Home birth or Birth Center Mamas?

TrendyTina

I'm planning to deliver at a birth center (my first was a hospital birth and I'm looking for a different experience this time). Anyone else planning to deliver out of the hospital? 

carolineeeeeeee

I am! We met with our midwife for the first time on Thursday and it was such a great experience. Really looking forward to future visits and having her be our prenatal/birth care provider.

Miles2Go

Me too! I delivered at a hospital last time. Was supposed to be at a freestanding birth center, but risked out because I was 42 weeks. Still was able to deliver with my midwife, though, and had a great experience. I have meetings set up with two different home birth midwives. If I don't go for a home birth, I'll definitely be back in the birthing center.

Kate070

There's a hospital about a mile from my place that actually contains a midwife-run birth center; I'll be going there

cjags

I might do a homebirth. We planned one last time but I wasn't able to due to high blood pressure. Definitely using a midwife either way. We don't have birth centres here, or I would go that route for sure.

Chellbell20

I had a hospital birth last time and am also looking for a different option this time. We are planning a homebirth. We meet with a MW from the homebirth center last spring and start my care with them in early October. So excited to start this journey.

jschwind22

I personally could not handle the risks of a home birth and not being close to medical stuff in the event it was needed. I don't think my community has a birth center.  I think I'm stuck with a hospital. 

Miggg

This is my first but I'm really interested in doing a birthing center birth. There's a great place about a half mile from my house that we're touring this week. It looks like such an amazing, homey place to deliver so I really hope it works out!

Lindseykaz

I'll either be doing a homebirth or at a birthing center with this baby. My first LO was at a practice with midwives, but at that time our insurance only covered birth at the hospital since that's where my DH worked. 

Miggg

savannah_girl said:

Home birth scare me to be honest. A birthing center would be my choice.

Same here. I love the idea of a natural, homey birth but doing it at home is a little too scary of a thought for me so I feel like a birthing center is a happy medium.

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Crab218

I will hopefully be delivering at a place like @kate070 (any chance you are from Ohio?). My daughter was a c-section, so obviously at a hospital. I'm hoping for a vbac this time though.

Kate070

Crab218 said:

I will hopefully be delivering at a place like @kate070 (any chance you are from Ohio?). My daughter was a c-section, so obviously at a hospital. I'm hoping for a vbac this time though.

...Actually, yes I am...

Crab218

No way! How crazy, I was just throwing it out there since I haven't heard of such a place before. Pretty sure we will be delivering at the same place!

kkreid20

I had my first at home. BEST EXPERIANCE EVER!!!! I loved my midwife and home birth. All expecting moms should watch the documentery "the business of being born" and read "your best birth"... These will help you decide whats best for you and your baby!!!

Empireceo

I'm planning/hoping for a home birth. My hospital experience was less than awesome and we just bought a house built in 1814. I know this baby won't be the first one born in this home and there's something cool about that to me.

Miggg

kkreid20 said:

I had my first at home. BEST EXPERIANCE EVER!!!! I loved my midwife and home birth. All expecting moms should watch the documentery "the business of being born" and read "your best birth"... These will help you decide whats best for you and your baby!!!

Actually watching TBoBB is one of the triggers that lead to my interest in a natural birth, it's really thought-provoking. If I deliver my first successfully at a birth center I'd definitely consider a home birth for #2.

mrsbtobe20122

Miggg said:

kkreid20 said:

I had my first at home. BEST EXPERIANCE EVER!!!! I loved my midwife and home birth. All expecting moms should watch the documentery "the business of being born" and read "your best birth"... These will help you decide whats best for you and your baby!!!

Actually watching TBoBB is one of the triggers that lead to my interest in a natural birth, it's really thought-provoking. If I deliver my first successfully at a birth center I'd definitely consider a home birth for #2.

The Business of Being Born is very one sided against hospital bith. It also shows an arguement that each side villainizes the other... Hospitals work hand in hand with midwives and cannot make you do anything you don't want to do, that is assault. The "documentary" really gets me going....

bostongrl23

While I agree that TBoBB is a little one-sided, I don't agree that hospitals can't make you do something you don't want.

There are hospitals near me that have all sorts of "rules" ... one will not work with midwives, one will not allow vbacs (and they have a 47% c-section rate), another will only allow you to push laying flat on your back.

 I looked into every hospital within a 30 mile radius (I live near Boston, so imagine how many hospitals we have!), and we have ultimately made the decision to birth at a birth center. The BC is on hospital grounds, so god forbid something were to go wrong, we can be in an OR in under 4 mintues. Which is faster than if I was laboring in the hospital and needed a c-section.

I think each mama should do her own research before making any decisions about this, only you can know the kind of birth that you want to have, and then make your decision from there.

I would love to have a home birth, but my husband doesn'thandle blood and bodily fluids very well, so we are better off at the center

Chellbell20

bostongrl23 said:

While I agree that TBoBB is a little one-sided, I don't agree that hospitals can't make you do something you don't want. 

Hospitals also don't always tell you everything they are doing to you.  Apparently it is standard practice were I delivered to get pit after birth.  I didn't know this, and in the hecticness after birth, it was given to me without my knowledge.  I literally didn't know they put it in my IV until I called after seeing it on my itemized bill.  I totally understand that it is standard in most hospitals, but it bothered me that I was not even told what I had been given. 

Each person does need to decide for themselves what they think is best for them.  Some of that depends on what home birth, birth center, or hospital care is available.  I literally looked at every hospital, OB, MW, etc within a 50 mile radius.  I looked at policies and stats, and talked to a few places to get a better feel for how they practice before deciding what I did.