Thoughts on Home Birth

[Analysethat]

Hi all,

So I’m 36 weeks and just come back from my midwife appointment(for clarity I’m in Scotland)

Anyway the midwives are really pushing home births, not sure if this is a new thing or if they have always done it. However I’m really open to the idea but partner and my mum are very wary as it’s my first.

Has anyone else had Home birth for their first and how did you find it? Is it quite dangerous or should I really just go to hospital?

Thanks in advance ☺️

I'd love a home birth, I'm currently expecting my third DC.

However, my first DC was breech and it wasn't identified until I got to the hospital, they were getting me ready to have a c section, canula in hand, but I was too far gone so I delivered DC naturally, he had passed his bowels and they whisked him away when he was born as he didn't cry when he first came out and needed a little bit of help.

My midwife this time round said, "I think it's just as well you were in the hospital"

So based on this experience and the many women I know who have needed help/intervention I'm sticking with the hospital.

Not wanting to scare you OP, just giving an honest insight/experience.

Oh also I’m pretty confident that obstetric consultants are knowledgeable about the risks associated with home births, same as they are about all types of births. They are not weirdly obsessed with cutting people open and “medicalising a natural process” as people often like to argue. Lots of things are “natural” including cancer and strokes - normal every day processes with the body go wrong all the time as evidenced by the very existence of most hospital departments. I think people romanticise birth and like to think that “their bodies will know what to do” etc which while true to a certain extent does not mean that doctors are interfering or wanting to give medical intervention for no good reason other than to flex their obstetric qualifications.

My first DD was a high risk birth for several reasons and all doctors involved in my care agreed that c-section was the lowest risk option. For my second I did wonder about the option of a VBAC which I raised with my consultant and she was very open to it, told me it was my choice, gave me info on pros and cons etc. But when it came down to it my ultimate question was and would always be - which of these options is least likely to result in what is often known as a “serious adverse neonatal outcome” ie stillbirth or neonatal death shortly after birth. She said repeat c-section, odds are about half of VBAC for me. So that is what I am going for. That is all that really matters in my view. That’s not to say there might not be other potential adverse outcomes for me or for baby with a c section but the serious ones are the ones I am most concerned about. I’d take the same approach to weighing up the risks of home birth.

For a first birth, absolutely, definitely not. You just don't know how you'll cope with labour or have a clue how things will go.

I had three textbook perfect pregnancies. I had a forceps delivery with DC1 after a very long labour and an epidural, so didn't consider a home birth with DC2. However, I had a normal, but also quite long, labour with DC2 and a straightforward delivery.

Encouraged by my midwife I decided on a home birth for my third baby and it was a truly wonderful experience. Fairly quick too, because I was comfortable and relaxed.

It's not for everyone, and if I'd had a different obstetric history I might have made a different decision. I was also close to the hospital and had DH firmly on board with the home birth plan. It's really important if you decide to go ahead that your partner is comfortable with the idea too.

Not read the whole thread, but what I have read makes me a bit angry. Everyone talks as if hospital births are better, but I’ve heard stories of horrific care in hospital. Leaning friends suffering with PTSD.

I had two home births, first time I had 2 midwives and a fantastic student mw for the whole of my Labour. Never left my side. You don’t get that in hospital. 2nd I had 2 midwives and 2 students (there was a mixup). Again I was never left alone and supported and monitored throughout the whole time. Yes it’s painful but the thought of being in hospital was not reassuring to me. I was scared of being alone as many of my friends had been.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

I’ve had 3 absolutely beautiful home births. If you have any questions please feel free to message me. I’m also a midwife. It is a very individual decision and hearing other people’s horror stories isn’t necessarily helpful.

I have never seen the appeal and was very happy with hospital for both of my births. I don’t know anyone who managed a successful planned home birth with DC1 (not counting the precipitous labour, catch the baby on the bathroom floor stories) but friends have had very successful hbs with subsequent children.

That being said, I’ve spent this afternoon talking to a friend who almost certainly caught Covid in hospital having DC4 a couple of weeks ago; I can completely understand that home births might appeal at the moment in a way they wouldn’t have previously.

@Bobbots your comment is just not true. I have one friend who was left traumatised by the shocking care she received at hospital due to staff shortage.

@DramaAlpaca

For a first birth, absolutely, definitely not. You just don't know how you'll cope with labour or have a clue how things will go.

I had three textbook perfect pregnancies. I had a forceps delivery with DC1 after a very long labour and an epidural, so didn't consider a home birth with DC2. However, I had a normal, but also quite long, labour with DC2 and a straightforward delivery.

Encouraged by my midwife I decided on a home birth for my third baby and it was a truly wonderful experience. Fairly quick too, because I was comfortable and relaxed.

It's not for everyone, and if I'd had a different obstetric history I might have made a different decision. I was also close to the hospital and had DH firmly on board with the home birth plan. It's really important if you decide to go ahead that your partner is comfortable with the idea too.

Why not for a first given your experiences though? A long labour that isn't progressing (eurgh hate that phrase) would be acted upon sooner in a home birth with 2 midwives present. Yes you'd likely be transferred, but you'd be more likely to be offered the hormone drip first, and then an esculation of interventions rather than ah you're in hospital anyway, if need be then we can do something later. Thankfully incidences where there's absolutely zero indication at all before immediate assistance is required are extremely low. Even in case of cord prolapse midwives are trained in keeping both mother and baby safe until they can get to surgery.

Not aimed at PP but in general:

I'm absolutely not pro one or the other, but there's a lot of misinformation and scare mongering about homebirths that is also backed up ancedotal 'evidence' rather than data.

The thing is that there are not really any huge potential negative consequences of a hospital birth. Yes you might not feel as comfortable or as empowered but personally I think those two factors, whilst important, are secondary to baby’s safety. There are no negative consequences for baby’s safety of having a hospital birth.

I happen to be in favour of hospital births and have had two, including an ELCS, but that is one hell of a claim, @Bobbots, and one that the Birth Trauma Association could refute several times over.

If my DC and I had a home birth we both would have died.

To be clear I had a dream pregnancy was fit and healthy.

30% of 1st births require medical intervention for a safe delivery for Mother and baby.

I have subsequently spoke to an expert OBGYN who advised me that all pregnancies can be simple and straightforward in hindsight.

My DC couldn't make it down the birthcanel without forceps, suction and ultimately then her being cut out.

She requires resuscitation as soon as she was born and it was tough and go for a day. We are incredibly lucky that she is ok.

I also had complications and required immediate surgery.

So that's my view. Obviously it's entirely a matter for you, I understand that people don't want it to be medical birth etc.

Btw I didn't have any pain relief and was mid wife lead until she got into difficulties.

It’s not just by chance that maternal deaths during child birth have almost completely disappeared entirely since the advent of medicine and free at the point of delivery health care.

❤️There’s just no way of knowing whether you’ll be one of the very few that need that immediate care as @paedoffduty explained.

hearing other people’s horror stories isn’t necessarily helpful.

Why are only positive stories valid here? They are horror stories sometimes but at least were here to tell the tale, along with the baby.

@Zhampagne

The thing is that there are not really any huge potential negative consequences of a hospital birth. Yes you might not feel as comfortable or as empowered but personally I think those two factors, whilst important, are secondary to baby’s safety. There are no negative consequences for baby’s safety of having a hospital birth.

I happen to be in favour of hospital births and have had two, including an ELCS, but that is one hell of a claim, @Bobbots, and one that the Birth Trauma Association could refute several times over.

The postpartum "care" provided to me in hospital after my first birth was a huge actual negative to both me and my baby. There are actually two people necessary for childbirth to happen, and mothers matter too! I suffered serious mental health issues for months after my hospital birth experience, and those issues could well have endangered my son's health and even life. I do not believe I would have had such an awful and genuinely traumatising experience if I had given birth at home .

I personally wouldn’t, but only down to my own experience with my first pregnancy.

I had a textbook, easy, breeze of a pregnancy.

The midwives I had dealt with throughout had all quite heavily encouraged me to go to the MLU (20 minutes from main hospital). They made it sound wonderful, which I’m sure it is for many women who have perfect labours.

I followed their advice though and decided to give the MLU a go.

My waters broke naturally at home and contractions started, everything was as I said, textbook.

I headed up to the MLU when the contractions were 3 minutes apart and pretty painful. I was checked, 3cm and sent home.

Back up the next day, in agony, checked and 4cm, told to go walk around a bit.

They kept me in that night and gave me pethidine to help me get some sleep. The next morning I was still in a lot of pain, my waters had now been gone for over 48 hours but they were desperately trying to keep me on the MLU rather than transfer to the main hospital. I’d begged for more pain relief but they were so reluctant to give me anything but paracetamol.

Finally at nearly midday a midwife spoke to a registrar at the main hospital who demanded I be transferred immediately due to the amount of time baby had been without waters.

I was taken to the main hospital, and put on an induction drip straight away to try to hurry things along. It was sheer agony. I had an epidural but by evening I was still only 7cm and I was rushed into theatre for emcs.

My baby was taken straight to ICU due to an infection from no waters for so long. She spent a week in there.

The next day the registrar that delivered my baby came round to see me and asked if I wanted to lodge a complaint against the MLU as they shouldn’t have tried to keep me there after my waters had been gone for over 24 hours.

As it turned out I didn’t lodge a complaint but lots of other women reported similar experiences and it turned out the MLU were at severe risk of being shut down due to low funds. If they could keep their birth numbers up, they’d continue to get funding. It was all a numbers game to them, but it could have cost my baby their life.

Not quite the same as a home birth, but definitely do plenty of your own research. Midwives may often push whatever suits funding at the time.

I was so incredibly well looked after in holiday and will be forever grateful for the way things turned out in the end.

thealbanymodel.com/albany-in-peckham/closure-of-the-albany/

This is where I trained. I am sure this is not entirely representative but it didn't leave a good impression of home births

@paedoffduty I had DC1 at that hospital and had excellent care but to give the fuller context to Albany there seem to have been issues which were specific to that team. There was no change to the other caseloading teams of the Lanes (my midwives), Oakwood, or Brierley until the larger re-organisation of midwife care more recently.

You can have horrific and traumatising birth experiences at home too, not just in hospital. The most horrific presumably being one where your baby does not survive.

I wanted a home birth for first DC but was persuaded out of it for reasons you listed. However i did have home ( water) birth for subsequent DCs and much preferred it.
Its much more relaxing labouring in your own home and you have undivided attention of one midwife at first then two midwives for late stages/ delivery/ aftercare so ime the care I got was actually better at home, much more attentive. And going to sleep in your own bed afterwards rather than a noisy maternity ward was bliss.
All my labours were relatively straightforward, however I am sure your midwifes would get you to hospital quickly if they were at all.worried during labour.
Can they talk to.your DH?
My midwife eased my DHs fears by talking through what happens in an emergency.
In the end my DH actually also preferred the experience of a homebirth because he felt useful rather than being a spare part which is how he felt in hospital.
Ultimately you are the one giving birth so do whatever you feel most comfortable with.
Good luck

The thing is that there are not really any huge potential negative consequences of a hospital birth.
Explain then why home birth (for second child) is considered to be just as safe as hospital birth. This implies that for every "huge negative consequence" of a planned home birth, there is a comparable "huge negative consequence" of hospital birth. If "huge negative consequences" only occur at home births this would be borne out in the statistics and it would be shown to be much more dangerous.

@duggeeismynewbestfriend

If my DC and I had a home birth we both would have died.

To be clear I had a dream pregnancy was fit and healthy.

30% of 1st births require medical intervention for a safe delivery for Mother and baby.

I have subsequently spoke to an expert OBGYN who advised me that all pregnancies can be simple and straightforward in hindsight.

My DC couldn't make it down the birthcanel without forceps, suction and ultimately then her being cut out.

She requires resuscitation as soon as she was born and it was tough and go for a day. We are incredibly lucky that she is ok.

I also had complications and required immediate surgery.

So that's my view. Obviously it's entirely a matter for you, I understand that people don't want it to be medical birth etc.

Btw I didn't have any pain relief and was mid wife lead until she got into difficulties.

If you were having a home birth, you would still have got the interventions if you needed them, because the midwives would have picked up on it and transferred you into hospital when it became apparent that you needed them. A home birth doesn't mean leaving you in your home as your baby goes into distress and forcing you to stay there because "thats what you chose" and doing a c section with a knife on the kitchen table.

I also don't understand the argument of "i had an awful hospital birth" as being an argument FOR hospital birth.

@FTEngineerM

It’s not just by chance that maternal deaths during child birth have almost completely disappeared entirely since the advent of medicine and free at the point of delivery health care.

❤️There’s just no way of knowing whether you’ll be one of the very few that need that immediate care as @paedoffduty explained.

You do know that midwives are medical professionals and provided free. Indeed, a home birthing woman has more medical help as they have a one to one midwife whereas in a hospital they often move between rooms.

Maybe we can confounding home birth, with trained midwives monitoring you, drugs available and the option to transfer to hospital at any time, with freebirth?

@Bobbots

You can have horrific and traumatising birth experiences at home too, not just in hospital. The most horrific presumably being one where your baby does not survive.

Glad we agree that these horrific experiences can happen both at hospital AND at home and neither is more likely.

Not for me, personally I feel a lot safer and more comfortable in a hospital birthing centre where I know I can quickly access care if something happens. I've known friends who've had home births and had to call ambulances...that would be much more stressful to me. But each to their own.

I had a home birth with DD3 and it was absolutely amazing. 4 hrs, so calm and peaceful, 2 midwives all to myself and getting into my own bed straight afterwards with the baby and a glass of champagne was absolute bliss. No bad side to it whatsoever.

BUT obviously I'd already had two uncomplicated births so could be really confident to know it was going to go well. It is different with your first and I would only consider it if I was able to get to hospital quickly if needed. Good luck either way

My first was born at home, I found it relaxing to be able to labour in my own bed/bath/shower but I lived 5 mins from the hospital