Silly to consider a home birth?

[Brabraboo]

Just looking for some experiences really. Will be under the Nhs but am due in June. Am very nervous about a hospital birth due to covid. I don’t want to pick it up while there, I don’t want to be having to have my bloody tonsils swabbed during labour etc etc. I have quite intense medical-anxiety anyway so will be very nervous and covid anxiety being very present with everyone in masks and potentially testing etc on top feels like il be a wreck.

For these reasons I’ve considered an nhs home birth but am worried I am being irresponsible by considering it if it’s only because of my own covid-anxiety. I don’t believe home birthing to be irresponsible at all in general , just to clarify.

My first baby was ten days overdue and she weighed 9lbs 11. She was huge and she took nearly three days of labour to get her out. (She came out naturally but I have an epidural for the final hours of it as I couldn’t go on anymore) I’m not sure she could have been birthed safely at home.

I guess my worry is that I don’t know if this makes baby 2 more likely to be a whopper in size too... and is it more complicated to home birth a big baby?! dd1 could not have come out naturally and safely if I hadn’t given in to pain relief and been able to rest.

Has anyone had a large baby at home?! And is it true that home births are generally quite safe and well managed?

I haven’t had a home birth, but I’m planning one for my current pregnancy (due August, second baby). I have done an absolute mountain of research and my feeling is that if you feel more comfortable in a home environment (some women wouldn’t and would just feel safer in hospital) then you are more likely to be able to cope with more challenging births, such as a larger baby, without intervention. You will have a midwife with you 1-1, a second for the birth, support like that would never be available in hospital. Midwives are much more likely to opt for position changes, breathing adjustments etc rather than leap to intervention like can happen in hospital (from my experience). I have read several stories of women birthing big babies at home with no pain relief and no tearing. Obviously this is the dream scenario, but shows it can be done.

I think the best thing to do is talk to your midwife and see what they think. They may suggest more scans for a larger baby and may discourage you from a home birth if it is looking big, but ultimately it’s your choice.

If you remain low risk, stats say you and baby are just as safe at home, if not safer, and much less likely to end up with interventions.

Definitly discuss with midwife. Larger babies sometimes birth fine but they do also have higher rates of shoulder distocia which is a very time precious emergency.

Is there a birth centre attached to your labour ward that you could birth in? The atmosphere in birth centres is amazing, covid test will possibly still be done by then but I think a calm, homely atmosphere could help be a compromise to bring at home

*being at home

I don't think it's silly but if you have any concerns over pain relief options or complications you may be better off with a hospital birth.
I have never had a home birth. 1st was induced so hospital and 2nd onwards have all been classed high risk (2 large singletons with polyhydramnios and twins). Classed high risk again as I had an elcs with the twins as they were breech. I feel completely safe going in to hospital, the benefits outweigh the risks imo.

If Covid wasn't around, it sounds like you would feel safer in the hospital. Numbers are low at the moment and they are testing all women and birthing partners so it's as safe as they can make it.

As you have large babies, I would be worried about should dystocia happening without immediate help available.

I guess you have to weigh up the risks vs.rewards for your situation. A MLU does sound like a good middle ground though.

Hi ya,
Did you tear last time? Or need to be cut, as was a big baby?
My first was 32 hours of labour 🤦🏼‍♀️, she also needed sbcu when born for a week and was a panic when she was born not breathing.
So we decided to have number 2 at hospital but in a birthing pool, was lovely, never made it to ward and went home a few hours later. (Maybe a idea for you as I only mixed with 2 midwifes and saw no one else).
Baby number another water birth, midwifes only there to deliver and to sow me up lol.
I'm hoping for a home birth not because of Covid but because I have no one to have the kids so best way hubby can be there.
I'm actually in hospital for 2 days and a night next week as daughter is having a op.

Have you looked at your hospital's regulations regarding covid? For the hospital I'm going to, I'm in a single room from being admitted to leaving, no mixing with others other than staff or my birth partner. Another local hospital has different rules so it may be worth checking out ones that are a little further away and seeing if there's one that you feel more comfortable with? I have health anxiety due to my chronic health condition and finding out this hospitals procedures felt better than what would naturally be my "home" hospital.

My understanding is second babies tend to be bigger than first ones, considering you needed an intervention for the first I wouldn't be able to relax enough during labour as I would be constantly worrying about needing interventions again. But speak to your midwife and see if they can support you, what's right for me doesn't mean it's right for you.

I've had 3 homebirths. They were all so much better than my hospital birth because I was somewhere I could relax and the midwife wasn't busy and leaving the room all the time. For no. 3, I was in latent phase for days and being able to just get on as normal really helped.
I could not recommend them highly enough. However, they worked for me because I really wanted one and could relax properly at home. If you are going to be worrying that baby will get stuck or something will go wrong, then maybe hospital is better for you.

At my hospital antenatal clinic, there is a huge sign that says "Home births are equally safe as hospital births for low risk women" (I wish I'd taken a picture to post here!)

So its definitely not silly to consider a home birth at all.

The question is how comfortable you'll feel at home. In my trust, many more women are doing home births now because of Covid so you definitely wouldn't be the only one doing so. Best is to discuss all the options with your midwife and do research. Its a very personal decision and one that is ultimately up to you!

Best of luck with your decision and birth.

You're not silly, but given your history I think you should be mentally prepared for the fact that you may end up transferring to hospital anyway. If you're anxious about birth, it's never too early to talk to your midwife. I asked some questions at my booking appointment this time round! (Intense fear of giving birth in a taxi en route to the hospital, wanted her to talk me through what would happen if I did - she was very nice and helpful about it!)

You don't have to make a decision right now, but I would really urge you to talk things through with your midwife. Explain your covid anxiety, talk about what home births and hospital births are like at the moment, talk through what would happen if you had to go to hospital because of problems. I think getting more information from them would really help you at the moment.

(Also, if anyone tries to swab my tonsils while I'm in labour I will bite the fucking swab in half and eat it! They made me pee into one of those bloody tiny vials between contractions when I arrived at triage last time and I effed and blinded the whole time about how ridiculous it was. With a clearer mind I can now see it was important that they confirm that my waters had in fact broken and how else were they going to do it, but at the time...!)

I don’t know if this helps but this is my experience. I tried to have a home water birth recently, I wanted to do it for similar reasons as you- hospital anxiety, covid...
We ended up going to hospital as after a few hours of pushing my baby wasn’t budging! But labouring at home (10cm and pushing) was so lovely, I felt so relaxed. I liked being in my own little world at home. The ambulance ride wasn’t exactly pleasant but as soon as I was at the hospital I felt relaxed again.

Also when I was researching, I’m sure they said the most common reason for home birth transfers to hospital was the woman’s choice, i.e needing stronger pain relief that only can be done in hospital

What I would probably recommend is we set up everything for both a hospital birth and a home birth. I organised a home birth with the thought that I could ring the hospital anytime and say I wanted to come in but you can’t do it the other way around. We packed a hospital bag, made two birth ‘plans’...etc
I also did hypnobirthing which really helped with anxiety and confidence.

I've home birthed a large baby. This was my third, and I chose a home birth because my second came so fast I barely made it to the hospital!

I was very confident with my home birth, I knew he was big, even though my home birth midwives told me nooo, he'll be 7 or 8 lbs he was 9 lb 12! Gravity really helps you with big babies. I gave birth standing up leaning on my partner and didn't have any pain relief because gas and air just doesn't make me feel good. It was really lovely giving birth at home then being able to rest without having to face the postnatal ward.

That being said, this time (I'm 37 weeks) I'll be having a birthing center or hospital birth, but that's because we are in a different house now and the best room to labour in cuts off the rest of the house from the kitchen and bathroom, which would be unfair on the kids. Plus, I'm 37 now and this being my 4th baby, my risks factors are a little higher and I wish to be cautious, as the hospital is a good 10-15 minutes away even if the traffic lights are cooperative. I trust my hospital to be covid safe though, and that's a really important factor. If I didn't trust them, and hadn't seen for myself how well they are looking after pregnant women, then I'd absolutely be far more tempted to have another home birth even with the house layout being what it is.

My home birthed baby is thus far the biggest baby I've had, by a whole lb- a fact that to this day, annoys my oldest lol

Fingers crossed that whatever you decide goes smoothly

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded. I didn’t expect such detailed and supportive answers. Lots to consider and I really appreciate everyone who shared their experiences either way!