Any 1st timers who had a home birth?

[rainand]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is the right section. I would love to hear from those of you that had a home birth for their 1st baby. I'm due with my 1st, and always been keen on a home birth but DH is not keen. I've just recently started reading Maggie Howell's birthing book and that's obviously reinforced the idea of a home birth. Would love to hear your experiences and thoughts :)

Me! I did, and it was great. I would only say that, if I had been in any way high risk then my WM would have advised against it so I was lucky in that respect. I was also a ten minute drive away from the hospital, in case anything had gone wrong.

It was a really wonderful experience, DS was two weeks late and I was worried that I would have to go in / be induced and what not but it was fine. I did hypnobirthing as preparation, and also had an acupuncturist who attended the end of the birth and did some points for pain relief and some to get the placenta out as it was taking a while. I realise that makes me sound like a total yogurt-weaver, but I'm really not! My DH wasn't keen, but he also decided that it was up to me how I wanted to deliver, and - to his eternal credit - he emptied out the birthing pool and has never ever mentioned the contents

I'm due DC2 in May and will definitely (if it all allows, crosses fingers) be having another homebirth. Go for it!

Zorra, thanks for sharing! :)

How did you convince your dh? I'm persuading him to read Maggie Howell's book but he is more interested in watching one born every minute! My dh will in the end go along with whatever I suggest, but I'd like him to keen on it too, that way we are both fully comfortable.

I didn't really convince him tbh, he was so bamboozled by the whole pregnancy / birth thing that he just wanted me to choose and tell him what to do when . There are lots of great birth stories from dads on various home birth / hypnobirthing websites though, might that help? My DH was much happier when he knew it was the same professional MWs who would be in the hospital and I promised to listen to them and transfer if medically necessary.

I had a home birth with my daughter and it was a very positive and calm experience.

My partner was not sure at first because he assumed we would be safer in a hospital. However, once I showed him all the data about infections and intervention rates he was happy to support a home birth. I also made sure he was very involved in the birthing process and, as it turned out, he was a huge help.

I had planned to give birth in a pool but apparently it made me too relaxed and I ended up giving birth on my bed. This meant my partner saw our daughter being born and he will always have that experience as his own.

Having a home birth means you are in control and can shape your own environment. I hope you find a way that suits you both.

I had a home birth with my first and it was a lovely experience all round. DH was more keen than I was so I didn't have to convince him. He was much more useful at home than he would have been at the hospital - helping the midwives carry their kit in (they bring an awful lot with them!), keeping everyone fed and watered and was able to give my mum progress updates and ge tbits and pieces that I needed that perhaps wouldn't have gone with me to hospital. My DD was born at lunchtime and we both agreed that it was lovely that he didn't get sent away as he may have done had I given birth in hospital. For both of us the best bit was that by tea time my entire family came to meet the new arrival, which was magical (we were both tired but on SUCH a high) and these are memories that we will treasure forever. This was a real bonus of having a home birth for us.

Maybe if he's into sport you can tell him he'll be able to check the scores more easily at home ;)

I had my first baby at home. I always knew I wanted to have babies at home if possible, and had talked to DP about it long before we started trying to conceive. By the time I hit my third trimester he felt very strongly about it, as the mire he found out about hospital births, the more he realised that he wanted something more family centred, where he wouldn't be sent home alone after the baby was born.