Unmedicated homebirths

[Luz192]

Hello! Looking for others to share their positive unmedicated homebirth experiences - particularly first time mums - just your birth story, what you felt, any challenges during labour, any tips, and also what role your NHS midwife played - do they take a bit of a backseat, etc?

still early in my pregnancy but definitely want this route

(not looking for advice from anyone who did not have a home birth or stories about people whose hospital babies ‘would have died’ if they’d have a home birth)

I had a completely unmedicated home birth for my second child. Now 16. It was planned, but I was going to have gas and air I just wasn't allowed it because I was sick during labour. So the pain of labour was managed by using a birthing pool and I gave birth on all fours which was the best position for the end stage (in the living room, on the rug with loads of sheets and towels). The midwives cleaned up the mess afterwards and disposed of the sheets etc. The most painful part was being stitched afterwards without anaesthetic. My waters broke around 8pm and DD was born 6.30am it was a long night. But I preferred it to the first birth in hospital with all the drugs. Being at home was a great privilege.

I had an unmedicated homebirth with my second. Very fast labour, spent some of it in the bath. Our midwife only just arrived in time (not her fault- we weren’t expecting it to be so quick). Delivered on all fours on the bathroom floor, waters never went so DD was born in the bag.

It was a wonderful experience and being at home afterwards with my DC and husband all in our big bed together was maybe the happiest time of my life.

The greatest challenge was not being sure that our MW would make it- in the end she did but by that time DD was already crowning. I actually didn’t feel too worried as I thought we would manage anyway (and we would have) but DH was a bit concerned.

For a first baby I’d try to go into it with an open mind- labour is very surprising and you may find that what you actually want is different to what you planned for.