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re: "at home labor", how safe is this really, especially

Miss.ModularMiss.Modular member
in 3rd Trimester

regarding the birth story below where the baby's heartrate was dropping due to a cord around the neck.  since she was at home for hours, she had no idea, and this could have ended up quite differently.   i dont get it!

 

 

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Re: re: "at home labor", how safe is this really, especially

  • Georgiagirl2211Georgiagirl2211 member

    Just to make sure it's understood....

     I had no intention of delivering at home.  It was just early labor/waiting for contractions to be close enough together.

     But yes, it scares me to know that had i not gotten to the hospital when I did things could have been much worse.

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  • Sunny1inTucsonSunny1inTucson
    Not in reference to the post below but re: home birth (not early labor) in general, it's not anything I would ever risk. I know some on here are ok with it, but it's not my thing.
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  • MosersGirlMosersGirl
    I want to do early labor at home, but I agree, birthing at home is too risky for my taste.  There are way too many things that can go wrong quickly and risk the life of the mother and/or child.  Definitely not worth it, though the thought of doing it all in the comfort of my own home does sound wonderful. 
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  • mich11680mich11680

    Our lamaze teacher was saying you should stay at home during the early labor until contrations are on a pattern for an hour because you will be more relaxed and comfortable.

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  • Ritzy19Ritzy19 member
    Our birthclass instructor said the same thing Mich.  I thought laboring at home for the first few hours was quite typical.  Women who rush to L&D at the first sign of a contraction are often sent home until labor progresses more.

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  • audge_podgeaudge_podge
    I'll be staying at home till I'm a good 8-9 cm. But, we've also hired a doula (who is almost a CNM - just needs to attend a few more births before she's certified) and she will be bringing her hand held doppler thingy with her to monitor the heart rate so we'll know if there is a problem. She's also a very good friend of my midwife's, so they will be in constant contact and I trust their decision of when they will want to transport me to the hospital.?
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  • AlbanyBride33AlbanyBride33 member
    My MW also recommended staying at home for as long as possible.  They said when women go too early and progress is slow it encourages them to do more interventions when they're really not necessary and could result in complications due to the interventions.
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  • ~CoCo~~CoCo~

    Yeah, my docs and the hosp said we don't even have to call unless/until ctx are 5 mins apart, for an hour. They want you to labor at home for as long as possible.... I am cool w/that.

    As for DELIVERY at home though, hell no.

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  • Good2BdaMommyGood2BdaMommy
    I'm going to do early labor at home, but I would never give birth at home. Home births in and of themselves are not necessarily dangerous, but I don't see why, with all the medical technology available to us today, a mother wouldn't take advantage of it on the off chance something were to go wrong!! It's just as easy--if not easier (no clean up)--to go to the hospital.
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  • brideofaussiebrideofaussie

    imageRitzy19:
    Our birthclass instructor said the same thing Mich.  I thought laboring at home for the first few hours was quite typical.  Women who rush to L&D at the first sign of a contraction are often sent home until labor progresses more.

    Exactly.  All OBs will tell you to stay at home until the contractions are 5 min. apart, 1 min. in duration and they've been going like that for 1 hr.

    Our childbirth instructor said that in the studies they've done, monitoring has not shown to improve outcomes for mother or baby.

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  • piveypivey member
    With Audra on this...Homebirths are not risky if you have had a "normal" pregnancy for the most part. Midwives will bring a doppler and transfer you to a hospital as soon as their is any sign of any issues or problems.
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  • XjunefifthXXjunefifthX

    By no way am I trying to impart my judgment on anyone laboring at home as long as possible, however if I would have gone that route it would have been disastrous. 

    Within an hour of arriving at the hospital they took my BP and it was 214/190.  I was so sick, my organs were shutting down and they were freaking out hoping I wouldn't have a seizure.  

     I had had no signs of pre-eclampsia before and had just had an OB appointment the day before where my BP was fine. 

    If I would have been at home with no monitoring who knows what would have happened?

    Just something to think about.
     

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  • LittleEgyptLittleEgypt

    Given that it's policy at most hospitals to send you home in early labor, I doubt it's at all risky. They are definitely interested in covering their own butts, so they probably wouldn't send you home if they thought there was a chance of anything happening. You could have a placental abruption sitting at home on your couch at 32 weeks, too!

     I think it's silly to be excessively worried. I will probably do a homebirth for my next child, assuming I'm low-risk and no complications.

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  • MillyJMauiDMillyJMauiD

    We hired a doula and I labored at home for the first 12 hours.  My doula was also a monitrice, which means she was taking fetal heart rate with the doppler every 30 minutes, and checking my cervix every couple of hours.  I had a natural childbirth, but it was extremely long, 28 hours!  We headed to the hospital at around 6 cm.  I had considered a home birth, but in the end, I would have been rushed to the hospital.  My baby girl's heart rate started to decel pretty bad at the end, what they call a "crash".  I was minutes away from an emergency c-section.  My doula, who has attended many home births, said at the first sign of a decel, we would have been going straight to the hospital.  It was extremely intense at the end, and I was sure glad to be at the hospital.  My baby was 9 lbs, 4 oz., so needless to say she was a little squished.  Nothing against home births, I was actual born at home.  I think they do not take any chances, at the first sign of trouble, you go straight to the hospital. 

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  • MrsColeMrsCole member

    At my hospital they send you home if your contractions aren't 5 minutes apart, lasting a minute, and have been for an hour (or your water has broken).

    Its totally normal to go through early labor at home.  You could be there forever if you came in at the first sign of a contraction.

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