whos had a home birth after a hospital birth? was it all you hoped?

[dramaqueen72]

title says it all really... right now i cant decide between another midwife unit birth or a home birth.......i have a while to make up my mind but wanted to hear how it had been for you ladies.........

BUMP!

I've had 3 home births after a hospital birth, followed by a final hospital birth.

Being at home just felt right. No major packing, no rush to the hospital etc. I had a good hospital birth and realised that I really didn't need to be there at all.

my first 2 births were in hospital. were nightmares for different reasons.(1st pph of a litre+, ventouse, episiotomy. 2nd, 38 hour labour premature) I was advised against having a homebirth for the 3rd but I persisted and it was wonderful. 4 and a half hour start to finish. Coped better and felt far more relaxed which I am convinced helped have an easier birth. 6 hours after it all started, the place was cleaned up (by the midwives) and we were all cuddled up in bed together as a big happy family. DH got to spend more time with his new son and my kids got to meet their baby brother straight away. It was wonderful.

Good luck whatever you decide hun x x

morning dq72, i had a home birth after a hospital birth and it was the best choice for me.
i felt relaxed in my own setting, i spent most of the time in water so didnt need pain releif.

when a woman goes into labour she produces oxcitocyn which drives the contractions your body then increases it endophines to deal with the contractions, you already have endorphines towards the end of your pregnancy ie feeling scatty,nesting,restless so this increases,enableing you to manage this amazing experiance.
now the way to increase these even more is to feel safe and secure close your eyes and switch off.
how many times have you heard a woman gets to the hospital and the contractions slow down or stop, this is because she feels nervous,anxious,out of control so the body produces adrenalin which stops contractions so the idea is to keep these little buggers out of the picture and bring on the good old endorphines,
so my question to you would be where do you feel safe, secure and in control.
sorry for the pyhsiology lecture just something to think about

I'm expecting my first, thus have experience of neither but I thought I'd share this little piece of information.

A mare (female horse) can start or stop her contractions depending on whether she feels safe to give birth (this makes sense, if there's a predator around, i.e. a vet (in the past that would have been wolves or dogs etc), she simply stops giving birth unitl the danger is past, i.e vet has gone home, lol, then when everybody is out of her way she easily produces a lovely new foal.) Perhaps women work similarly?

It's not quite as simple as that for humans but yes, it does kind of work the same way. Lots of women find their contractions stop when they get to the hospital (stressfu) or "wait" to go into labour until their other children are secure and looked after.

actually i can relate to that...mild contractions turn very strong very quick last time literally as soon as granny had collected big kids!
I dont know about a home birth yet, its not the safety or anything i worry about, its silly things like -will the phone keep ringing..will i be able to relax if theres a mess in the kitchen...(or will i get up and tidy it!) will relatives (who live in same road) keep popping up at the windows..... will niegbours and said relative be able to hear me yell?...so they sound silly to others but they are right here at the front of my head!

I had a home birth after two hospital births and the home one was by far the best. I had planned a homebirth for my second one, but got cold feet and went into hospital for pain relief. Turned out to be the worst decision I could have made and I had a horrible birth experience with dd. That was enough to make sure I never wanted to give birth in hospital ever again (unless absolutely necessary of course). My experience of giving birth at home was wonderful. I felt so looked after and safe in the confident and capable hands of my midwife and dh and I amazed myself at how much easier it was to cope with the pain at home. I couldn't recommend it enough.
Good luck whatever you choose to do.

I had first and third at home, second in hospital as overdue by 2 weeks.

Much, much prefer home births. Everything's so relaxed (well, as much as it can be!) and I felt much more in control at home.