Home birth option

[lozzalou93]

Is anyone having a home birth or had a home birth care to share their feelings?

I am pretty confident it is the option I want. I feel I would be much more relaxed in my home surroundings and am not a fan of hospitals. The midwife told me they would know if something was going wrong and before I even realised I’d be in the hospital. I live (a max) 5 Min drive from our local.

What are other people’s feeling on home births?

This is a misunderstanding of how the statistics are calculated. The pool of women who attempt HB are already lower risk - even when you look at the groups then transferring in you’re still looking at a lower risk pool from the start, so the comparison between that group and those in hospital from the start is not comparing like with like.

Not a misunderstanding at all - the Birth Place Study 2011 is a study on low risk pregnancies.

Yes I’ve read that study. The basic conclusions are:

1. adverse outcomes are almost double for first time mums having a planned Home birth.

1. For low risk, second or higher births, with no complications, a home birth is a fairly safe option and seems about the same risk level as a birthing unit.

That’s why HB is not recommended in many countries for first time mothers but is allowed for second/subsequent births with low risk.

All of the abverse outcomes I mentioned in my post are lower for first time mothers at home

Thank you for all sharing your experiences and words of wisdom, I appreciate both points of view.

@hypermice my 5 Min time is including traffic etc, door to door more like 8-10, I really am that close. It’s the hospital I would be at if I chose the hospital birth option. This is my first birth, I don’t have any children yet so I don’t know how I’ll cope with labour yet.

Thank you once again

No 2 was a home birth and it was amazing. No problems.
At the time I worked in the nhs and part of my job was investigating when things went wrong, including maternity. I went in with my eyes open and statistically there are less problems with home births but of course they are lower risk pregnancies.

Everyone will always have different opinions on acceptable levels of risk, so all I can suggest is read up yourself to make an informed decision, good luck whatever you decide 😊

My younger daughter was a home water birth. We live about 25 minutes away from the hospital. I was 38.

Much better than my first hospital birth. I had hired a water pool for that too, but didn't get to use it and was determined to do so second time round.

My younger daughter was a home water birth. We live about 25 minutes away from the hospital. I was 38.

Much better than my first hospital birth. I had hired a water pool for that too, but didn't get to use it and was determined to do so second time round.

Following, only 10 weeks here but want a homebirth. I had a lovely hospital water birth with dc1 and if this pregnancy remains uncomplicated then I want to try at home, hospital is a 5 min drive in minimal traffic.

I really want a Home birth! I am only 21 weeks so still time for my low risk pregnancy to go a bit askew but I am going to plan for it with the complete acceptance that I might (and quite likely as this is my 1st) be transferred in.
was suggested by my midwife when I said I’d quite like a water birth and as natural as possible....I’d not considered this being outside of hospital until she mentioned it to me!
Partner is totally up for it, I live within a mile of the hospital with full maternity unit so we’re set up well for any intervention - which in most cases is not emergency rather a decision made by the midwife within a timely manner.
The way I see it....even if I get half of my labour at home, in a pool with music, calm environment, room to walk / move etc before I need to go to hospital for delivery I will consider that a win. Good luck!

I had a very traumatic birth, emergency c section before labour started, twins taken straight to nicu etc. I know one of my sons is only alive because of the hospital, but I also know it’s not how anyone wants to have their baby.

If you want a Home birth, I’d say give it your best go, obviously it’s impossible to know how you and your body will respond to labour so if it were me I would err on the side of caution if things weren’t going to plan.

Also, if the midwife says the baby needs to go to hospital for tests and monitoring, please go! I read a post once from a woman who’d been told that her baby had increased risk of low blood glucose afternoon birth so they’d need to take him in after her Home birth to monitor this. She was asking if she could refuse this. My son had very low blood glucose at birth and would likely be severely brain damaged if it weren’t for the monitoring he received automatically.

I think having a baby at home would be lovely but I’m not sure i would be brave enough. You do what’s right for you.

Also: gas and air is AWESOME. I’ve had it many times and found it better than opiates when in acute pain. So you may well find that’s enough.

Both of mine have been born at home and it’s been a lovely experience. With my first, I definitely think being at home saved me from a lot of unnecessary intervention as she was a bit slow in coming as she was turning from back to back before she was born. If we’d been in hospital, they likely would have been quick to use forceps (even though both of us were totally fine and no signs of distress) just because we went over the usual ‘allowed’ time to be pushing. But all was fine, just needed a bit more time. My 2nd birth was truly so empowering and easy and it was lovely both times to curl up in bed, eat my own food and with my 2nd, to have my older dd there with me. I feel very lucky to have had such wonderful births.

I can’t recommend it enough. Ignore all the nutty naysayers who have no personal experience. It isn’t for everyone and that’s fine, but ultimately you should birth where you’re most comfortable and if that’s at home, then that’s the best place for you. Your midwives are right about transferring. Most mums transfer for an epidural, not because of any sort of emergency, but even if you were in hospital, in an emergency, they don’t do anything right away that couldn’t be done at home. Midwives are well equipped to deal with anything at home except performing a c-section. If you’d need a c-section in hospital, they still have to prep the theatre and assemble a surgical team and you have to sign the consents and have a canula inserted, etc. so it will take time. If you’re at home, all that happens while you transfer so if you only live 5 minutes away, you’d probably get there before they’re even ready for you!

I should add in terms of pain relief, you’ll be fine. With my first, I didn’t even use the gas and air. I was really comfortable. I did hypnotherapy and used a TENS. I did use the gas and air with my 2nd (both born at home) because it was a faster birth so more intense. It’s intense and tiring but not necessarily painful. I felt like I managed perfectly well at home.

You don't know that mind my first labour was slow and back to back, I wouldn't have got through it at home. My second wasn't that painful at all, not all labours are the same. But ultimately you can transfer so it doesn't really matter anyway .

My first 2 children were planned homebirths and I'm planning my 3rd now.

I hired a large pool the first two times. They had filters and kept the water at temperature. We set them up for the week I was due.

I did a hypnobirthing class and like you, my home was closer to the hospital than the midwife birth center (10 minutes Vs 30 minutes in ambulance). To be honest, that was what made my mind up. I had no other pain relief other than the pool both times.

Both births were straightforward with no complications and no need to transfer to hospital.

I would absolutely love a home birth, but my dp is resolutely against it so I have to respect his wishes really....I'm still hoping I might be able to persuade him...last time my community midwife was really positive and encouraging of it (dp still said no!) as my previous labours had been straightforward. I think that makes a difference.

Ignore all the nutty naysayers who have no personal experience.

I dont think anyone has been ‘nutty’ - birth is inherently risky and you’d be very unwise indeed to go into any birth with an overly Pollyanna-ish outlook. Calm and rational and aware of potential risks and benefits is not being a ‘nutty naysayer.’ It’s being sensible. It’s good to hear the positive stories and it’s also necessary to be aware of the potential risks involved and how emergencies pan out on both settings. There is nothing ‘nutty’ about that.

If OP is low risk and her MW thinks HB is a good option then it’s something she can go for, having weighed up the pros and cons.

I should add in terms of pain relief, you’ll be fine. With my first, I didn’t even use the gas and air. I was really comfortable. I did hypnotherapy and used a TENS. I did use the gas and air with my 2nd (both born at home) because it was a faster birth so more intense. It’s intense and tiring but not necessarily painful.

Oh, come on. You cannot possibly give OP those kinds of assurances based on your own individual sample size of one. Everybody has different pain thresholds; everyone has different factors which affect the level of pain.

OP, it sounds like you are well-informed. I would give you the same advice I’d give any woman preparing for birth: to keep an open mind and remember that the reality of your birth may look very different to the plan, and that this is absolutely fine.

I have had two home births, one unplanned and one planned.

Both were better for me as I don't cope well in hospital. First was unplanned as baby came very quickly, ambulance arrived as I delivered afternoon on living room floor! Luckily mw had arrived just as I started feeling the need to push - 1h 45m labour. No pain relief though unfortunately.

Planned homebirth, they dropped off the pain relief and their pack a few weeks prior to my due date. It was quite chilled out as I was home and we didn't have to sort out care for our older two. Again a quick labour of 1h 40m but did have to go to hospital afterwards as I tore. DH had an area set up for me on loving room floor with tarpaulin and puppy pad type things to catch mess. DC was born after 5 pushes, I had some G&A for examination afterwards but that's it.

Calm and rational and aware of potential risks and benefits is not being a ‘nutty naysayer.’ It’s being sensible. It’s good to hear the positive stories and it’s also necessary to be aware of the potential risks involved and how emergencies pan out on both settings. There is nothing ‘nutty’ about that.

No one would disagree with that. But it's rarely balanced. When someone births in hospital no one tells them that it's irresponsible because of the risk of infection or giving birth in a car at the side of a dual carriageway. There are risks wherever you give birth and hospital isn't risk free either.

My hospital birth was traumatic..as a teenager and hearing others in the birthing suite next door screaming it made me tension up and contractions more painful. I had to go into hospital earlier than planned because my waters were ruperting and needed to be hooked up to a drip while not even a 1cm dilated. I’ll compare that to my second, my second I didn’t leave the house until the last minute, my contractions weren’t as painful I wasn’t all tensed up- I was more relaxed the only reason I went to hospital was because of problems with my first but I swore down if I had a third baby I’d have it in the house. Plus after having the baby the midwives are kind of shouty I don’t blame them overworked and low paid but it puts you off what should be a special time.
take in all options if all is going fine in your pregnancy then have a homebirth.

No hospital isn’t risk free, and as I’ve said, for low risk mums on a second or subsequent pregnancy it’s a good choice.

Risk is not just about the chance of something happening but the severity of the outcome if it does. Not every choice is a perfect balance between opposing views.

Yes it's also about severity of outcome. So someone who runs into hospital at 9cm dilated with the cord around baby's neck (happened to a friend of mine) for a hospital birth nearly had a much more severe outcome than if a midwife had come and checked her baby's heartbeat early in her labour a couple of hours earlier as per home birth. It is really really complex. These threads always fill up with stories of people who would have died if they had a home birth and it's impossible to frankly prove either way. That is what was being referred to in that post.

For me sticking to evidence and asking midwife about current procedures for pph at home etc is the most sensible plan

I had Home Birth with dc2. Ds1 nearly born at home! Worst bit with ds1 was transfer to hospital. Slowed everything down when i was ready to start pushing!! I laboured at home with ds1 because hospital kept telling me not to come in until finally i ignored them when i felt the urge to push. I went through transition with just tens. It was traumatic and painful.

With home birth i hired a birthing pool had my birthing ball and used my tens only til it was time to get in the pool. I had 2 midwives on hand which was much better than the first time when the midwives over the phone assumed it was to early and wrongly advised i "try to last out at home".

With my home birth it was very relaxing sitting in the pool pain free between contractions listening to my hypnobirthing music which triggered the natal hypnotherapy relaxation exercises id done for ds1 and 2.

I had access to gas and air at home which was much better than first time round when i got none by the time i got to hospital it was too late. G &A really took the edge off transition.

In your situatiin being so close to hospital i woukd plan a home birth and you can alwsys go to hospital if you need to. Bear in mind that the hospital has to prepare operating theatre and nurses doctors are called and scrub in so your transfer time is nothing in that context.

The consultant will talk you through the risks. The 2 biggies are shoulder dystocia (baby gets stuck) and post partum heammorage (big bleed).

I've had two very uneventful and low risk, healthy pregnancies. Both ended in emergency c sections for different reasons but in both cases the babies were in danger.

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but straightforward pregnancy does not mean straightforward birth. I wouldn't ever consider a home birth as I wouldn't want to be that far from hospital if something happened. As PP said, five minutes is a long time when your baby is in distress and their heart is slowing.