I had a home birth- AMA

[mumof1babe]

I gave birth to my little boy 2 months ago at home. Starting a thread for anyone considering having a home birth or just interested in anything to do with it. Will answer any questions as best as I can.

Hi op! Me me me!
On DC4 now, always loved the idea of having a baby at home. My other births have been relatively straightforward. I say relatively as Dc2 had to be induced as blood pressure shot up towards the end but other DC all was good. Last baby was a recorded 30 minutes of active labour. Very quick and easy.
My only concern is, the nearest maternity unit here is a 40 minute drive away on a good day. So if anything god forbid went wrong, it’s quite a way away for specialist help.
I have loads of questions really, just this is my main concern!

Hi @PowPurry!

Congratulations on your pregnancy. That was something that worried me also however I am only 10 mins from a hospital by car. My midwife advised that there was a transfer time of around 30 mins to hospital should I have required an ambulance to be called. She also advised that due to coronovirus they were averaging a 30 minute transfer from the maternity unit to labour suite/theatre so this made the decision easy for me. I was lucky to have a straightforward pregnancy other than SPD. I only had a 40minute active labour and my hospital wouldn't have admitted me until this time however due to going into labour during the night I dont think I would have made it as I would have had to try to get hold of family to look after my 2 year old- I had my second baby at 38 weeks so no one was expecting to be on call that night lol. If you have any other concerns or questions I'm happy to help if I can.

Hi, I'm considering it for my 2nd. Due in December. If I don't have a home birth there is a very small birthing unit just 5 mins away which is really convenient but just feel like a home birth is more appealing.
My biggest worry is that my house is too cold?! We live in a small cottage with stone floors. Obviously I can make it warmer but is worrying me a little. Also, did you have a birthing pool?
Thanks for offering to give advice.

Hi @Jess1309

Congratulations on your pregnancy also! I was worried about that too as my flat can be cold during the night however I actually felt quite warm in labour and had the windows open, if you can could you possibly get access to a portable heater incase? I stayed in one room throughout my labour and have an electric fire so that was my back up if I needed warmth. I was advised to put a radiator on to warm towels for baby being born but I ended up getting my husband to do this in another room as the heat would have bothered me! I didnt hire a pool as my midwife told me that in her experience she had found these difficult to keep warm throughout the duration of labour obviously depending on how long the labour was. I had my birthing ball and a blow up mattress and I found this to be the perfect way for me. I also planned to use my bath at home if I felt that I needed it but more so for pain relief but I ended up not needing to do so. Hope this has been helpful in any way to you and good luck with the birth!

I should also add that my first birth was at a midwife led unit and this was great but being at home for me was much less anxiety provoking and more relaxing to be in my own surroundings.

DH and I are considering home birth as DH doesn't drive and maternity unit is a half hour drive away.

How 'messy' was it?
Did you use a birthing pool?
How long did the midwives stay after baby was born?

Hi @KeepSmiling89

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Nice to hear you are considering a home birth. In all honesty it wasnt very messy at all, my hospital trust provided a home birth kit which had lots of absorbent pads and things to reduce the amount of mess lol. I had a blow up mattress which I put a cheap shower curtain over and an old bed sheet then put the absorbent pads on the top. Everything went in the bin after and it was easy clean up. I didnt use a birthing pool as I would have struggled to have room and my midwife advised in her experience she had struggled to keep these at the correct temperature depending on the length of labour. The midwives only stayed for 50 minutes after the birth as I was able to go for a pee quite quickly- I was told at the beginning they would wait until I had been for a pee before they left. Hope this has been in any way helpful to you!

@mumof1babe
Thank you! It was the midwives suggestion actually. DH mentioned his concern about not being able to drive me when Labour starts and midwife just casually said "just have it at home it'll be fine!" Then gave us loads of reassurance that there would be a couple if midwives to support us and transfer to mat unit/hospital can be done if needed.

Thanks for answering. Looking forward to a happy home birth in April.

@KeepSmiling89 definitely helps when your midwife is so reassuring and positive. I spent my whole pregnancy imagining my ideal birth scenario and subconsciously I think it made the home birth that bit more successful as I felt so relaxed. I hope you manage to have the home birth you would love but mostly I wish you a safe delivery and healthy baby when the time comes. I had 2 midwives during my home birth, one came when I phoned to tell them I was in labour and the other when I told them I was getting ready to push. Can honestly say it was very relaxed and if I do have any more DC and have a low risk pregnancy I would definitely be choosing this option again x

I had a home birth last week, and have absolutely no regrets. It was an amazing experience, despite being classed as ‘high risk’. I would highly recommend it.

I had a home birth 2 years ago with my first baby and loved it, I'm placing my second for this October. It's good to see other positive stories on here too! I would just say that I had a pool - it was amazing! - and the thing about not keeping their temperature that OP's midwife mentioned is not a typical comment - they keep their heat really well! Just in case anyone else is concerned 🙂

@TwinkleStars15 so glad that you had a lovely home birth! @Flora20 thats actually really good to know so thank you for your input as I think if I had more space which if I had more children I'd hope to be in a bigger home by then- I would want to also give birth in the water. What birthing pool did you use if you dont mind me asking?

@mumof1babe congratulations. Did you say you had a toddler at home too? Did that make labour harder- being in the same place as your toddler? Like focus wise?

@mumof1babe It's a la bassine one, love it, but they're all fairly similar I think! Looking forward to my second 😂

It’s really encouraging to hear of everyone’s positive experiences. Especially yours @TwinkleStars15 as I am ‘high risk’ because of my BMI.
When I told the midwife I was thinking of a home birth she sounded happy about it.
She said they discuss it more at 28/36 week appointments so hopefully she can reassure me about the distance from the hospital thing.

I would love to try a water birth - my concern with that is emptying it afterwards!

My best solution for mess was to birth on an old duvet which absorbs anything, is comfy and then bin it

I had a home birth with my second, 14 years ago - best experience ever.

We got so caught up in the whole thing I ended up given birth on our bed, we had and still have white bedding! No mess, well none that wasn't cleared up and you'd have been none the wiser.

Oooerr mine was almost exactly 14 years ago too. Birthing pool and no drugs. So endorphined up afterwards, I helped clear up. . Baby in arms, towel wiping with one foot.

This is so interesting. I'm thinking about home birth - mainly just for practical reasons. We live in London and we don't have that many close friends nearby so I've no idea what to do with my son. Also my first Labour was so fast I'm just not sure I'll make it to hospital. The whole thing was over in 4 hours and I was only in hospital for 45 mins. Suspect the Covid situation will prevent my husband staying at hospital too. Ca any one tell me:

1. How long do the midwives take to come and do they bring gas and air?

1. Can you get pepedine at home?

1. Last time he did a poo in the womb and got into distress. I had to have an episiotomy and narrowly avoided forceps. If this happens do you go to hospital?

1. Has anyone done it with a toddler in the house? How do you deal with that?

1. What about all of the tests they do in hospital ? Hearing, bcg jab, jaundice etc? When does that happen?

Any help most appreciated.

@taraRoo

This is so interesting. I'm thinking about home birth - mainly just for practical reasons. We live in London and we don't have that many close friends nearby so I've no idea what to do with my son. Also my first Labour was so fast I'm just not sure I'll make it to hospital. The whole thing was over in 4 hours and I was only in hospital for 45 mins. Suspect the Covid situation will prevent my husband staying at hospital too. Ca any one tell me:

1. How long do the midwives take to come and do they bring gas and air?

1. Can you get pepedine at home?

1. Last time he did a poo in the womb and got into distress. I had to have an episiotomy and narrowly avoided forceps. If this happens do you go to hospital?

1. Has anyone done it with a toddler in the house? How do you deal with that?

1. What about all of the tests they do in hospital ? Hearing, bcg jab, jaundice etc? When does that happen?

Any help most appreciated.

Hi, I've just had my home birth assessment and can tell you what the midwife said regarding some of your points:

1. the midwife will bring gas and air

2. she said they don't bring pethidine

3. if my waters are stained with meconium when they break (because baby has pooed in the womb) I can't have a home birth (likewise if my BP is too high or there is a problem with the baby's heart rate). They can perform episiotomies for home births and can stitch a first or second degree tear, but anything more severe you'd need to transfer to hospital to have repaired.

4. my first baby so can't answer this question at all sorry!

5. she said a specialist midwife will come out and do most of the checks within a few days of birth, apart from the hearing one which I think you do have to go to hospital for at some point. They give the vit k jab.

@PowPurry I was high risk for much bigger issues than BMI, I’ve never really understood that one to be honest.. I am on blood thinning injections and they were concerned about the risk of haemorrhage, however it was my second birth and I knew the risks (which were majorly over exaggerated by consultants).
You have to do all the research and make an informed decision based on your personal situation.

@taraRoo yes my 3 year old was present! She was amazing. Labour started at 1.30am and she woke at 5.30am. Three midwives arrived at 6.30am and she took it all in her stride (they left again at 7am). She rubbed my back (copying her dad), kept telling me she loved me and kissing me. She saw me getting in the pool at 9am and baby arrived at 10.30am. The only question she asked was why the water went red (after my placenta was delivered) which we explained to her. Since the birth, she’s been saying things like “when baby came out of your tummy his eyes were closed/he was naked” and “you were so brave mummy”. Best experience ever

Midwives bring gas and air if you want it.

How close you are to a hospital in case of an emergency should be factored into your plans, but also remember that even in hospital, theatre takes time to be set up, so that would be arranged while you were on your way.
Also you are constantly with a midwife for most of a home birth. No having one midwife going between loads of women. At my first hospital birth i was left alone for what felt like long periods labouring and it was distressing and if any emergencies arose, It would have probably been noticed and dealt with quicker in my home births

@Isadora2007 yeah I had my 2 year old at home whilst I have birth, one of the reasons I wanted to stay home was so I didn't have to worry about getting someone for him as we were still in a lockdown phase. I gave birth during the night which was fine however he did wake up just as I was needing to start pushing so luckily my mother in law who stays 5 minutes away came for him and brought him back when the midwives left. I thought I would be in much more pain so was worried about wakening him but he slept well and I felt fine with him being in the house.

Thank you @Flora20 I will definitely have a look at those should I have more DC which I plan to!

@taraRoo the first midwife arrived 20-30 minutes after I phoned, in my trust they provide birth boxes from 36/37 weeks so everything is in your home including 3 canisters of gas and air which they set up when they arrive but I didn't need this until pushing and only used it for 5 minutes so I think it wouldn't have mattered too much if I couldn't have it. I hired a tens machine which I found great and helped me without additional pain relief. Again, in my trust they don't offer pethidine at home but will happily allow you to decide to go to hospital should you feel you need same. I was advised that if there is any fetal distress they will phone an ambulance, they did checks every 15 minutes and said if they weren't sure with what they were hearing or notice distress they would phone straight away, even if they checked again and it was ok they wouldn't take chances. I had to go for his hearing check a couple of weeks later but he got his vitamin k injection at home etc. again in the weeks leading up I was given a box of the essential drugs like for delivery placenta should I have needed same to keep in fridge. My husband was also given a sheet with what he needed to do if an ambulance needed to be phoned so the midwives could concentrate fully on me which I thought was great. With my first born I didn't know I was in labour until my waters broke so my midwife ran through this scenario with me again as if that had happened second time round she said baby would probably be born quickly so there would have been a possibility that no midwife would have time to arrive. Going through it all really put me at ease so I felt prepared for every scenario. As it happens my waters didn't break this time until he was half out!