Anyone accidentally delivered their baby at home?

[TBC45678]

I'd love to hear some (positive but honest - ie not ones where there was a terrible outcome) stories of anyone who didn't make it to hospital for the birth of their baby.
Having quite bad anxiety about this leading up to the birth of my second baby. With my first I was in labour for about 5 hours and was only in the hospital for 45 minutes before he arrived. I still have quite bad memories of the car journey and getting to the ward etc, with me knowing the baby was about to arrive but no-one really listening to me (or me not being able to communicate it). I've heard second babies are often much quicker, which would give me very little time...

Anyone been through it and mind sharing their story? I'm mainly worried about the pushing part, I don't know how I could do that without the midwife guiding me! And then once the baby arrives, keeping them safe etc. What are you supposed to do?!

I know I have no idea what will happen this time, but hearing some real stories will help me calm down I think. Thanks!

I'm sorry I have no experience of this (thanks to DD and her 48 hour start to finish labour 🙄) but if you laboured for 5 hours at home could you plan to head straight to hospital at the first sign of labour?

Even if they won't admit you right away could you walk around and stay close by so you can get straight back to the ward?

Have you considered a home birth?

Yeah I would have a home birth.

DD1 was an hour start to finish, DTs c.20 mins (albeit induced). DD1 was a home birth and I'm so glad or else she would totally have been a BBA - born before arrival!

Yes, I did. It was absolutely fine and my body just took over and fine it's job. No complications. Paramedics arrived 5 minutes after he was born and were brilliant.

Hello OP - I've changed my name as my story is pretty outing. I had my second baby at home, delivered at the bottom of the stairs by his father and my labour took around 45 minutes from first contraction to him being here.

He was my second, my first labour was 12 hours or so and in hospital. I had no idea the second would be so quick. I was maybe a couple of days beyond my due date. It started with my bump just feeling a bit weird, some period like pains - which prompted me to call the midwife led unit where I planned to have him. They told me to come in over whenever I liked, no rush, so I called my parents who were going to come and look after my first, who was 3. They were 45 mins away so I planned to wait for them - then I had a big contraction, felt a pop and my waters broke. My DH phoned my friend up the road who came round ASAP to sit with my son until my parents arrived, our plan to be to go right away to the birthing unit. I had another big contraction as my friend arrived, then felt I needed to do a poo before getting into the car! My DH was arguing with me saying there wasn't time for me to go - I insisted and when I got into the toilet I realised that it wasn't a poo I needed, it was the baby coming.

DH called an ambulance and was on the phone to 999 as I got out of the toilet, stripped off my clothes and dropped to my knees at the bottom of the stairs. He flung the phone aside as I delivered the baby basically. He caught him and passed him to me through my legs. My parents arrived a moment later and the ambulance arrived after them. While I waited for them I just held the baby close and my DH put towels over me to keep me warm. The paramedics helped me deliver the placenta and checked me and the baby over and we were all fine!

It was dramatic, but it was not panicked. I came over very calm and we were so fortunate that the delivery was straightforward. Kneeling with my arms on the stairs felt so natural and he literally did come out with a couple of pushes. I made a lot of noise I think, but I didn't need stitches and he was 9pounds 10!

I had seen my friend the week before who had recently had her baby and had had a fantastic midwife who told her not to push when the baby crowned but to let her body do the work. I had that really clearly in my mind and was saying to myself "don't push, don't panic" especially when I could feel him crowning. It really did feel like my body took over. I know I was so lucky - But I'm so happy that it happened like that. I felt invincible afterwards. I felt so strong and empowered, it was really incredible.

I hope reading that helps!! There are plenty of positive stories I'm sure - good luck OP!

I didn't but the lady across from me on the labour ward did.

She told me she called triage when she was having contractions but was told they weren't close enough together so to try and stay at home a little longer. But she couldn't hold on, she felt the baby was trying to exit her vagina (her words) and felt an incredible urge to push. Her baby was born in her living room then she was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

Why don't you consider a home birth? There's not a whole lot to do to keep them safe once they're born, just keep them warm, make sure they're breathing/feed them until help arrives if it's an unplanned birth.

I don't know if this is always true, but apparently babies who are born at home accidently are often fine as if they are born that quick there's less likely to be complications. This is obviously babies born around their due date, not massively prematurely or anything.
Good luck with your baby.

Yes, DS’s head was crowning before I realised I was really in labour.

He was born at home about half an hour after I woke up (middle of the night).

My body just did what it was supposed to do, I didn’t have to think about pushing, it just happened!

The paramedics made it but no midwife. I just pushed him out, swung him under my leg (I was standing up) and sat down with him snuggled up to me under a blanket, and waited for the midwife.

My friend did; mum and baby were healthy but my friend was quite shaken up emotionally as it was very fast. I think it was classed as a ‘traumatic birth’.

Yes I did. Paramedics were there to give gas & Air. Prepare For a home birth & you will be more relaxed if it does happen. It was fine, much nicer than being in hospital.
Good luck!

We planned for a home birth for this reason, I birthed in 4 hours first time obviously quick for a first. So we planned home birth second time knowing we could blue light to hospital if necessary. Just as well we did as DH caught him before the midwife had even knocked on the door, if I hadn't of planned a home birth I'd have given birth on the side of the A40.

It was so lovely being at home straight after giving birth, in my own comfort zone.

I had a very similar experience to stairsbaby. I think that often when your baby comes extremely quickly it means that there are few complications and it all goes quite smoothly and ‘as nature intended’. I was also really calm and felt surprisingly in control the whole time.

My first was a long hospital labour. I just presumed the second would be similar and didn’t realise that I would go from mild contractions to giving birth in less than an hour. Couldn’t get through to the hospital for advice (line engaged), needed to wait for someone to arrive to look after the toddler, had no idea how advanced I was and ended up delivering kneeling on the living room rug just as the ambulance arrived. Baby shot out like a rocket still in the caul! I literally didn’t have to push - my body did it all involuntarily and I couldn’t have stopped it if I’d wanted to. I can only compare it to vomiting in terms of how much of a reflex action it felt like, ras opposed to something that I was actively involved in. I also felt massively strong and empowered afterwards.

Third one was a planned home birth! Pretty much non negotiable after the midwife took a history.

Please don’t worry too much about it. I know a few other women who have had unplanned home births and all are positive stories. Good luck with your delivery, however it turns out, and your new baby x

My 1st labour was 6 hours
My 2nd was 1 hour from 1st niggles to baby in arms. Didn't have him at home but just an idea for times ect. Hope all goes well

Thanks for sharing your experiences! There's a slightly complicated reason for not planning a home birth in terms of boring hospital logistics, but I may speak further with my midwife at my next appointment. I'd also still be a bit worried about the midwives not making it in time anyway!
@stairsbaby thank you so much for sharing your experience - it really helps to hear! And the other stories really help too, in terms of your body 'knowing what to do' and not needing the guidance with pushing. I do remember what the midwife was saying in terms of breathing etc, so hopefully that will come back to me at the time too!
The idea about going in as soon as I feel any first twinges is also a good one! It just escalated so fast last time, and might be even quicker this time.

Thanks again, this has really helped. I had quite a bit of trauma after the last one about the idea of not making it in time, but maybe the reality would be better than I'm imagining!

Also name-changed in case outing!

My second was ‘BBA’ which is apparently Born Before Assistance - I was completely alone at home. My DH arrived about 30 seconds after the baby was born, just as I was on the phone to 999.

We’d planned a home birth, had all the kit etc but my active labour was about 45 minutes from my waters breaking. I called the hospital to get a midwife but when she finally showed up- ages after 2 ambulance crews (who were quite shirty with her by the time she arrived, as I needed the injection to deliver the placenta and they thought they might need to take me into hospital if she didn’t get her arse there!) she said the hospital had told her I didn’t sound in distress - so my advice is to panic loudly and long on the phone at the earliest opportunity!

Anyway, I was fine, baby fine too and it wasn’t traumatising really - second labour your body knows what it’s doing. As soon as I felt the head crowning and realised I really was going to have to deliver alone, I was very focused on it happening. I got down on all fours on the bathroom floor, bath mat and towels underneath me, and pushed. I was worried, but I was very very ‘in the zone’. I picked DC2 up and cuddled them and wrapped them next to me and called 999. The woman operator was great - very calm. She asked me if it was a boy or girl and I said “I don’t know! It’s a baby!” Then DH arrived - thank goodness, because the paramedics would have had to break the front door otherwise as I was upstairs and couldn’t have gone done safely to open it, I was bleeding and very shakey.

Anyway, please please don’t worry. Talk to your midwife about a home birth - you can still go into hospital at any time if you prefer, but it just gives you the option that it might be quicker for a midwife to come to you.

Yes DD2 came super fast, paramedics arrived 6 minutes or so before she did. I had no pain relief at all and it was fine. It was 36 minutes after the hospital told me not to rush in as I wasn’t in enough pain to be near to birth. We tried to go but I couldn’t get in the car as her head was in the way 🤣. 999 operator talked DP through what to do ‘make sure she’s pushing!’ and I just knew I had to push. Didn’t put my back into it until I heard the sirens. Paramedic wandered in, expecting me to be after a free ride to hospital, swore, snapped his gloves on and basically caught her, and went ‘she looks ok’. She had her first bf with me propped up against the dishwasher. It was a bit of a shock and I was kept in hospital 2 nights to get over it but actually all absolutely fine. I know it’s hard to believe but we all just got on with it and my body knew what to do.

@TBC45678 midwife didn't make it in time for me, she got lost (typically the one MW who was on call hadn't been to our house!) my body just completely took over, I'm not a "woo" person but it was totally amazing (on reflection) to just see what my body did with no intervention. I just knew when it was time, I stopped pacing, got DH to put down the plastic sheeting (buy that just in case!) I got into a comfortable position and just pushed through the contractions, I think he was out in 2. DH caught him. Amazing. I did go into a bit of shock afterwards, more mentally, on auto pilot, got the shakes, but the MW was soon there and all was ok, she then helped with the 3rd stage which is the trickier part really.

@TBC45678 I'm glad it helps to hear. I also read a book by Ina May Gaskin, called "Ina May's Guide To Childbirth". Looking back, I'm sure it helped me because it put me in a very positive mindset. It is an older book, and written from a very American perspective (in terms of how medicated and hospitalised their births used to be) but has a big section of stories of home births written by the mothers who gave birth. It's available on Amazon. Ina May is a big natural birth advocate and midwife and has delivered squillions of babies at home. It's a bit "hippy" but reading all of those stories really helped me not to panic and to trust my body I think. Again - good luck!

Also, major upsides of a very quick home birth - tea tastes better and is there as soon as you want it, food that you like is freely available, your own bed is much comfier for snuggling, no travel anywhere means you can really cocoon, you’re mere steps from your own private bathroom.

No3 baby
I didn’t know I was pregnant until the Monday and gave birth,stood up on my landing floor on the Thursday
He landed with a thump!
The paramedics knocked on the door about a minute later and the (very rude) midwife about ten minutes after that (followed by my mother)
We where taken to hospital and he was fine but I had to be treated for shock
He’s 21 now

I’ve delivered all my babies at home, but not accidentally. I always wanted to have them at home so I did, but I also wanted a midwife there which I only managed once. I also wanted pain realief and I only managed that once too.

I’ve not given birth with guidance on pushing so I don’t really know what that would look like - what type of guidance do you feel would be useful?

When the baby arrives you don’t really do anything differently to what you would if there was assistance. Put them on your chest, skin to skin if you can, give them a rub, cover their back with some clothing or a blanket. Wait for a midwife, who can help with the cord and placenta, have a quick peek at the baby then tidy up and leave you to it, which is all mine did.

If you aren’t having a midwife at all, or were hours away from medical assistance I’d suspect you’d do far more research about the first moments, first minutes of baby care etc, but if you have post birth care you just wait really. All a paramedic does with a newborn is make sure it’s breathing/crying and put it on the mother’s chest with a blanket until they can handover to a midwife.

No but I almost did with my second. Made it to the hospital with minutes to spare. Gave birth in triage.

My first labour sounds like yours. I was only in the hospital for 45mins before birth. I was in labour for about 4 h total. It was extremely intense. No build up - from no thing to full on contractions every 5 min. Agony!

The second labour progressed much slower. Had cramps following a sweep. The pain wasn't that bad and I wasn't sure I was actually in labour. Had pretty regular but relatively mild contractions for about 4 h before the real ones came (or what I thought were real). It was only then I really thought I was in labour as that's what I knew from the first. We went to hospital after an hour a so anc I thought I'd have at least a few hours to go. Things then went crazy after walking from the car to the hospital. My waters broke in the lift and I gave birth as soon as they got me onto a trolly. Moral of the story is don't hang about if you had a quick birth first time.go to the hospital!

However, I do know 3 people that have not made it and their partners delivered their babies on the phone to 999. All fine.

Delivered sat on the toilet, just me....two pushes and he was out, i just reached down and grabbed him under his armpits and pulled him up into my chest, it was very instinctual and also absolutely fabulous. I honestly can't believe how amazing it was to deliver your own baby and I felt like I had dodged a bullet with the whole labour. Every so slightly shocking in term of the speed, but 9 years later it's still my very best and proudest memory.

I'm another person saying plan a homebirth.

I was talked out of it for DC2 by DH who was worried that we were too far from the hospital (30 mins to the nearest MLU, just over an hour to the nearest big hospital)

I was promised by the midwife that if I told them I laboured quickly with DC1 they wouldn't send me home and I would be able to get in the lovely big bath at the MLU and labour there.

I told them when I arrived in labour with DC2 that DC1 went from 3cm to 10cm in an hour and they still sent me home. Because I was 'only' 3cm when they examined me.

Nearly ended up having DC2 in the carpark of the MLU an hour later after being sent away. Literally drove home and drove straight back again.

Would much rather have laboured calmly in the bath at home and then have DC2 delivered at home by community midwives.