The thread for first time home birthers (or thinking about it) - over here!

[Boobz]

I only just found out I was pregnant 10 days ago, and it is of course early days, but I have been doing a lot of research and am seriously thinking of having a home birth.

I'm a member of my Due March '09 ante natal club thread, but I don't want to go on about home birthing there where the majority will be planning a hospital birth (don't want to bore them!) I'd like to start this thread for all those people who'd like to talk about the pros and cons, planning, expectations and realities of home births, especially if it is your first baby, or first home birth.

Has everyone else's other halves been fine at the thought of a first baby HB? Or did you have to do some convincing?

A

Gemzooks we met a lovely lady at out antenatal class who is dutch am planning home birth. She was very much "its the norm at home" and did give me and DH lots of confidence. We are v close in dates.. are you fully prepared??

Jumpjockey you sound like you were a star! thanks so much for inspirational story.. I think this was your first? nice to hear it is possible...

Whiteybaby you're def not mad... well if you are then I am too!

Anyone heard from 2cutedarlings? She was due yesterday according to the list.

Hi all, can I join your thread? I'm 35+4 (first pregnancy) and until around 2 weeks ago hadn't considered a home birth. I'd always assumed I'd give birth in the hospital where I work and was completely up for an epidural at the earliest available opportunity. Then, after my booking appointment, I switched (in my head) to the local midwife-led birth centre. Then, after recent NCT class, I started considering the option of homebirth and the more I think/ read about it, the more it feels like the right thing for me. I'll be discussing it with my midwife for the first time on Tuesday, so interesting to see how that goes. I've been told that our town has one of the highest homebirth rates in the area, so that sounds quite positive!

Hi and welcome Juwesm
I think if it feels right for you then that's what matters. The thing I've learnt from reading stuff on this thread is the importance of being flexible that you can plan for the perfect HB and it can be the most wonderful experience but it doesn't always pan out that way. Hope you get the support you need from your midwife, come back in and let us know how it goes.

welcome juwesm! feel free to add yourself to the list! good to hear that HB is supported in your area!

2cute had her baby but I'm not sure if it was at home or not....

Thanks for the update Boobz, hopefully we'll hear from 2Cute when she has a spare minute...!

oh god, shouldn't complain but just had the visit from the 'kraamzorg' woman. here in Holland you get a person coming in for 3-4 hours a day for the first week after birth, to help you, basically a maternity nurse. I thought, wow that sounds fantastic, great! But in fact she just spent the whole time telling me about their health and safety regulations and what they WOULDN"T do as opposed to what they would.. oh well. I showed her my epi cushion (cushion with a special hole in it for sitting more comfortably after the birth, and she said 'here in the Netherlands we tell women to sit on a hard wooden stool? wtf?

Well, home and back in less than an hour (on foot, I might add), and I appear to have just booked a home birth! No fuss, no bother, MW just got the forms straight out, all filled in to send off to Supervisor of MWs, went through her checklist of things to tell HB people, I went through my qs and DONE!

After seeing the difficulty many people have in getting support for HB I am a little concerned it was all too easy. Perhaps lulling me into a false sense of security. Actually, I wouldn't have minded a bit more fuss actually. I went in and said I'd like to discuss the idea, but we didn't really discuss pros and cons or anything. The only things she said were that if waters broke and nothing happening after 12 hours they would want to take me in for monitoring, and that if transfer needed, they would not take me to 'my' hospital, but to one of the two consultant units in my area (even though 'my' hosp MUST be closer with blue lights on). Don't know if she just assumed I had read up on pros and cons and made informed decision. For all she knows, I could have asked for HB cos someone told me you got free cake!!

Anyway, don't mean to sound ungrateful at the ease of the process, especially as some people have such unsupportive MWs and have struggled to get the HB they really want. I am pleased, quite excited about it actually. It's all go go go for live homebirth thread!

Better tell DH!! Think I will keep it quiet from parents and in-laws for now. Not sure how they'll respond. Also better acquire a pool.

Think this is the most up-to-date list:

ARRIVED:
Tupperwife 3 FEB, Baby boy Samuel James Good hospital delivery as had to transfer due to snow.
Givethedogahomebirth 10 FEB, Baby girl Isla Rose.
Helley, Evelyn Grace Baby girl born 12 Feb
Laumiere 21 Feb, Baby boy Gabriel William Thomas Robson, hospital delivery had to transfer due to midwives...

DUE:
Twocutedarlings DUE 25 FEB. Hoping for DC3 to be born at home.
Thefearlessfreak Due 12 March 1ds 2.4 yrs & planning for homebirth
captain karvol, DUE 15 MARCH. 2nd DC.
Boobz, DUE 19 MARCH. Planning 1st home water
birth. Live Streatham, London.
titmouse, DUE 26 MARCH First DC
Juwesm Due 1st APRIL, planning 1st home water birth, Kent.
CEB80 Due 23 APRIL. Planning 1st home water birth.
Gemzooks DUE 29 MARCH planning first home birth with pool. Live in Holland, 1 DS already (2.5).
Gingersarah, norbury london, due 18 April and hoping for HB
Belgianchocolates DUE 6 MAY. Planning home water birth. 2DC already.
leakyR DUE 7 MAY , planning home water birth. 1 DS already (Apr 07).
Swottybetty DUE 29 MAY. Live in Croydon, Surrey. 1 DD already (March 08).
DetoxDiva. 1 DD (Jan 06) Due 09/09/09 Bedfordshire.

just have to share.. the Dutch birth service man just delivered bed raisers and a lovely big metal placenta catching dish!

Yikes! now we won't have to use a baking tray!

LMAO Gemzooks!

I suddenly feel very very full - like this baby is about to pop! Is that a well known sign of impending labour?

38 weeks today, so obviously is just wishful thinking, but crikey would it be nice to go into labour today...

Hope you're all well. 2cute had a great, quick! homebirth which she posted on the due March thread - I'm sure she'll be along soon here too xxx

it won't be long boobz! Are you drinking your raspberry leaf tea and all that? I drank loads of it and did power walking and step ups with DS, and he was 1 week early. not sure that caused it though..

oh, forgot to say, there's another full moon on 11 March, so that could get a few of us going into labour. I'm 37 weeks tomorrow and FED UP!

I haven't plucked up the courage for the raspbery leaf tea I must admit. But I am walking my dog twice a day for an hour at a time so hopefully that is doing something. Think I might try and ramp up the sex and see if that gets things moving as well.

Having said that, I have just sent our digital SLR camera away to be fixed and it's going to take 10 days or so, so really I need the babe to arrive after the 15th...

Where abouts in Holland are you? I think you've already told me but I can't remember. I am meeting my best friend for pannekoeken at the Dutch pancake house in Holborn tonight, as a treat. We both went to the British School of the Netherlands for 6 years when we were growing up, so it's a bit of a blast from the past. I wonder if they will do patat met as well - yum yum...

xxx

Hi homebirthers,
I found out this morning that I am definitely on for a HB, it was in question because of my anaemia, which is improving enough for it not to be a problem. The MW is going to try again to deliver the box of stuff next tuesday so fingers crossed I don't go into labour early and the baby arrives before the box does!

I am excited and relieved, as she said on tuesday that I couldn't even go to the MLU with a low haemoglobin count it was labour ward only. So hurray for iron pills - and I just ate a whole bag of thorntons fudge to celebrate... oops...

me too - re raspberry leaf tea. Might make DH make me one when he gets in.

I must be the only person that likes raspberry leaf tea! Holland and Barratt were all out of tablets so tea was my only choice.

I've got raspberry leaf tea which has been in the cupboard a long time, certainly since before we decided to try and get pregnant!
What is it meant to do, should I be drinking it?

ceb, I like it too, it's actually not bad! fearless freak, we got the pool delivered yesterday and same prob, won't fit on the kitchen tap.. hope we can find the right attachment!

37 weeks today and have the most awful stomach bug, throwing up etc, and can't keep anything down. just what you need at this stage of preg while looking after a 2 year old. had to be sick at the midwives' this morning, mind you they've seen it all...

hope everyone else is ok, who is next in line?

Oi Gemzooks - did you see my last post?

Fearless is next, and then Captain, and then me! Woot.

xx

sorry boobz, I have the mental capacity of a small insect at the moment... I'm in Amsterdam. interesting that you lived in the Netherlands, do you speak Dutch?