- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Natural Birth
Convince me to have a home birth....
Hey everyone! Here is my situation. I am having my first child and I'm planning a completely natural birth with a midwife. I had only been looking at birth centers and had not considered a home birth. I know most people choose to not do a home birth because of fears of the "danger" involved, this is not the case for me. My main reason for not considering it is that I feel like I will be running around while in active labor trying to clean my house and make it "presentable for the company". I also feel like a water birth will be easier at a birth center since they already have large tubs and we wouldn't have to rent one and then deal with the set up and take down.
The reason I am not considering it is because a birth center would cost us about $2,000 out of pocket while a home birth would cost about $1,000. I know cost shouldn't be a factor, but when I consider I would be getting pretty close to the same services I think it's something to think about.
What do you guys think?
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Convince me to have a home birth....
I agree with the PP about choosing the place you'll feel most relaxed. Only you know yourself and your personality. I can't imagine you caring much about "company" after a certain point in labor (you're talking about your birth team, like mw's right? by then you'll know them well and may not think of them as company). In early labor, it's fine to putter around tidying or doing light housework, if that's what sounds good to you. After a certain point of labor I suspect you just won't care and will be focusing on laboring. But if you think it's going to stress you out to have people in your space, then maybe the birth center would be a better choice for you.
Re the birth tubs, from what I've heard around here, the person you rent it from will come in and set it up for you, as well as come back to handle clean-up/takedown. So maybe something to understand where you are before you go making that a factor.
As others have said, it's all about the place of comfort. I am hours or days away from my second homebirth and this is certainly my place of comfort. Would my nesting, cleaning instincts be less if I were going to a birth center? Maybe. However, I tend to be tidy and am just happier in a clean environment. Your personality will affect how you feel about cleanliness. I vacuumed and folded clothes in early labor last time. I had/have a little list of stuff I want completed before going to bed every night (dishes, laundry, and clutter put away; pet hair swept). My husband helps to make sure it's all done if I'm too tired. If it's a stressful thing for you, consider that and release yourself from that stress. But it also can be a good exercise in letting go...nursing your babe and getting as much sleep as you can will be your full-time job for the first 1-2 months, so your home may not ever be as clean again. Also, your midwives will probably do an amazing job of cleaning up afterwards. Mine started up the laundry of towels and sheets before leaving; I've heard of doulas doing dishes, too.
Our midwife loans out a birth tub. It is a bit of a hassle but for us not a factor to change location. My husband kind of likes having the responsibility and busy job of setting it up and taking it down. He's a do'er and it calmed him to have something tangible to do. I don't even have ANY memory of the draining and putting away. I was tucked into bed with my babe oblivious to the outside for a couple of days!
I agree with everyone else.. Wherever you think you will be the most relaxed... I did a home birth and I actually wasnt worried about my house at all!! MY DH on the other hand! Haha when I told him to call our MW that it was time he called her and she said she would be over after she had dinner. He started cleaning up the house,taking out the trash it was pretty funny to watch him act that way while I sat in the living room on my birthing ball!!
At one point he was carrying our big TV that stays in our room and he was putting it in the closet.. I said what are you doing!! He said It just takes up to much room in the bedroom im putting it away for now!!
I laughed so hard!!
I was going to say the same thing as pp that whatever environment you will find most relaxing is the most important thing.
I find hospitals super relaxing and so that was always going to be the best option for me.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
I'm not going to try to convince you one way or another. I will tell you how I came to my decision, though.
I had originally planned on delivering at a birth center (probably the same one you looked into, the new one in St Paul). It's gorgeous and the midwives are very nice. But the cost is nearly $5,000. I don't have insurance and that's a huge chunk OOP.
I kept looking around and found a home birth midwife in St Paul that will travel to my home in Elk River. And I love her so much more than the first group I met with. And she's only $3,000. Much easier to swallow.
Although my initial reason was cost, I feel very comfortable knowing that I don't have to rush to a birth center (in a possible snowstorm) while I'm in labor. I feel comfortable in my home, with my stuff, my food, my kitchen, my bed.
I'm also planning a water birth and my midwife rents out birth tubs (cheap ones and fancier models). She comes out and drops it off and shows us how to set it up at 37 weeks, then takes it apart and takes it back after the birth. She cleans up everything and I don't have to go anywhere.
I know my reasons may not be inline with yours and as I said, I'm not trying to convince you, but that is how I feel and how I reached my decision. Good luck to you.
Could not agree more. I live in Chicago, and winters here can be VERY unpredictable. The birth center we liked was 50 minutes away without traffic in the summertime; that would likely double in January!!! Whereas my midwife lives only 15 minutes away, and we can stay inside all warm and cozy as labor begins.
The comforts of home are priceless, too!
I went back and fourth a lot in my decision to homebirth. Before I got pregnant I really wanted to HB, but after my BFP I read a horror story and got cold feet. I went back to my original midwives and was planning a hospital birth. Then I got info from my midwives on a birth center that I thought had closed and I was SO excited about it. I really wanted to do the birth center and felt that would be the best of both worlds, unfortunately, the information they had given me was out of date and the birth center was not open. The closest one to me now is over an hour away and I wasn't willing to drive that far in labor.
Then I started having nightmares about being forced into a c-section at the hospital, having my baby taken away from me, not being able to BF, etc. I had a pretty good birth experience with me first, but after the delivery she was put into special care (unnecessarily) and then it took us 5 days to finally get out of the hospital, I didn't want that to happen again.
At 25 weeks, I met with a homebirth midwife and instantly felt comfortable with her and my decision. I worry a little bit about keeping our house clean, but I think my nesting instincts will kick in so it shouldn't be a problem
It's all about doing what's most comfortable for you. I don't think I could comfortably give birth in a hospital again knowing what might happen after. At home, we'll have much more control and if the baby does need to go to the hospital it'll be our choice, not some nurse pushing it down our throats.