Why is the home birth rate so low?

[RainMinusBow]

It's just 3% in my area and I think that's about typical, if not higher than the average?

I know for first-time mums home birth slightly increases the risk of problems but this is my third, low-risk pregnancy.

Having done lots of research, I'm very much hoping for a home birth this time around after two not great previous hospital births. My midwife has been great about discussing this with me.

My fiancé (his first baby) just assumed from the get-go I'd be going to hospital to deliver but he's supportive of my wishes (unlike my ex-husband was!!)

There is a lot of fear in our culture around birth and pain. It has been over-medicalised and the general reaction of people to hearing about a home birth is that you are putting both of your lives at risk. There is no general education or understanding around the benefits and safety of having a home birth.

I had one last year and planning for my second next year! It was the best experience of my life. I wish you all the best!

@MintTeaLady So nice to hear from another pro-home birth lady as I don't know of anybody in RL who has had a home birth. Great to hear you had such a lovely hb experience.

I'm hoping to avoid the "cascade of intervention" I experienced in both of my previous labours and just the general pressure to deliver.

Also, as a sufferer of health anxiety due to recurrent mc as well as for other reasons, I strongly feel I would be so much more comfortable at home which I'm sure would be of huge benefit for both myself and baby.

I agree and think it must be lovely to have a baby at home.

Because hospital provides a safe environment to give birth and they deal with the mess. If I had had a 3rd I may have opted for a home birth but I had 2 straightforward, easy, quick mosh, drug free deliveries and am a city dweller.

I presume it's more expensive? When I gave birth midwife was popping in and out - so presumably dealing with other people. With a home birth they can only deal with one person. Plus surely it's easier if you do have a problem with baby to be in hospital?

I think it entirely due to individual experiences .

Personally I would feel safer in a hospital.

Having watched my sister bring up her severely disabled son who did not get the intervention he needed at birth there is no way I would want emergency help to be an ambulance ride away.

I understand many women feel safer and more comfortable at home.

I don't think women should feel pressured into either one as it's a very personal choice.

I know 2 people who planned home birth and when they went into labour the labour line said to go to hospital as they wouldn't be able to get a midwife out to them.

I personally didn't want a home birth with low risk no 2 baby purely because everywhere in my home is carpeted apart from the small kitchen and bathroom and I didnt want the mess! I opted for a midwife led unit though (that didn't work out in the end anyway!)

I have high risk pregnancies so wouldn't be allowed.

However my second was a lovely water birth in the birthing centre which was really relaxed.

So if I did have a third I may push for one.

I would consider it if there weren’t additional risk factors, but there are. Sorry.

Home births are significantly cheaper for the NHS than hospital births. Resourcing can be issue as you have two midwives assigned to you. Depending on regional variations, it may be community or hospital based midwives that attend you during the birth.

It’s an entirely personal decision. I know many people who would not be comfortable giving birth at home, yet for me, it was the perfect environment. Having the choice and making an informed decision is key.

I couldn't have first time as induced and then suffered a severe tear which meant I had to be in theatre for an hour after birth. I am much more likely to suffer a similar tear and the thought of having a nice birth at home then be ambulanced in to hospital to theatre then stay in 2 nights doesn't work for me.

I do think it's interesting that there is the recent push back to MW led care, reducing medical intervention and having babies at home at the same time that there are also significant budget cuts to the NHS.

I do understand the benefits of more natural births, but to me it does smack in the face of it being a cost cutting exercise. People have also been having illnesses since the dawn of time, but no one is suggesting we all start using old treatments again are they?

First time I was renting a small flat which was fully carpeted and had a very small bathroom. Didn't seem like a great place to give birth.
Second time we were living in a small two-bed flat with a five-year-old. I couldn't quite work out in my head where I'd give birth, where my first child would be, etc.
However, my local hospital has a wonderful midwife-led unit where you get a large private room with a large bathroom and a king sized bed for you and your partner to stay. This was perfect for us.
I fully support anyone who wants to have a home birth, but there are many reasons why women opt not to have them.

I think a lot of people view the risk of home births as like like driving without a seatbelt. Statistically it would probably be fine - think of all the car journeys a person has in their life compared with the number of accidents.

Yet still people wear their seatbelts. Hence the low percentage of people opting for home births.

I'd be interested to know how many pregnancies are low risk. I think there's a direct correlation. In general, we are having babies at an older age and with this comes complications, so you are less likely to be advised that you could have a home birth.

I'm in London and most people are in quite small flats so space for a home birth is an issue. Other friends are concerned about being an hour away from the hospital so if there were an issue they are far away.

I think homebirths sound brilliant, my friend had one after several rounds of IVF. I had a planned c-section and loved my birth. I was a high risk pregnancy and wasn't allowed in the midwife led unit, let alone a homebirth.

I had a home birth six weeks ago (2nd baby, my first was a long horrible back-to-back birth in hospital).
My home birth was amazing. Minimal midwife interference, my body did exactly as it was supposed to, no pain relief except the birth pool and I was flying high as a kite afterwards - I felt like some sort of indestructible goddess and I was so proud of myself. And being able to get in my own shower and snuggle in my own bed straight afterwards was blissful!
I do wonder if some of the issues I had the first time round were due to being in a medicalised environment with lots of interference and feeling very pressured, which stopped my labour progressing as it should have.
My area is moving towards more home births, whether as a cost-cutting thing or because the outcomes are just as good if not better than hospital - eitherway I think having more experienced homebirth midwives can only be a good thing. I think women should have more choice to give birth in the circumstances they're most confident and comfortable in unless there's significant risk, whether that means supporting more home births, more elective c sections etc.

I had all my 4 babies in home birth.

I did a lot of research before hand and my pregnancies were low risk, also I was only 5 mins from hospital.

I had two midwives just sitting and watching me, so any problems would have been picked up quickly.

I Think it is very important for a labour to progress well for the woman to feel safe.

I felt safe at home ( I really do not like hosp) , others feel.safe in hospital.

Research shows that hb is safe for low risk pregnancies, there will always ,sadly, be cases where babies and mothers have difficulties. But that happens in hosp as well.

Pm me if you like .

Good luck .

I have considered this option recently (full term with my second) after initially dismissing it outright. But honestly I can't think of anything more stressful. Worrying about keeping the house tidy for the next few weeks, making a mess on my carpets or bed. I also just feel a bit weird about giving birth on my bed, and have no interest in being in water (although try telling bloody midwives that 😂). And the hospital has the good drugs 😂 So I'm going for the same option as last time, starting in an AMU and see how it goes.

I think it is a combination of factors. I am booked for a HomeBirth but if midwives are attending another birth then it won’t happen.
Also that people think if things go wrong and you have to go to hospital it will be all rushed and an emergency situation and you MUST be at the hospital to get help within 30 seconds.
In reality HomeBirth midwives assess constantly and they would not hesitate to suggest transfer way before it is an emergency.
I needed a transfer to theatre and it took around 40 minutes from hospital ward to same hospital theatre.
It is a combination of resources, ignorance, myths, pressure and preferences.

I would opt for whatever carries the highest chance of a healthy baby and a healthy Mum.

Some people are lucky and give birth at home with no problems arising; some are not. Not a risk I would wish to take, for the sake of the baby. Complications can arise even after a normal pregnancy and it makes sense to be somewhere where speedy help is on tap for the sake of the baby.

I think that the first few moments and hours of a baby's life are critical and I would not want to place any unnecessary risk on the baby who would pay the price for the rest of their life - just so I can be comfortably giving birth in my own home. The baby's long term health and safety trumps that a million-fold.

Many reasons:
People are waiting until later to have children which increases the risks of pre-eclampsia, GD, the need for interventions.
A very high percentage of first time pregnancies result in hospital transfer, so it’s not usually advised, and more people are choosing to have smaller families
Advances in medicine eg more MLUs, walking epidurals etc mean that the options aren’t just home birth or ultra-medicalised delivery
As a society we are becoming more risk adverse which means people are looking more into the risks of home birth
The story fuckers have stripped the midwifery bursary and made the overseas midwives on whom the NHS is reliant feel unwelcome so there is a critical shortage of midwives and it often simply isn’t possible to spare 2 midwives to one woman.

FTM here! I will be birthing at home. The increased risk of complications is so minimal, and we're not that far from the hospital. If you're having a straightforward pregnancy there's absolutely no reason not to have a home birth, unless space is an issue! Good luck :)

Because there aren't enough midwives to attend. I know 3 women who wanted to home birth this year but when they called in labour there wasn't a midwife available to attend so they had to go to hospital instead. Most were prepared to be disappointed as that had been explained at appointments but 1 was very very cross about not getting the birth she had hoped for.

@RainMinusBow I think it's also because nowadays we have more high risk pregnancies.
I think a lot of ladies might be pro HB but don't have the option.

I would have chosen a home birth( or at least a birthing centre), to try at least and see, but I have different reasons why my pregnancies are high risk so never had an option and I know it's for the best that I have to be giving birth in the hospital.

I personally wouldn't have a home birth because 1. I'd like an epidural + 2. If something goes wrong with the baby, need an emergency C-section etc I'm in the right place for it! Can't comment for any other reasons people have but that's mine