Switching to home birth at 26 weeks?
elle_bee
member
Hi Ladies,
Sorry this is a bit long, I could really use some adivce here . . . I'm 26 weeks with my third baby and am currently working with midwives affiliated with a very well-respected hospital in LA (we just relocated here about nine months ago). I had natural births with my first two DDs in a hospital and for this one, I considered initially a home birth but ended up deciding to go the midwife/hospital route instead.
Given that we just moved, I hadn't been to this hospital before. However, yesterday I was having some cramping/contractions all afternoon (I knew I was probably just dehydrated and tired from chasing around my girls) but I called the midwife on call and she told me to go to the hospital to get checked just to be safe. Basically I had a really bad experience there and I am now having some serious reservations about making the min 45 minute drive there in 3 months and laboring/giving birth in that environment. Because we are so far away and my first two were relatively fast labors, I don't think I could stay at home as long as possible. Which means I could end up having to labor in the hospital, something I didn't really have to do with my first two. Given that this is my third, that possibility feels like a big setback to me.
There is really no medical reason/need for me to go to a hospital to give birth (I am low-risk, no complications), except for that chance that something goes wrong (which is DHs main hesitation about home birth), it's nice to know you are in a hospital. I'm now considering switching to a home-birth midwife as there are so many compelling reasons to me to just stay home, but I'm still a little hesitant about the idea.
So here is my question . . . for those of you who have had or are having a homebirth, do you or did you ever have any reservations? If so, what were they? What else should I be considering in making this decision? Do I just have to take a leap of faith here?
Would really appreciate the thoughts from all of you home-birth mommas . . . TIA for your advice!
Re: Switching to home birth at 26 weeks?
I never had any reservations, but my H certainly did, and still does sometimes. Basically, I asked him to just follow the evidence and do what would be best for our baby and me.
For our situation, that means home. The two hospitals here both have 45% section rates. I've had an uncomplicated vaginal birth before, so barring a seriously malpositioned baby, I know I can do it. I'm seeing a chiropractor and staying active to encourage good positioning.
Furthermore, the studies show that homebirth is at least as safe, in some cases safer, than hospital birth with an OB provided mom and baby are low-risk, which we are. Given all the complications that can come with a section, I honestly feel that we are safer at home than in a hospital where I have a 50-50 shot at coming out with a hole in my abdomen, likely for no good reason.
In the end, you have to follow the evidence about what will be best for your situation. Driving that far just to be in an environment that makes you feel threatened doesn't seem logical to me. That feeling of imminent threat is not conducive to labor and if you can safely stay home with a well-trained provider, it sounds like you'd be better off.
What are your other options? Is there another hospital you'd consider? Are there standalone birthing centers near you? If complications were to arise during your home birth, where would you transfer, how far is that hospital and what is its reputation for mother/baby friendliness?
I wanted a birthing center birth and those were all things I considered.
Thanks for your response, i totally agree that well respected doesn't mean NB friendly. I think the hospital itself is neutral, and the midwife group is obviously very NB friendly, but they are affiliated with this hospital and have to go by hospital rules at the end of the day. There are free standing birth center options but I'd rather just be home because I'd still have to deal with a drive and it isn't necessarily closer to Any hospitals than my house if I ever needed it. If I transferred the hospital is like 10 mins from me ... I haven't checked the NB friendliness of that hosp yet, will look into that.
Thank you I totally agree with this. I think if my DH wasn't hesitant I wouldn't really have reservations at all either. It also doesn't help that I don't know anyone personally who has done this. It's great to hear from others who have done this and have had positive experiences.
I switched over to a home birth midwife at 29 weeks last pregnancy. I had a friend who fired her OB at 38 weeks and switched to a home birth midwife at 39 weeks (had the baby at 41).
One of my main reasons for doing a home birth is because I was low risk and midwives are very attentive. If they think you need to go to the hospital for some reason, there should be plenty of time and no waiting to see if things get better. The best midwives will lay out all your options to help you in your decision making.
Hey there! Welcome to LA! I'm a transplant here too, will be 5 years this summer.
I switched to a home birth midwifery at 28 weeks, so I don't think it is too late if you are worried about that. Check out the Home Birth Service of LA, if you're looking for a recommendation- both of the midwives are really great. And they do have a list of back-up doctors that you can chose from so if a transfer was necessary, it would be to someone who has seen you at least once before and is aware and supportive of your plans for a natural birth.
This is my first, so I haven't actually had the home birth yet, but it has been my plan. I didn't really have any concerns but Spouse did. After watching the Business of Being Born (documentary on Netflix) and doing his own research, he realized that it really is a safe, viable option. If you haven't seen the documentary before, I'd highly recommend it.
Feel free to send me a pm if you want to chat with another local!
1. I think the only thing I would change about my first labor is not worrying about getting to the hospital. Imagine! I don't even have to move if I don't feel like it.
2. My first labor was 5 hours total. A potentially faster labor means this one will just fall out?
3. Easier time accomodating lo1 w/out easily available family.
I was curious last time but I have a clue what my body might do this time and we're taking the leap.
I think meeting with her will alleviate a lot of DH's reservations. It did so for my DH when we switched at 26 weeks as well. I didn't want to dismiss or ignore worries he had - I wanted us to work through them - he needed to be fully on board for us to proceed.