Home Birth - would love to hear your stories (positive and negative and neutral even!)

[amorningperson]

Hi all,

I've been discussing a potential home birth with my midwife. I'm about 16 weeks right now so I have plenty of time to think about it. we live in a two bedroom flat in Glasgow, have 2 dogs and another DC who is 4. We don't have family but I have lovely friends close by who could take DC and would be happy to help (he knows them and their kids etc so would be a fun thing for him).

Anyways that's our situation - any stories, thoughts, suggestions would love to hear!

Many thanks :)

I've had an attempted home birth and then a successful home birth. I live close to the hospital and I did need to be transferred with DS1, I ended up quite unwell but this was all after I'd been in hospital for a while so not because of the home birth if that makes sense. The midwives said they transfer way earlier than they would call for help in the hospital as they need to be so alert for potential changes and factor in travel time.
Second was a lovely birth, very quick, had DS2 while DS1 slept in his bed and by the time he woke the midwives had gone and he came in our bed to meet his new brother.

We were undecided about a second home birth as things had gone wrong with the first and DH was worried it would happen again, but we decided to opt for home birth as we could change our mind at any time and ask to go into hospital, but if we chose a hospital birth and all was going smoothly, we couldn't change our mind and stay home

DC1 = awful hospital induction. Not an experience I would ever willingly repeat. Made it very clear to me that hospital is not a place where I feel comfortable, safe or cared for. There would have to be pretty dire medical need for me to give birth in a hospital again.
DC2 = dry land home birth. In my living room, just me, exH, toddler DC1 and a very hands-off midwife who just left me alone to get on with it - which is exactly what I wanted. No examination, no poking and prodding, not a single person touched me or my baby except for me and exH.
DC3 = pretty much a carbon copy of DC2’s birth, just on speed replay The home birth was planned, but I wouldn’t have got anywhere near the hospital even if I’d tried, she was born so fast!

In my case there was a dedicated emergency C-section team that waited for things like this to happen, they didn't do planned sections.

it was a large city centre hospital, I was very lucky that I was whizzed straight into an operating room

I had my second baby at home and it was truly the best experience of my life. I had a fairly medicalised birth with my first - epidural, episiotomy, ventouse, minor PPH - but my second sped out in 1.5 hours in the bathtub.

I am also a midwife and attend lots of home births (was at one last night in fact)! You rarely meet a woman who doesn't enjoy her home birth experience, even if it doesn't go exactly to plan.

Services are stretched right now, it's true, but you're only 16 weeks. You can reassess the situation nearer the time.

I'd also say that it's totally normal to be on the fence. Lots of women are on the fence until the very end- I was! It was really only once I was in labour that I relaxed and focused and knew it was the right place for me. Planning for a home birth doesn't mean you definitely have to have your baby at home either- if it doesn't feel right, you can change your mind and go in.

I had a planned homebirth with DC1, but in the end my labour was so fast I wouldn't have made it to the hospital anyway. My mother and grandmother had precipitous labours so I guess there must be a genetic link. I loved being at home, relaxed and in a place I felt safe. DC1 was delivered into DH's hands and the midwife arrived about ten minutes later. Tucked up in bed within an hour all sorted.

I was told to plan a HB again with any subsequent pregnancies as spontaneous labours are likely to be even quicker but I'm pregnant with twins so have to be in a hospital (induction, labour ward, staying in after the full works). I'm dreading it.

I had a home birth with number 3. Number 2&3 both hospital labours and arrived at hospital fully dilated and gave birth under 2 hours from first regular contractions.

Was not prepared to risk giving birth in the car. Those of us who’ve had fast labours know your body does the pushing and nothing is going to stop that baby coming out.

Called midwife with a Suspicion was going to give birth that evening, was quite emotional with needing to go to the loo a lot. No regular contractions. Midwives we’re great but didn’t think I was in Labour, but then about 30 minutes later, after 3 massive contractions out shot number 3 and then the placenta.

I would definitely pick a homebirth again. Probably not if a first time mum or if baby is not engaged and in the optimum position.

I wanted one for my second as had a very fast straightforward labour for my first and was worried about getting to hospital on time. In the end I didn’t because my waters broke and contractions didn’t start so I had to be induced, but I joined a home birth group so saw outcomes for loads of people during my pregnancy. My observations from that were:

• loads of people who planned one ended up not going for it, because complications arose during the pregnancy (anaemia, Group B strep, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure). If anything whatsoever crops up in the pregnancy they really put pressure on you to have a hospital birth, so it’s really only the very lowest risk that end up actually attempting it.
• of those who try, much more success for second babies. Loads of people with first babies ended up transferring in during or after labour. No emergencies though - they are seemingly very risk averse and encourage transfer at first sign of anything.
• second babies usually worked like a dream. A few ended up going in after because there had been meconium in the waters and they wanted to observe them for 24 hrs, but generally success all round.

If your midwife is happy for you to go for it then I think you should feel confident. The stats show that home births are safer for second births onwards (presumably because they weed out all high risk ones as I say above).

Hi OP, I've had 2 homebirths in Glasgow. Can defo recommend. The homebirth team are amazing, even just having the continuity of the same midwife at every appt and being able to build a relationship is so different to what friends have had. There's a Facebook group Positive Birth Glasgow that's worth joining. Head of homebirth is Caroline, she's great and will come out to your flat and reassure you about every possible thing you can think of. People have been having babies at home for a lot longer than they've been having them in hospital!

So lovely to be tucked up on the sofa with a baby on boob and a takeaway just a few hours after he was born.

I had an induction with DC1 was ignored by midwifes and left in agony on the antenatal ward begging for pain relief in labour with a back to back baby as they were too busy. Zero monitoring of me or of baby’s heart rate during labour until I told them I was pushing. Ended up with forceps, tear, episiotomy and haemorrhage. Complained to the hospital and I have a letter apologising for their sub standard care.

DC2 number two was home birth due to DC1 rapid labour. Contractions started and I climbed into the pool. Rang triage who sent two midwifes out and a student midwife. I was able to have gas and air and baby’s heart rate was monitored frequently. DC arrived and I had a small tear that stitched. Had a lovely bubble bath to clean myself up and then went upstairs to snuggle my newborn and toddler. Physically and mentally I felt so much better compared to my first birth. My husband commented how much safer it felt compared to my first birth in hospital as there were actually midwifes checking me!

Personally, I would speak to your midwife about homebirth rather than randoms on the internet. Every pregnancy is individual so I would discuss with her you individual risks concerning place of delivery.

@SweetPeaGirl wow this was so helpful and I think that I def feel the same way- that you're looking at the risks forth both settings and they may not all coincide. For example PPH more likely if Pitocin is used, Pitocin more likely if you are in hospital as lights/movement/stress can slow labour... thanks for your comment it's really really helped me :)

@EgonSpengler2020
this is very interesting and helpful and something I hadn't factored in :/ food for thought for sure!

Be careful if you're reading stories involving pitocin as they are likely to be from the US where it's much much more common. In the UK they use syntocinon instead. It's basically the same thing but it's a marker that the birth story you're reading is from the UK with NHS policies, rather than the policies of an American hospital which probably look quite different.