Care to share your home birth story?

[littleraysofsunshine]

I'm on my 3rd pregnancy and been advised for home birth (hopefully water birth) as i hve had two very fast labours. ideally it will still be fast-ish at home but not as rushed like i was to get to maternity unit 14months ago... but I'm anxious!

Please share your experiences!

The absolute best time of my life. I felt fearless and focused. The sensations were intense but I handled it all beautifully, dh was impressed and said he felt superfluous although I'm glad he was there! Much much smoother than my first birth which was at a birth centre run by midwives.

Baby was born after an hour of active labour: no pushing, no tearing, no trauma of any kind.

Very best of luck to you. If you decide to have a home birth I am sure you will do wonderfully.

:) I'm hopefully having on in November. Still a hopeful at the moment!

Mine is here:

ontherunfromtheacademe.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/diary-of-homebirth.html?m=1

Sorry cant turn that into a proper link on my phone.

It was amazing. I'm doing it again next year

My first was three hours from start to finish, had 2nd degree tear & pph 1000mls.

Dd2 was 1hour exactly from water breaking in bed at home at 10:53pm to born at hospital at 11:53pm. I got to hospital at about 11:30 and tried to wait for do but needed to push! No pph, only a slight tear on old scar, blood loss only 300mls.

I just feel nervous as at hospital help is there if needed.

And what if I give birth at home before midwife arrives?!

Even if you need help it will be fine.

This isn't a horror story, but it is a home birth gone wrong story.

Basically DS got stuck and I needed transferring in. A decision was made in good time and an ambulance was called.

Didn't even get blue lights.

Got to hospital, had a local anaesthetic down there and DS was helped out with forceps. Stayed in one night, discharged and home by mid day the next day.

It was all very boring really!

I'm going to give it another go in 4 weeks with this one!

littlerayofsunshine - sorry for being thick but what does "pph etc" mean? (I'm on my second pregnancy (+mc) and theres still so little I dont know, d'oh!)

My first birth was 4 1/2 hours from first twinge to baby. My second was 4 hours home birth. Absolutely fab. Very calm. Two midwives. Didn't hurt that much. (I think it would have been much quicker if we hadn't had to wait for my MIL to arrive to provide childcare.) My third was an unattended home birth, 30 mins start to finish. Very painful, but completely straightforward and my dh delivered our dd. Because my first labour had been quick, we'd got the midwife to explain what we needed to do should we have to deliver our own baby, so we were sort of prepared. I think quick labours tend to be relatively straightforward. I also barely left the house in the last couple of weeks because I knew there was a good chance of things being speedy. Good luck.

Post partum haemmorage.

What do you do when unassisted?

Did*

I had an accidental home birth with our 2nd. Less than 40 minutes from waking up in the morning to laying in bed holding our daughter. Head delivered as paramedic ran into the room. Midwife made it about half an hour later. A midwife from the midwife led unit at the hospital talked DH through it on the phone (and screamed "tell her not to panic" a few times until I pointed out she was on speaker phone and screaming don't panic is guaranteed to make me panic. We did get a ride to hospital in the ambulance to get checked out, but mainly because neither the paramedic or the ambulance that turned up later had a strong torch and our bedroom was not light enough.

I would have a home birth with this one, but they don't do them in the area I live in in Sweden. Not looking forward to a 25 minute drive through the snow in labour, especially since that is about the length of my last labour!

I have never had one but my doctor friend had two very fast straightforward labours, one accidentally at home without midwives, and says she'd plan for one next time for same reason.

She says she'd never advise a homebirth, esp for a first, until you know how you deliver, cope with pain etc. Which you do of course, like her. Good luck!

Have had all my (4) at home-all very positive and empowering births. Last one four weeks ago was a couple of hours and was very calm, the midwives sat in the background and I got on with things. The baby came in a couple of pushes and everything was straightforward. I don't know if I'm just lucky with births but I read the Active Birth book and try to stay upright in labour which I think really helps.