Opinions on home birth

[LayingLow]

It's my 4th baby. I live 10min from hospital. Don't want to be away from my children for long and don't want to go to hospital with covid about. No complications in other 3 labour's all natural. No pain relief. But scared INCASE somthing goes wrong.. dont know what to do.

I wanted a home birth with my first - would have loved it! (Ended up with gestational diabetes and a large baby, so it wasn’t an option for me in the end).

Every person, birth and baby is different so I would recommend having a detailed discussion with your midwife. She will be able to talk you through the options and answer any questions. But it may reassure you that statistics show that for subsequent births after an uncomplicated first delivery, home births are as safe or safer than hospital births.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Re my first sentence I mean I would have loved the opportunity - I obviously don’t know if I would actually have loved the experience!

Never. Go into hospital, have baby and then come home. Even with a fourth you have no guarantee that there won’t be a problem.

Transfer from home to hospital is likely to be a similar time as transfer from a midwife led unit to theatre in a worst case scenario.
As a PP said- the evidence for home births being as safe if not safer than hospital ones is strong. Speak to your midwife team about it all.

There's a good little book called 'why home birth matters' and that has a really good 'what-if' section. (E.g. emergencies don't unfold in 30 seconds like it seems on one born every minute)
Echoing PP for subsequent births, home is just as safe, if not safer for both and baby.
(Also you'll probably get some horror stories by asking on hear so bear that in mind!)
All going well, I'm going to plan one for my first.

I'm currently pregnant with my second and considering home birth. I gave birth in the MLU last time, free of complications, but like you I can't shake the 'what if' feeling (although I'm told that you're transferred to hospital at the first sign of an issue). I hated the transfer to hospital during labour (quite late on and needed to push) and loved the pool so would like to maximise my chances of a water birth next time.

My midwife recommended this book: www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Birth-Matters-Pinter-Martin/dp/1780665555?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
So far, it's been a good read and is starting to ease some of my concerns re safety, practicality, etc.

I'm now starting to worry about where I'd put a birth pool and how to keep my toddler occupied, so the MLU is starting to look attractive again, but not in the way I'd anticipated!

You could have a look at the birthplace study (address for pdf before). I'm a FTM so haven't looked in detail at stats for subsequent births. But from what I recall for birth 2 onwards if you're low risk, home birth is as safe if not safer (in terms of lower risk of interventions and no increased risk to baby and mum) than a hospital - but do confirm yourself. Plus 10 min transfer time seems short (though of course check how COVID is affecting the situation).

(www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/documents/birth_place_decision_support_generic_2_.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiMvs6ouNfuAhVztXEKHcA7AhQQFjACegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw09i1lDYHSBrS5SEf-BGAeb)

*below not before!

Check with your midwife. My trust has stopped supporting home births at the moment because they can't guarantee to be able to get an ambulance if needed due to COVID.

I am 35 weeks with my 3rd, similar to you I've had straightforward/not complicated labour and delivery with my first 2. Midwife suggested home birth, I thought about it but decided against it for various reasons. Told midwife and she told me that she would have decided the same in this climate, ambulance wait times are dire at the moment. Just not worth the risk for me.

I had a home birth with my second and it was brilliant. Hoping to have one now with my third although only 11 weeks so will see how things go. Totally want to avoid hospitals with Covid and you would have a quick transfer time if anything did go wrong. So much more relaxed, which is associated with better outcomes. So nice to get in to own bed afterwards and not be in hospital environment. I also did hypno birthing which was great, as pain relief options are limited at home.

My trust has a dedicated Homebirth team that work on them full time. They also run information workshops over zoom for people wanting to find out more. So worth having a search in your area.

They’ve done all of my midwife appointments from home and they provide more support after birth. Even if you need to be transferred to hospital they’ll stay with you and check in on you in the postnatal ward.

After some consideration I’m planning a Homebirth for my 1st. I wouldn’t hesitate for my 4th. Would you have somewhere else for other DCs to go? Or would you want them around

I wouldn’t and whilst a PP says emergencies don’t happen in 30 seconds, there is a chance they can. Remember in an uncomplicated pregnancy the highest risk is once the baby is born, and not the labour which is what the books focus on - baby born unexpectedly not breathing or with unknown complications and being at home could be the difference between survival or not, or survival but with life changing disabilities. Also, ten mins from hospital is a very long time in covid times.

As it’s your fourth, I can understand you wanting to be at home (my fourth was born with sepsis so just as well I was in hospital) but I really do think anyone intentionally having their first at home is ignorantly naive of the avoidable situations that can arise and selfishly thinking of themselves and not their baby.

emergencies don't unfold in 30 seconds sorry.. did in my case and certainly can.

I had two home births and much better experience than the hospital birth. I was completely cared for and watched over by two midwives from the moment they arrived. They were monitoring me and the baby constantly and would have reacted straight away if there was a problem.
My first birth was in hospital - I was put in a room and hardly checked on until they realised I had progressed much quicker than expected and then hurried me down to the delivery suite...

I should add that my 20 years as a paramedic has made me see the worst in home births and there are a lot of very sad tales.

I think home births are great, if everything goes fine and there are no complications but unfortunately there is no guarantees, even if you have had uncomplicated births before. If I had had a home birth with my first baby she would not of survived but my second would of been fine. I just don't think it's worth the risk for you and baby.

Read the actual studies that have been done OP.

This is from the NHS website -

For women having their first baby, home birth slightly increases the risk of serious problems for the baby – including death or issues that might affect the baby's quality of life – from 5 in 1,000 for a hospital birth to 9 in 1,000 for a home birth.

For women having their second or subsequent baby, a planned home birth is as safe as having your baby in hospital or a midwife-led unit.

www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/preparing-for-the-birth/where-to-give-birth-the-options/

This is what actual scientific studies have found, and there have been a lot of them. A lot of the complications that happen during a hospital birth are less likely at home, this isn’t opinion its what research has found.

*website -

For women having their first baby, home birth slightly increases the risk of serious problems for the baby – including death or issues that might affect the baby's quality of life – from 5 in 1,000 for a hospital birth to 9 in 1,000 for a home birth.

So almost 50% increase in the odds of a complication and it’s the parents who have to live with the consequences of their actions and what they caused by knowing they were taking such a risk.

@BlueTimes OP is having her 4th baby and doesn’t fall into this category.

And I’ve had my fourth baby so can comment.

The last home birth I went out to was for a third baby. The mother cried on me that she wished she’d gone to hospital. Midwives wouldn’t come out so she was alone and had called an ambulance thinking she’d go straight into hospital. She begged us to take her in but because she was too far in established labour, with no signs of risk to her and baby, it was safer for her to stay home. Then after she had given birth, she still had to endure a lengthy and very painful ambulance trip to have her third degree tear sewn up (no 30 second whizzing down the corridor to theatre dir her) and the baby needed scbu as he was grunting and hot.

During that time, we would usually have spent it on at least three other calls. Those calls could have been the difference between those people dying or not but instead we stood on the sidelines because someone wanted to give birth at home and then didn’t go in to the hospital. What a huge waste of time and selfish to those who need it.

So yes, as I said, I am biased against homebirths because it’s rare for me to see one where all goes well in all areas. And trust me, a drive to be stitched is not fun for anyone.

But also, I am a lot more sympathetic in RL at the time. But please, think about others when you want a home birth because it’s not all about you.

During that time, we would usually have spent it on at least three other calls. Those calls could have been the difference between those people dying or not but instead we stood on the sidelines because someone wanted to give birth at home and then didn’t go in to the hospital. What a huge waste of time and selfish to those who need it.

I get where you're coming from. But I'm also frustrated (not at you, but the situation women are put into) because, for example, my trust really pushes the option of home birth and the midwifes refer to "blue lighting you in" in case of complications quite casually as though it's nothing to worry about. There's clearly an issue here, but I think it's possibly unfair to blame mothers who have been advised that they can have a home birth. Surely it's not about mothers being selfish but about services (quite understandably, especially at the moment) not being able to meet needs?

I should add... at the present time, although my trust tries to "sell" home births, they have suspended the service for now as the ambulance service is unable to cope with the additional strain. I am glad they've made this decision.

I am biased against homebirths because it’s rare for me to see one where all goes well in all areas.

That's because you're a paramedic though, surely? Nobody calls an ambulance for a planned home birth when everything goes well.

I would never have a home birth. Ever. Intentionally anyway.

I work in obstetric theatres, so as with PP, I only see the results of home births when it hasn't gone right. I don't give a flying fig about the statistics. There's no guarantees. No matter how unlikely it is, should anything go wrong I want to be where baby and I have the best chance. Having spoken to other medical personnel in obstetrics, only one person (a student midwife with 3 children) has ever opted for, or had, a home birth.