had my babies in hospital and did my research and set my own boundaries etc, it’s just that I decided it was safer in hospital incase something goes wrong. That doesn’t mean I can’t advocate for myself or am somehow brain washed. Not everyone that disagrees with you is an idiot. You also asked how to avoid intervention I think part of that is being prepared by having scans and the normal maternity care checks to ensure you are in the best position for a home birth.

Cool story bro, but in what way does this help Op with what she asked for?

Well it was that posters experience of a home birth which actually is what OP asked for

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR THIS! Firstly for calling out the vile disgusting behaviour from some of these poster who seem desperate for things to go horribly wrong for me. But secondly, what a beautiful lovely story. That is a lovely lovely memory for both you, your husband and a lovely welcome to the world for your beautiful baby, I really hope I am blessed with understanding midwives like you had.

I will definitely take you up on your offer to PM you - I am regretting asking the question of homebirth on here. Genuinely thought it would be supportive and people would actually read my initial post and answer appropriately... Hey! Maybe I am naive like these clowns keep calling me!

Because too many babies and mothers were experiencing birth injuries or death when left to their own devices.

Your experience was pretty similar to mine. I didn’t refuse vaginal examinations, and the MW did one when she arrived- but that’s the only one she did. And the only time she used the Doppler as far as I can remember was when I was in the pool and very close to pushing. So minimal interventions. Most of the time, she sat on the sofa out of my eyeline, quietly observing and making notes. (There was a second MW but she was tied up in clinic and didn’t arrive until I was almost done). MW had some entonox in her car, and said she could get it if I needed it. Every time a contraction came, I kept thinking ‘Oh, I need that G&A’ and I’d ask for it, but then when the contraction subsided, the MW would say ‘Right I’ll go and get the entonox then’ and I’d say ‘No, no, don’t worry, I think I’ll be all right actually’. This conversation probably happened half a dozen times 😂 And no, turns out I didn’t need it.

After the placenta was out, one MW helped me to the loo and then we all sat and ate some pizza together while the MWs finished their notes and packing up. It was just such a wonderful experience to get into my own shower and then into my own bed with my lovely new baby.

I had kept an open mind through pregnancy, and knew that births don’t always go according to plan. At the time we lived about a 10 minute drive from the hospital which was reassuring.

I’d have loved a home birth. At your stage in my fish pregnancy I thought that that’s what I’d definitely have. Alas, some blood work later at an early appointment and I had bizarrely low platelets and was a clear candidate for a PPH so couldn’t have one. It is what it is and I’m glad that I didn’t go against advice because even with monitoring and intervention, I had a PPH and was I ever glad to be in a hospital when that happened.

The idea of “low intervention” as in not being examined etc though is batshit. The midwives aren’t doing it for their health, they’re doing it for yours and the baby’s. WHO recommend examinations every four hours even if everything is going perfectly. Low intervention to the extent that you’re putting forward carries higher risk for baby.

As others have said, please be flexible and willing to change your ideas as things go on in your pregnancy and potentially change. Good luck.

Because women and babies in hospital births don't experience birth injuries or death.

Sarcasm, for those who can't tell.

Placenta previa was spotted at my 20 week scan with my 3rd baby.

I immediately assumed my home birth was off the cards and C-section was likely.

But I had another scan at 30-something weeks to check again, and placenta was well clear of the cervix, so home birth was back on the table.
From what my midwife told me, the vast majority of placenta previas that are found at the 20 week anomaly scan are resolved by the time the pregnancy reaches term. It’s only a small amount that remain problematic and the only option for safe delivery is a csection.

I would think that it wiuld be prudent for a midwife to check how dilated the patient is.