Home Birth

mrcow

Crispy_Ambulance wrote:

Actually, homebirth is statistically safer than hospital birth.

Please can we have a link to these statistics?


I've been told that a home birth is sensibly out of the question for my third birth due in two months, but I'd like to see where these statisics are from and what they include? It will probably help the OP too.

inkie

home birth is sensibly out of the question for my third birth due in two months,

mrcow - is it because of anything in your obstetric history with your previous pregnancies? There may be a reason for discouraging you PM if you wish (I am a trained MW)

mrcow

inkie wrote:

mrcow - is it because of anything in your obstetric history with your previous pregnancies? There may be a reason for discouraging you PM if you wish (I am a trained MW)

Thank you for your post.

I had an emergency section due to fetal distress with my first and an assisted birth due to fetal distress with my second. I asked about a home birth but even though I've had a VBAC I've been told it's not really wise due to my scar and history etc.

Someone (wasn't it Becles?) started a thread on home births last month which had me in tears as it sounds so much nicer than the experiences that I've had. I wasn't even considering a home birth up until then, but I have asked and have been advised by two different midwives that it's perhaps not a wise thing to do. At the end of the day, as any expectant mum, I just want to do what's right for the baby.

PS. Big SORRY if that's too much info for people at dinner time on a Friday! :eek:

scat

It totally depends on where you live. In my experience GP's generally throw their hands up in horror and midwives are usually all for them. I had my first in hospital and it was a nightmare, I was left alone in an operating theatre with gas and air and a buzzer... I saw nobody until about 5 mins before I actually delivered because they forgot about me! I was high as a kite and couldn't remember what a buzzer was by the time someone turned up! For my second I was adamant I was delivering at home. Attempts were made to fool me that by choosing to deliver at home I wouldn't be able to have any pain relief - having had one baby already I was fully aware that 'pain relief' isn't particularly relieving anyway!!! Midwives were fantastic, I felt cared for and in control. I had my third the same way.

Becles

Yes it was me who started a home birth thread. It's got some lovely stories in :cool:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=283367

I'd love a home birth and my midwife is all for it saying I'm an ideal candidate for it, but husband is still not keen, so I don't know what to do.

pavlovs_dog

out of curiosity, how long do you have to make up your mind? how much 'notice' do you have to give that you want a home birth and not hospital?

when our time comes, i like the idea of a homebirth (probably because i really dont like the hospital environment to be honest) but not sure im brave enough to go for it with my first :think:

LizD_2

I suspect my fiance may have similar reservations when the time comes, to your hubby, becles! Although I do usually get my way! (I'm not a horrible person, really!)
Personally I always feel you should stand your ground, so if it's what you want and it's ok with the midwives, then go for it! A previous poster suggested getting a midwife to talk to him, which i think would be a brilliant idea. Good luck with your baby as well.

bella4uk

This is just my opinion....I wouldn't even consider having a home birth, everything is there for you at the hospital, ok it's not very personal and they are often short staffed, one could argue that people having homebirths are adding to this. The consequences of the "what ifs" are just too much of a risk and I could never forgive myself for something going wrong if it was due to me having a HB.
If you are reassured that all is well and the hospital staff are happy too, then all well and good...anyone who is advised not too but still wants to are being careless and selfish, in my opinion

Rikki

mrcow wrote:

Thank you for your post.

I had an emergency section due to fetal distress with my first and an assisted birth due to fetal distress with my second. I asked about a home birth but even though I've had a VBAC I've been told it's not really wise due to my scar and history etc.

Someone (wasn't it Becles?) started a thread on home births last month which had me in tears as it sounds so much nicer than the experiences that I've had. I wasn't even considering a home birth up until then, but I have asked and have been advised by two different midwives that it's perhaps not a wise thing to do. At the end of the day, as any expectant mum, I just want to do what's right for the baby.

PS. Big SORRY if that's too much info for people at dinner time on a Friday! :eek:

I had an active birth in a hospital room for my first. I had the midwife from my doctors deliver my baby.
It was just a room with a bed, very basic. We had a portable baby heart monitor so I was free to walk and move around as I wished. I also gave birth as I wished NOT on my back.

My second was a home birth with the same midwife six years later.

I enjoyed both experiences as I had the freedom to make choices and a great midwife.

inkie

This is just my opinion....I wouldn't even consider having a home birth, everything is there for you at the hospital, ok it's not very personal and they are often short staffed, one could argue that people having homebirths are adding to this

As a midwife i would say the opposite is true - women wanting to birth their babies at home are actually relieving the pressure on labour wards. In the case of a home birth, labour ward midwives are not pulled out to attend the mum at home, as all home births are covered by community/team midwives who provide a 24 hr service anyway - they always have a community midwife on call day or night to cover things like planned home births, emergency births at home (those that arn't going to make it to the unit in time), and to deal with the other things like occasional call outs to unsettled babies.