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Natural Birth
Robi1
member
Home birth vs. Birth Center
Robi1
member
I'm interested in home birth, but also in birth centers.
Pros of home birth for me are obviously not having to travel, and being in my own comfortable environment.
Birth center has a birth tub which I'm potentially interested in. The birth center is also right next to a hospital where the midwives have privileges, and the hospital nearer my home would not offer that in the event of transfer. Birth center is 30 minutes away.
I think I'm leaning toward birth center, especially for the first baby, but I'd love to hear from moms who did one or the other or both. Did you do something different for first baby vs. subsequent children? What are other pros/cons of each type that I'm not considering?
#1 7/2013
#2 3/2015
#3 3/2017
#4 10/2019
#2 3/2015
#3 3/2017
#4 10/2019
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Home birth vs. Birth Center
My husband felt much better about the idea of a birth center so that's what we went with. He felt like he would always be worried about the worst case scenario if we were at home, but at the birth center he felt he could trust them and focus more on me.
Our birth center is also 30 min away, it wasn't a big deal for me.
Another thing to think about is your appointments. Do you mind driving to the birth center regularly for appointments? They will be once/week at the end.
I labored and delivered at a major hospital in Boston. I ended up with an all natural birth but I had some issues with blood pressure during labor that made them think I had pre-E and so I was treated with magnesium after labor. I'm glad I was in the hospital for that reason. I think if we have another baby I might look into a birth center.
After going through labor and delivery I don't think I'd want to do it at home. Having a baby is MESSY business an I just don't think I'd want to worry about doing that at home...lots of fluid, blood, and I pooped a lot during pushing. I know you can put stuff on the bed, but I was moving all over and leaking amniotic fluid and blood all over the room, bed, bathroom...I just wouldn't want to be worrying about ruining our floors or the dog getting into it. But that is just me :-)
Yeah, this is what I'm planning to do - visit the Birth center first and see how I feel about it. The midwives at the birth center don't do home births, but there's another home birth center in the area that has midwives who do HBs so I guess it'll also depend on how much I like the midwives at both places.
There's really no good place to put a birth tub in our apartment, and I don't really want to worry about hooking it up and filling it, etc.
About the mess factor - I've heard from some moms that their labors were very messy and others that weren't at all, so I guess it's hit or miss. Definitely another reason to lean toward the birth center.
#2 3/2015
#3 3/2017
#4 10/2019
We did a natural hospital birth with a midwife and doula for our first, and a homebirth with a midwife and doula for our second.
There was really no mess with the homebirth, not that I had to deal with anyway! I birthed in the tub so it was all contained, DH did have to drain it but it doesn't sound like that was a big deal. My water broke the night before, and I just wore adult diapers while I labored to catch any fluids. The midwives made us breakfast and left the place clean. It sure was nice not to have to travel while in labor or right after birth. Just had my baby, ate breakfast, and was tucked in to bed.
I guess one factor that hasn't been mentioned is that in your own home there will not be many new germs that you and your baby aren't already acclimated to, whereas if you birth elsewhere you have that factor. For some reason, I think of a birth center as not being as germy as a hospital, although I'm sure that the hospital is not keeping sick people right next to L&D.
I had my first two at a birth center, mostly because my DH was more comfortable with it than a home birth, but also because it seemed like less preparation for me and there's a jacuzzi tub already there. However, I like the idea of a home birth for my third because so many people have told me that the third baby comes quickly, and my first were already pretty fast. Also, if I go into labor in the middle of the night, it would be nice to be at home and let my older kids sleep, rather than having to get them up and schlep them to a neighbor's house.
Either way, I'm sure it will be a great experience for you!
My HB MW took cleaned everything (disassembled the birthing tub, mopped up the floors, and even did two loads of laundry). She tucked H, LO and myself into bed and she took care of ALL the clean up while we rested as a family. I *think* most HB MWs do this.
This was my first baby and if H and I decide to have any more we'd definitely choose HB again, in a heartbeat. I wouldn't have it any other way. I never even considered a BC or hospital. I wanted to be able to move around my own house, labor and deliver in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Being surrounded by what was familiar to me (wedding pictures, my dog, etc.) is what brought on those totally relaxed feelings and made my labor such a great experience. The closest hospital to us was 35 minutes away. I know some people are scared of delivering at home for fear that something could go wrong. If being home causes you any type of worry, then a BC is probably the right option for you. Decide what is most comfortable for you and go for it! GL!We see a CPM who offers HB or birth in a new, gorgeous freestanding center birth. Both offer the exact same (minimal) technology and are the same distance from a hospital (though to be honest, their emergency transfer rate is so low that doesn't really factor in that much for me, personally).
We chose center because it seems to be the more relaxing enviornment: bigger bedrooms, decorated specifically to be relaxing, huge labor tubs. At home, space is tight and though our bedroom is relaxing, I thought I would feel pressure to keep everything very tidy. Plus, the whole pool setup thing seemed like a pain. Also, we had to provide a birth supply kit at home and not at the center. While that is only $50-$100, it was just one more thing to do. We have to have someone as the point-person (other than DH) for DS in either location, even if he attends the birth. I am not thrilled about the in-labor drive there and then home a few hours after the birth, but we had to settle on one way or the other.
For us, it was comparing a good setting with a good setting so it came down to which would be most relaxing. Personally, it it was home with a CPM or birth center with a CNM, I would choose the CPM/home but I recognize that I probably have just not ever met a CNM would is the right fit for me.
More Green For Less Green
I'm planning on having a waterbirth at home for this baby. This will be our second baby, my son was born in the hospital.
Seeing as I've experienced both the hospital and the midwife end of things, I hands down would choose the midwife every single time! It has never been about safety for me, because midwives actually have a ridiculous amount of training and they bring emergency supplies to your home for the birth. Where I live, they even alert the local paramedics that there will be a homebirth in your area and provide them with all my information in case a transfer is needed. There really isn't a lot of "mess" associated with birth. It's really rare for you to have more mess then ONE of those square pads can handle, and in most cases a midwife will clean up everything while you get to know your new baby.
I'm renting a birthing tub, and just buying a new liner to go inside it for sanitary purposes. The homebirth supply list isn't that complicated or expensive. It makes me feel so comfortable and relaxed to think that I won't have to go anywhere when labor starts! I'm looking forward to getting into my own warm pj's in my own warm bed with my husband and new baby after everything is said and done!
That's exactly what I think of when considering a home birth, I feel that I would be making my house dirty. Then I would be stressing about cleaning it up instead focusing on labor. I would like to go to a birth center.