Home Birth...what made you decide?

spicysurro

I officially have decided to go with a home birth. Luckily my DH is onboard. Just out of curious, what made all you mama's go for (or against) a home birth!?

aylafsu88

I was a FTM and my H was pretty worried.  His main concern was that a center/home birth would not be able to handle an emergency situation.  He told me that a 10 minute ambulance transfer was to much for him to handle especially if myself or the baby had complications.  I compromised and had a natural hospital birth. My labor was  quick and uncomplicated.  My H and I have decided that we would like a home birth when we have our second.  Unfortunately I live in a small town with only one small birth center and one MW who will do a home birth.  Since our options are limited it may not work out.  I had a great hospital birth and have no problems delivering there again.

SarahinMD

We live a half hour (on mountain rds) from the closest hospital, and only volunteer fire dept at first call (professional ambulance would be at least 15-20 min away. Both DH and I were uncomfortable with that when I was pregnant with DD. it ended up being good because my BP creeped up at end of last pregnancy--I'd likely have had to be transferred anyway. We found great midwives, and an awesomely natural-birth-friendly hospital an hour away, and were very pleased with our experience. I'd have loved to have tried for a home birth, but we are just too far from a hospital for our comfort.

sendmeis68

I'm 19 weeks and a FTM and am planning a home birth. I had family who had done it and loved it. I also am a nurse and hate the hospital environment, especially in our town, and was really put off by my sisters experience delivering there. They weren't supportive of anything beside what made their work easier. I spend enough time in the hospital and I wanted to have my baby in a warm, comfortable environment; I want to be able to move around and eat and drink when I want. I also figure that if I want to go med-free, the easiest way is to put myself in a situation where I can't change my mind and no one is offering. We also live within 10 min of our hospital so I'm not too worried about the distance if an emergency comes up.

Habs2Hart

I chose it for a few reasons.  We don't have birth centers, and I wanted a water birth.  So that is one reason.  We live <10 minutes from the hospital which is only a level 1 and anything "emergency" that happens there takes at least 30 minutes to get prep finished.  So there's no rush really.  We'd likely get better/faster care as a transfer than if we started there.  

I wanted to be relaxed and I can't do that at a hospital, especially ours.  I have had too many bad experiences there to feel safe/comfortable.  

Our midwives are amazing, encouraging and cautious.  We feel like we are in excellent care. 

Our hospital has one of the highest rates of CS in all of Ontario.  The odds are not in your favour for natural birth with no medical intervention, even with the MW's.  

For me, I just wanted to be at home and give my body a chance to do what it was designed to do in a setting that I can be relaxed and feel comfortable in.  

Nickiechan

I am currently 12 weeks and we are interviewing our only local CNM that accepts our insurance tonight. We are 24 minutes away to the closes hospital so DH is pretty worried about that and emergencies. I hope that the midwife can help calm him a bit tonight and answer his questions. I decided that since my birth with DS went very well that there was no reason to not have a home birth. I also really want a water birth and they do not do those at any of my local hospital and the closes birth center is an hour and 45 minutes away.

barnwife

When I was pregnant with J., DH asked me to consider HB. My gut reaction was "no way!" But since he asked so nicely, I agreed to consider it. 

I did tons of research and reading. I knew I wanted a MW no matter what. So really it came down to a hospital MW or HB MW decision (no birth centers in our area). 

After researching, I knew I would be most comfortable at home and that for low risk moms and babies it's safe. So I decided to meet with a HB MW and a hospital MW to see which I liked more. The HB MW appt. was first.

She was amazing. DH also really liked her. And I went home and cancelled my appt. with the hospital MW. 

And now that same MW will attend LO3's birth when he/she arrives soon!

Luv2Run1st

I chose home birth for this birth because.....
1. I wanted the freedom to do what I needed for a natural unmedicated birth without distraction
2. I wanted more personalized care and providers that didn't view pregnancy as a problem to be treated but a normal healthy process of life
3. Wanted to sleep in my own bed
4. Have a water birth or at least option to
5. I was very low risk so a good candidate for home birth

I would have never considered home birth until after my first birth when reflecting upon what I wished could have been better. I actually thought home birth was strange and unsafe and why would anyone do that but after researching it and educating myself I feel this is the best choice for us.

I too thought my husband would be against it but much to the contrary has been very supportive from the start and he too is excited to have baby in our home where we are all more comfortable.

adventureolive

I had a waterbirth at a birthing center for DD. My mother had homebirths with all of us, but I witnessed my sister have a botched homebirth that led to an emergency c-section. So I was really just scared of homebirth the first time. My MW is all down for homebirths, and now that I've already done it once before I feel more comfortable with it, and I had felt that I very much missed my home and would have been more comfortable there when I gave birth to DD. DH is very supportive and backs me up on the homebirth. He actually wanted a homebirth more than me the first time.

KateLouise

I chose a hospital birth because I'm a worrier about all the "what ifs" It's pretty common knowledge that a relaxed Mum, makes for an easier birth.

So I knew that if I could minimise my concerns about any emergency situations then I could just put them to one side and focus on delivering a baby.

Having said that though our hospitals here and pro-natural birth, and basically you work with your own MW and seldom see any hospital staff. And the rooms are comfortable.

vintagejjane

I wanted to be surrounded by people who supported my decision to have natural birth and not be pressured to do anything I didn't want to do. I had a terrible experience with my OB during my frist couple appointments, so that sealed the deal even more. I loved my HB and I will have one again with the next one.

Jennifer Anne

I didn't like a number of things about my first birth at a hospital. I talked to my midwife about the stats for homebirths in Canada, and I was so encouraged by the fact that they are safer than hospital births - most people think the opposite! We also only live ten minutes away from the hospital, so that made me feel more comfortable when I considered that in case of an emergency during my home birth, we could get to the hospital quickly. I didn't expect my H to be supportive of it, but when I mentioned that I was thinking about it, to my surprise he was very supportive. We also rent a basement suite, so I talked to my landlord since they live above us, and when she told me she was excited for me and that she was comfortable with it, that finalized it for me. (I ended up making the decision only 4 weeks before I was due, for the record, haha!) I'm so glad I planned for it, because labour went so quickly, just under two hours, that I don't think I would've gotten to the hospital in time anyway. It was good to have the birth kit and everything there. 

tokenhoser

I didn't choose it, but I had a precipitous labour with DD and ended up with one. If we decide to have a third, I'll have a home birth because I anticipate that I can't make it to the hospital in time anyway.

I was happy enough to birth in the hospital because I have an excellent supportive doctor and good support from my doula and DH. The first time around, I did want the medical back-up that the hospital provides (there is a NICU there).

ABMomofBBx3

I lost twins at 22 weeks to preterm labour.  The hospital they were born at I feel could have done things much differently.  As a result, I lost trust for the hospital and the staff and felt much safer and more confident in myself, my body and my midwives.  I had a successful home water birth and it was a lovely experience.  For my 3rd delivery, I planned a home birth and it didn't work out (only because my MW had just gotten to the hospital with a woman in labour with her first and didn't know how long she would be. My previous birth was pretty fast and we were scared to deliver the baby potentially on our own..so we went to our MW) and I had to go to the hospital.  My labour was long and hard and I completely believe it's because I didn't want to be there, was not comfortable.  My first labor/birth with the twins was 24hrs..2nd (at home) was just under 6hrs from water breaking to holding baby and my 3rd was 23hrs of (unmedicated) hard labour. Your comfort level plays a huge roll in the speed of your labour/delivery.

abirdd9

I have always known, before I was ever even married and thinking about kids, that I wanted to give birth at home. It just seemed normal to me and the best option. I'm comfortable at home and it's familiar. I'm kind of a homebody by nature and don't like to go to strange places very much. When I did get pregnant with my daughter I knew that I didn't want things done to me in labor. I wanted to be in charge.

After I married my husband and got pregnant with our daughter he had different ideas though. The idea of homebirth terrified him. The idea of the possible chain reaction of interventions that could happen at the hospital terrified me. I found a midwife clinic that delivered at the hospital and went that route.

I got the natural birth I wanted, but there were so many other small details that seem so big to me that weren't right that I'm still no ok with. After delivering in the hospital once, I'll never do it again and DH is on board for the future.

Haley.Beth

I had a hospital labor with my first. What should have been a normal natural birth went south scarily fast when I was bullied into a pitocin drip only four hours after my water broke and contractions never started. It ended up being 22 hours of hard labor in an uncomfortable environment surrounded by unsupportive people. Even after she was born perfect and healthy I was denied skin to skin and my request for delayed cord clamping was ignored because it was "policy." We had to threaten them with kidnapping charges to get her back into our room after she was taken away for three hours for no reason other than they wanted to administer the eye goop and vitamin k after I expressly told them not to. It was a horrible experience overall. 

When I started planning for #2, I knew I wanted to stay as far away from that place as humanly possible. I met with a couple midwives and found one that her ideas of what birth should be resonated with me, as did her own personal experiences with hospital births. I trusted her completely, and the fact she worked with a doctor (yes, a home birth doctor!!) got dh on board. My second labor only lasted 3.5 hours from start to finish. The midwife didn't even make it! I am convinced my first labor would have gone that way as well if I hadn't been in the hospital. I agree with pp that the comfort of the mother is hugely important! Where you are comfortable depends on you, though.

BrideNamedMeg

We had a good hospital labor experience with DD, for the first one I wanted to be in a hospital just in case I wasn't able to handle a natural birth.  Unfortunately, we'd focused all of our energies into preparing and educating ourselves for the birth and didn't give a thought to all the things that happen after.  With DD, she was having slight trouble breathing and even though a special care Dr. evaluated her and felt it would she would be fine, a nurse pressured us incredibly hard to have her admitted to special care and we eventually gave in.  After that it was all IV antibiotics, glucose drips, jaundice, delayed BFing, etc. etc.  It's like the cascade of interventions during birth, but with the baby afterward.  It was awful and all our little girl needed was a good pat on the back (which she got the next morning from a competent nurse).  We ended up being in the hospital with her for 5 or 6 days, then going back for additional tests for weeks after - it was such a nightmare!  

One of the things that still kills me about this experience is my cousin had almost the exact same thing happen with her DS a couple of years ago, but at her hospital they just observed him for a few hours to make sure his oxygen levels rebounded, which of course they did no problem. If we'd only known enough to ask them to just wait before they started on all the craziness it would have made such a difference.

MH was pretty much on board for a homebirth from the get go.  I needed a little more convincing, but ultimately I felt it made sense when I'd already had one relatively easy birth to try again at home with a great midwife.  I though that if something was actually wrong and we had to go to the hospital with the baby it would be our choice, not some nurse shoving her opinions down our throats.  Even though DS's labor was harder than DD's being home was so nice and I would never give birth in a hospital again unless it was a medical necessity.  

mAnYaSha

DS #1 was born in a hospital, it was a nice experience, but I was also bullied into pitocin and offered pain meds after I said I did not want the offer. The best part of the experience was my nurse, she was also MW and was super excited we wanted to have natural birth. She helped us as much as she could, but in the end she had to obey Dr. After birth she gave me her business card and said "You can have your next one at home". I thought she has lost her mind.. I just had a baby, who is thinking about #2 AND I would never have baby at home - where I come from babies are born in the hospital.

Fast forward 3 years: starting to plan #2, still keeping in touch with the nurse, who now has quit the hospital job and is working with 2 other MW in the birth center they own. We toured the birth center because I really wanted MW care. Both DH and I were a bit nervous for all the reasons people choose hospitals, but agreed to go with the birth center. I have been borrowing a lot of books from MW's office, I think it came to me while reading one of Ina May's books. Do I really want to get into a car while in labor and ride across town to the birth center? It stuck with me for a while, so I had a conversation with DH that started with "I know this is crazy, but.." to my surprise he was not completely shocked and opposed. We went over and over it and decided to switch to homebirth.

It was a great experience for us! If we did not plan for a homebirth, we would still have one, but without all the tools and supplies. My labor went really fast, even my midwife could not detect how fast it was going based on how well I could hold phone conversation with her. After my bloody show she told me (I was still unsure it was really go time) she will come check me because she'd rather have a false run than miss the baby. I was pushing by the time she walked through the door and 10 minutes later DS#2 was born. My MIL who was supposed to come watch DS#1 made is 30 min later.

Wishing everyone a beautiful gentle birth, no matter where

:x 

LaurelBee

I had a hospital birth with my first. I was happy with the way things were handled, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized there are tons of things I would've changed. I asked Dh to watch TBoBB with me, but he was still very far from being supportive of a HB with #2. So I compromised and said I'd drop it if he would at least meet with our HB MWs. After our consultation, he whispered "we're totally having a HB." our views on birth were exactly the same, our personalities jived, and I knew the safest and most sacred place for me to be was at home. Dh became an even bigger HB advocate than me after DDs birth! Congrats on choosing your birth place OP! Hope you have a wonderful birth.

hisbeautyalways

I had a bad experience with the hospital for my sons birth. That's probably the main reason. I had a normal, but fast, labor, and it wasn't fast enough for them. I was only at the hospital for a couple hours before my son was born, and they pushed me down a rabbit hole of unnecessary interventions, which led to negative effects on my son, and PPD for me.

MissDemeanor

I would really like to have a HB, but haven't fully decided yet. I don't love the hospital at the best of times, and know of several people who have gotten Terrible infections there. HB seems like it will give me more options and be more comfortable. For example, at the hospital near me, there's only 1 room with a labouring tub in it, so I could be SOL. I still haven't talked DH into it yet though

sthomas1222

I wanted a homebirth the first time around but thankfully hadn't planned on it b/c I ended up high risk with hypertension and GD. This time around I am adamant about a homebirth after our horrible postpartum stay the first time. Hopefully those 2 issues don't present themselves again or aren't as bad this time around

HanaLouise

DH and I chose a homebirth because of our hospital/insurance situation. The only hospital in our area that takes our insurance is an absolutely horrible hospital (one friend that delivered there had a baby who needed oxygen after the birth and they didn't realize until much later that the oxygen mask wasn't plugged into the tank... he is four now and has developmental delays and there are other horror stories like that from the same hospital). Needless to say, we feel much safer at home with a midwife and when we interviewed different midwives I grilled them with some pretty blunt questions! We definitely have a very well-practiced midwife. And if there is an emergency, we won't mind going to the hospital 10min away that our insurance doesn't cover.