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Home birth- experiences please!

ChezpotChezpot member
in Natural Birth
Hey all!
I'm planning a home birth (currently 37 + 4) and I haven't really discussed it with many people outside midwives/partner/my mum as when I tried talking to friends they had a really negative response saying it was selfish/what if something went wrong etc.
Does anyone have any experiences of home birth they can share? I'm still planning on it as I don't feel hospital is a place I can relax or facilitied my labour with my daughter, it just mega stressed me out.
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Re: Home birth- experiences please!

  • collegelinck2012collegelinck2012 member
    I had a home birth with my first almost a year ago. I had a certified midwife, and ended up with a great birth experience. I got to labor the way I wanted, lots of moving and such. I also got to eat when I wanted to (breakfast tacos, in the beginning :) ) and give birth in a birth tub. Recovering in my own home with my new baby was wonderful. I will do it again in the future, if there are no complications.

    Good luck on your home birth! If you have any specific questions you can PM me :) 
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  • wifeofadamwifeofadam member
    I've had two and both were wonderful.  Both were also waterbirths.

    With my first HB I went into labor on my due date.  Labor ended up lasting 24 hours (my longest), despite it being my third time.  Baby was posterior, but everything went smoothly.  No tearing and a smooth recovery.

    My second HB was an unplanned unassisted HB because it all happened quickly and my MWs didn't make it in time.  Labor was two hours from start to finish with only about 30 minutes of intensely painful contractions.  Once again, everything went smoothly, there was no tearing and a smooth recovery.  All of kids slept through the birth and woke up just in time to come in, meet their new baby sister, and snuggle in bed with me while we all prayed together for the first time as a family of six.  I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

    My first two babies were hospital births.  One with an epidural and one without.  I had a decent hospital experience with my second child, so I know it is possible to have a natural birth there.  But after having HBs, being in a hospital would never be my first choice.  There is nothing like a HB - so peaceful.


        
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  • SidraJediSidraJedi member
    I'm a FTM. I had a HB last March. I was also the first of three HB for my own mother.

    I loved my labor and birthing experience. The small size of our apt was the only real drawback.

    I wanted a water birth but didn't end up feeling very comfortable in the tub.

    It was just me, DH and the two MW (and eventually DD) it lasted just under 12 hours. I had a third degree tear but it was small. The MW had forgotten her sutures but came back later that day and sewed me up. NBD. There was a worry from the MW about shoulder dystocia (she was prepared to do the Gaskin maneuver so DH couldn't "catch") but DD came flying out head and shoulders at the same time. The cord was around her neck but it hadn't tightened to bother her and was remedied promptly by the MW on arrival. DD had apparently gotten a little stuck while turning during labor b/c there was a spot on her soft head where my pelvic bone had left a lump (it went away by our follow up). Her apgar was 10/10.

    She latched and nursed right away. It was lovely to have her born right at home and all settled in and not be in a strange place with folks pestering us every hour or so. It was also very impowering to go through a HB for DH and I as parents.

    We hope to have a HB the next go around too!
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  • Verstej2Verstej2 member
    I had a HB with my second and I loved it. My midwives brought everything we could need to my home so it is just as safe as having a birth in a low risk birthing centre. They had iv, fluids, meds to stop bleeding if required and all the baby oxygen supplies etc. I am in Canada though (Ontario) and the standards can vary quite a bit between provinces and states as far as I am aware. This time around I have a student midwife as well as my regular one who is actually a certified midwife from Texas but her certification does not allow her to practice here in Ontario where there are quite different standards. She has to complete another couple years of training before she is allowed to practice here as a certified midwife. 

    I had a birthing tub but the policy is that there must be two fully certified midwives attending in order to actually have a water birth and everything happened so fast the second midwife only made it at the very very end. The whole labour only lasted 65 minutes from start to finish so there wasn't much time. I was fine with getting out of the tub to deliver though. I am excited to be planning another HB for this June! 

    Good luck with your own plans and I am sure everything will go smoothly! As a PP mentioned, don't listen to negativity. Just do your own research and make sure you are comfortable with your own choices. Most of the time I suspect the negativity from others comes from a lack of understanding and knowledge about HB.
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    Tristan Phillip - 2 wks
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  • ChezpotChezpot member
    Thanks a lot for all your experiences, it sounds very much like what I want. I'm actually in the uk and the only drawback is because it's a national health service, it's community midwives so no way of knowing if I will get the midwife I've had all along on the day just depends who is on call.
    Verstej I suspect you are right and it is a lack of understanding cause and effect; ie that there's less chance if
    Something serious going wrong as you are in your own environment etc but I just wish people would educate themselves before impressing their opinions on others
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  • Verstej2Verstej2 member
    Chezpot said:
    Thanks a lot for all your experiences, it sounds very much like what I want. I'm actually in the uk and the only drawback is because it's a national health service, it's community midwives so no way of knowing if I will get the midwife I've had all along on the day just depends who is on call. Verstej I suspect you are right and it is a lack of understanding cause and effect; ie that there's less chance if Something serious going wrong as you are in your own environment etc but I just wish people would educate themselves before impressing their opinions on others
    Have you come across the HB UK site? You can probably google it. It has a horrible bluish background but it does have hundreds of positive home birth stories from around the world but mostly from the UK. Might give you some great ideas about home birth in the UK and be super inspirational. I read a lot of them before my son was born. They are very realistic and not all of them end up with the birth they planned but most of them do and I found most of the stories to be uplifting and informative. If I remember correctly most of the women in the UK had access to gas as a form of pain management as well (which is not the case here for a HB but is available for hospital births and rarely I think at any birth in the US). Just something else to think about. Hope it helps!
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    Tristan Phillip - 2 wks
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  • ChezpotChezpot member
    Yeah I have been on that website- I know which one you mean on account of the terrible background and formatting, it's not awfully slick!! I think I have allowed myself to be spooked by negative responses from others which is wrong; I've researched the idea thoroughly but it's quite upsetting when people basically accuse you of putting your baby in danger for selfish reasons :( yes I have gas and air in the house now as I'm 38 weeks tomorrow and gearing up for him arriving any day. I will be sure to share my experience with you all and thanks for sharing yours with me, it's nice to hear scenarios that sound similar to what I have in mind. Hopefully it will be how it
    Is for me :)
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  • Luv2Run1stLuv2Run1st member
    collegelinck2012 said:

    I had a home birth with my first almost a year ago. I had a certified midwife, and ended up with a great birth experience. I got to labor the way I wanted, lots of moving and such. I also got to eat when I wanted to (breakfast tacos, in the beginning :) ) and give birth in a birth tub. Recovering in my own home with my new baby was wonderful. I will do it again in the future, if there are no complications.


    Good luck on your home birth! If you have any specific questions you can PM me :) 
    This was my experience too. Had hospital birth for first and would never do that again. Home birth felt so right and just like another day. It was amazing to sleep in my own bed with my husband and baby next to me and shower with my husband the next morning. All things that you don't get in a hospital.
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  • tiggernorton04tiggernorton04 member
    Just wanted to say that I am also going to have a homebirth with this baby! Also 38 weeks tomorrow! My first DD was born in the hospital. It wasn't a bad experience per se but I know I want a different experience this time and I have done my research! While I haven't had a homebirth myself, I have friends who have and they all loved it! I also belong to a local FB group for homebirth which has become a great resource! Maybe you can find sonething similar in the UK? Good luck!!!
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  • kali55kali55 member
    I had a homebirth with my son and it was an awesome experience.  I have had friends say ridiculous things like "I wouldn't be comfortable putting my babies lives in danger like that" but I don't see it that way.  I think you should be able to give birth where you feel most comfortable, but I was always aware that if my labor and birth had any issues that I would be transferring to a hospital, so I was prepared for that.  


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