Anyone had a home birth?

[MaltipooMama]

Just that really! I had an appointment with my midwife today and was telling her all my woes of my last labour, and she suggested that maybe a home birth would work quite well for me. I kind of like the idea of being able to stay at home with my familiar surroundings, what has your experience been if you've had one? I'm really interested to hear people's experiences 😊 thank you xx

I had one in September and it was lovely. I went into labour, we called the midwives and they came over, coached me through the birth, cleaned up, stitched me, helped us with breastfeeding and then left us to have breakfast as my elder daughter came downstairs. I showered in my bathroom and got into my own bed afterwards. Another midwife came over a few hours later to check in and do the advanced baby check. It truly felt like a VIP service- everyone came to us and we had no worried about when to go to the hospital, parking, pulling luggage about, shared facilities, other people’s noise or hanging around for ages for discharge. It was a bit of a dream x

I did! I had a lovely experience too. Started labouring in the middle of the night, midwife came at 6am but then labour slowed. She stayed for a couple of hours whilst DP got our toddler off to nursery. Labour kicked off again a couple of hours later, midwife came back and out DD popped. Had a small tear sutured in bed. It was lovely to get in my own shower and bed. DP picked DS up early and we all had a lovely afternoon having cuddles in bed. I'm a midwife and highly recommend if you are low risk.

Lovely homebirth too. DH put the oven on for pastries as the placenta was delivered, and we sat with the midwives by the Christmas tree eating warm croissants as the sun rose. Priceless.

Yes was wonderful. Baby was born, midwives cleared up, we all had tea and crumpets then after they’d gone we all went back to bed with new baby. Just had gas and air for pain relief.

I literally can't explain the joy I am being filled with hearing your stories! Thank you so much for sharing! I never ever considered a home birth with my first as I just assumed that you had to meet a certain criteria or it wasn't very common, and then when the midwife spoke to me about it today I thought there must be a catch! So this is so wonderful hearing all these lovely experiences, I was extremely anxious about my second labour following a horrible first experience and this is making it so much easier to think about 🥰

Yes, it was lovely and very relaxing. I had two midwives focused on me and at one point went for a walk in the sunlight filled woodland behind our house with DH. I had two younger children aged 3 years and 18 months and my DM came to stay to look after them while I was in labour.

I had a home birth with my DS27. I had 3 midwives in attendance, we just sat around chatting, laughing and joking. Labour wasn't as painful as my first birth. Had gas and air, and had to get a script for pethidine if it was needed. Gave birth on my own bed, listening to my birth cd (I pushed him out to Tubular Bells 😂 I did check for the 666) They cleaned up everything after, put a wash on, ran me a bath. It was a wonderful experience. Had my DD36 in hospital, that was a nightmare. I fully advocate home births if you can.

I did! Water-birth in my own lounge. No pain relief needed. I pulled baby out of the water. Amazing experience! Pizza, champagne after midwife left, and friends popped in to wet the baby's head when he was about an hour old. It was lovely! And a stark contrast from the nonsense in the hospital. My midwife was a huge fan of home-births when about four of us were expecting on our street. One didn't progress as well as hoped and so she was transferred to hospital by ambulance with no dramas or trauma and a happy outcome. So recommended. Don't listen to the naysayers. Good luck!

Had a home birth with son 17. Was getting contractions but managing pain and husband said it will be hours yet so no need to call. Ignored him and called midwives. First arrived at 3am son born at 3.31am. No gas and air as that was with second midwife who arrived shortly after birth. My daughter woke just as he was born and appeared at the door. So, my husband and daughter held him before me. Really lovely experience and house was all cleaned up and they were gone by 5am. By 3pm, I was a bit bored of resting so went to school to pick up daughter and son with new baby!

I've had two. Both amazing experiences. The second one was very DIY as the midwife didn't get there in time, but the ambulance team we had on the phone were amazing!

I did.
Ds 25 yrs ago.horrible first birth so there was talk of an epidural which I didn't want.
On his due date I had some contractions fed DD and told DH.
He called the midwife who examined me and said I was 8 cm did I want to go to birthing unit and HR away.
I said no.she said she had no gas and air so should she go to grab some or stay.
She stayed another midwife appeared and our D's was born just over an HR later.
Bath and back into my own bed.
It was a fantastic day.

I did! Only have one baby and had her at home. It was wonderful! She was born by the Christmas tree in my lounge. I didn’t need gas and air or anything and I hired a birth pool, although ended up giving birth on the sofa. Absolutely no mess at all afterwards, the midwives cleared everything up. There was a documentary out when I was pregnant called Yorkshire Midwives on Call and it just looked exactly like what I wanted and nothing like the horrible scary birth people had told me about or in other tv shows. I’d recommend that if you can find it online anywhere.

Also, because there was no noise and no awkward chairs for my husband to sleep on, we all got a brilliant night’s sleep after the birth and that really helped restore us ready for our new adventure as parents. I honestly couldn’t recommend it more!

I had a home birth with DS now 13 after a traumatic hospital birth with DD. It was an incredible experience. I had a birth pool in the living room and didn’t have a pain relief except for gas and air whilst I was getting a couple of stitches. It was so nice to have a shower in my own bathroom and be tucked up in bed with my beautiful newborn.

Both my babies were born at home, DD by the light of the Christmas tree nearly 16 years ago! I chose it because it was the best chance of getting continuity of care from midwives. I also viewed it as labouring at home, with the option to go in to hospital if needed, to take the pressure off things needing to be a certain way.

My 2nd child was a home birth. I was blue lighted in after the birth with a PPH, but I am a massive advocate for home births even though I was taken in. The actual birth was amazing. My eldest child was there (an adult) and loved seeing her baby sister born at home. I felt in control, like I could go wherever I wanted and that was a big thing for me.

My 2nd and 3rd were born at home. Out of my four births, the second was the best and the third the worst. I had my second at home after a rough time in hospital with my first, and had my fourth in hospital after a rough time at home with my third.

The essential difference in all of them was the support of those present, which sadly is a bit of a roll of the dice. There is an ideal that homebirth midwives are more attentive and such, I learned the hard that's nonsense - the setting is much smaller than the people involved. With my second and fourth, the midwives were wonderfully supportive, even when they disagreed with my choices and, with my fourth, I did panic a bit during transition & was a bit nonsense, but they supported me through that when I had no idea. My first and third were not - literally with the third, they walked into my home and their first words were telling me how the third stage was going to go (I'd reacted badly to it with the first, didn't have it with my second and everything went so much better, they walked in telling me I would be having it), I should have taken that as a warning.

Talk with your antenatal midwife about what to do if the midwives who show up are unsupportive. You should be able to request different midwives, but with shortages, you may be given different guidance. I support home births, but not with unsupportive midwives, it's just... all the unpleasant things people discuss in hospital births about being left alone for long periods of time, dismissed, ordered about, medical abuse when at your most vulnerable...it's worse when it's in your own home.

I had a home north but had to be transferred to hospital right at the end for precautions even both of us were fine. Labouring at home was awesome. I was in my massive bed with gas and air and two midwives with me for every contraction. It was glorious and I would do it again in a heart beat. So wish we’d stayed at home!

I had my second child at home with two midwives, my first DC, DH and my mum who came to help. It was an amazing experience, had no pain relief (gas and air is not available at home where I live) but it was still a very positive, powerful and empowering experience. DC2 was born early in the morning on the sofa, we had huge breakfast with the midwives and then the whole family went back to sleep. My recovery was about 30 minutes, I was up and about immediately. No injuries, no tears either, DC2 got 10/10. Midwives cleaned everything and submitted the registration form for the baby at the hospital on the way home. We got DC’s personal number by post a couple of days later.

I had a home birth last year for first baby. Hired a pool for living room. I've got a small house but all ok. I stayed down stairs and midwifes were lovely and stood around really just mointering and just doing observation every now and again. They pretty much left me too it, although we're present and supported me when I needed. I was worried about the going into hospital and being told to go home again thing so home birth worked well. I asked for a midwife to come out cause I'd been having contractions all day at about same timing she came an examined me and provided reassurance that all was well. It felt like almost as soon as she left things ramped up and i had to call triage to get her back again! It was a great hands off experience. Definitely consider it.

I had my first DC in hospital and the others at home.

Would 100% recommend. The midwife team was very pro home births and very competent, I was much, much more relaxed, and it was lovely for the older DC to meet the new sibling soon after birth.

ETA One of my labours was very quick once it got going, and I was very glad that I didn't have to try to get to hospital.

All three of mine were born at home and it was great. Best decision I ever made. Waterbirth is wonderful.

I had a mixed experience with my first. Midwives weren’t great but my lovely GP was there for the birth. 2nd and 3rd had independent midwives who were amazing.

Oh these all sound absolutely wonderful! I’ve enjoyed reading people’s stories