Anyone else planning a natural birth (hospital, birthing center or home)?

stahlop · December 2014

We've done home birth with our last two and are planning one again this time.

tayloml4 · December 2014

I wish I had a choice. Unfortunately in my state it is illegal to have a home birth. Hoping to find a local hospital that will facilitate something close to a natural water bath birth. Or I might be driving 4 hours away.

piedpiper07 · December 2014

I think I will give it a go again. I did a natural hospital birth last time, and I think I will try it again. Not being rigid though because any number of things (like no sleep all night, or pitocin) could potentially change my mind, and I am ok with that.

That being said, I found the experience very empowering, so I would like to do it again.

incir · December 2014

I'd like to. My son had complications that led to a medically necessary c-section, but my plan was to go natural. I deliver with a group of hospital based midwives who are very natural birth friendly. If possible I'd like to, but I have first hand experience that you have to be flexible with your plans.

JoMunson · December 2014

There are no Certified Nurse Midwives doing home birth in my town so right now we're planning an all natural birth at a birth center.

myfriendscallmemeg · December 2014

kcebeling · December 2014

Another home birth...wow. You're really brave. I'm much too frightened that the lack of monitoring and support could leave my baby brain-damaged. Is your HCP a CNM?

MarathonHiker · December 2014

Can we maybe refrain from using the word "natural"? I think all births are natural. Maybe "med free" is the better choice of words?

But I do hope to go med free. More power to you all doing a home birth! My MIL had home births. They aren't for me, though. I'm too nervous for that. And there are no birthing centers here. But I would love to go med free if I can. If I can't, I can't.... and that will be OK too. But I'll try my hardest.

TessyMessy · December 2014

I would love to have a natural childbirth again. I did with my first two and the experiences were wildly different. Here's hoping the third just kind of slides right out!

I plan to deliver at the hospital again. I think its super important to have good support with you if you plan a natural hospital birth. The first time around they kept pushing an epidural on me. The second time I had a nurse that just transitioned from a birth center and she was SUPER supportive and never mentioned an epidural. This time I will likely have a doula.

trudytudy · December 2014

I plan to have a med free hospital birth without a doula again. My first birth was overall a good experience and luckily my labor was fast. Plus I was scared of the epidural.

Jenkayb · December 2014

Nope.

panaricana · December 2014

I was hoping for something like this vid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02gxCpbpFFA ... but, I found out the hard way after a couple days of trying with kid1 that I don't dilate, so c-sections are my thing. *sigh* Kid2 picked her delivery date, and for kid3 I was told that I could pick it myself. It seems 'convenient', but at the same time so wrong to not let the kid decide when it's ready to come ... I dunno. I'm still on the fence about it.

WSatisfiedP · December 2014

I wanted a med-free birth last time and required an emergency c-section, or I would have had a stroke. So I'm giving up preconceived notions of what birthing will be, and realize it just will be what it is.

MrsCamo · December 2014

I would really like to have a med free hospital birth. In our area, there are no birthing centers or even midwives/doulas. So hopefully between my H and I we can stay strong in encouraging my wishes.

stahlop · December 2014

kcebeling said:
Another home birth...wow. You're really brave. I'm much too frightened that the lack of monitoring and support could leave my baby brain-damaged. Is your HCP a CNM?

There is still monitoring, just not continuous. They use the Doppler to check the heartbeat about once an hour (more when in the pushing phase). A good midwife can see when a baby is in trouble early enough to get mommy and baby to the hospital if need be. My midwife is not a CNM. They are not allowed to do home births in my state, only hospital births. We do have very strict rules and regulations thought the state health department though for our midwives.

brinbri · December 2014

I had planned to do med-free with my first and ended up with an epidural. With my second I labored at home for a long time and had her within 2 hours of checking in to the hospital, so there was no time to even consider it, which was perfect. I am hoping things go the same way with the third.

MarathonHiker · December 2014

TessyMessy said:

This time I will likely have a doula.

I'm considering this, also

kcebeling · December 2014

stahlop said:

Another home birth...wow. You're really brave. I'm much too frightened that the lack of monitoring and support could leave my baby brain-damaged. Is your HCP a CNM?
There is still monitoring, just not continuous. They use the Doppler to check the heartbeat about once an hour (more when in the pushing phase). A good midwife can see when a baby is in trouble early enough to get mommy and baby to the hospital if need be. My midwife is not a CNM. They are not allowed to do home births in my state, only hospital births. We do have very strict rules and regulations thought the state health department though for our midwives.

First-hand accounts like this don't make you second guess the advice your midwife is giving you?https://www.skepticalob.com/2014/07/an-insiders-chilling-view-of-homebirth-midwifery.html

+lisamarie+ · December 2014

I have had 2 all natural deliveries, one in a regular hospital, the other in a birth center. I loved the birth center, but have always longed for a home birth. Unfortunately, there isn't a midwife within 4 hours of my house that delivers at home. I am a few miles from Va, where there are many, but will not come down into Nc. Really stinks, but I'm not giving up my search!!!

jezygal · December 2014

I want to do a homebirth, but I'm not sure our insurance will cooperate. If we can't do a homebirth then will definitely chose a birthing center over a hospital.

melsner · December 2014

I am planning a home birth. Hospitals aren't my jam. Call me crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, obviously I won't trip if it turns out I am high risk or for some other reason need a hospital. That's what they are there for.

andbabymakessix · December 2014

I'm hoping to have another med free birth in a hospital. I delivered my 3 kids with a group that has 4 OBs and a midwife. I was exclusively seeing the midwife for my last two and had great med free/intervention free births in the hospital. My midwife is no longer doing hospital deliveries (BOO!) although she is still with that practice, so I will see her for my prenatal care and have an OB for delivery.

SummerOH · December 2014

I had meds in a hospital and I still consider my births natural. That word irritates me. After seeing several loved ones have problems that required immediate medical intervention, myself included, there's no way I'd risk it. There's no doubt in my mind that my son and my sister and nephew would've died had we not been at a hospital.

MarathonHiker · December 2014

kcebeling said:

stahlop said:

Another home birth...wow. You're really brave. I'm much too frightened that the lack of monitoring and support could leave my baby brain-damaged. Is your HCP a CNM?
There is still monitoring, just not continuous. They use the Doppler to check the heartbeat about once an hour (more when in the pushing phase). A good midwife can see when a baby is in trouble early enough to get mommy and baby to the hospital if need be. My midwife is not a CNM. They are not allowed to do home births in my state, only hospital births. We do have very strict rules and regulations thought the state health department though for our midwives.

First-hand accounts like this don't make you second guess the advice your midwife is giving you?https://www.skepticalob.com/2014/07/an-insiders-chilling-view-of-homebirth-midwifery.html

Yikes.

But I would take something like that with a grain of salt. It seems that midwife she used to work with just kinda.... sucked. You can have doctors and OB's that aren't the best, either. She sounded clueless. If you do your research and find someone you trust, I'm sure the experience is nothing like the woman in that article who delivered babies at home.

It's still not for me- my husband works in the medical field. I get first hand stories and these things tend to stick with me. BUT I believe a home birth can be perfectly safe if done on a low-risk woman, done with a good midwife and done properly.

TessyMessy · December 2014

SummerOH said:

I had meds in a hospital and I still consider my births natural. That word irritates me. After seeing several loved ones have problems that required immediate medical intervention, myself included, there's no way I'd risk it. There's no doubt in my mind that my son and my sister and nephew would've died had we not been at a hospital.

This is a good point. Natural childbirth means different things to different people. I don't judge how a woman chooses to labor and deliver her child. As long as mom and baby are well cared for and safe.

I would also like to point out that its important to remain flexible with your birthing plan because the baby really gets to call the shots. I was very blessed to have to have two births without much interventions. But I know #3 could be a totally different story.

myfriendscallmemeg · December 2014

MarathonHiker said:

kcebeling said:

stahlop said:

kcebeling said:
Another home birth...wow. You're really brave. I'm much too frightened that the lack of monitoring and support could leave my baby brain-damaged. Is your HCP a CNM?
There is still monitoring, just not continuous. They use the Doppler to check the heartbeat about once an hour (more when in the pushing phase). A good midwife can see when a baby is in trouble early enough to get mommy and baby to the hospital if need be. My midwife is not a CNM. They are not allowed to do home births in my state, only hospital births. We do have very strict rules and regulations thought the state health department though for our midwives.

First-hand accounts like this don't make you second guess the advice your midwife is giving you?https://www.skepticalob.com/2014/07/an-insiders-chilling-view-of-homebirth-midwifery.html

Yikes.

But I would take something like that with a grain of salt. It seems that midwife she used to work with just kinda.... sucked. You can have doctors and OB's that aren't the best, either. She sounded clueless. If you do your research and find someone you trust, I'm sure the experience is nothing like the woman in that article who delivered babies at home.

It's still not for me- my husband works in the medical field. I get first hand stories and these things tend to stick with me. BUT I believe a home birth can be perfectly safe if done on a low-risk woman, done with a good midwife and done properly.

This. If the woman has been receiving prenatal care and has a low risk pregnancy then she should go for it and have whatever kind of delivery she wants.

Med-free birth just isn't my jam. My mom is a CNM, and my sister delivered her babies with midwives. I prefer to be in the hospital with all of the drugs.

My reason? A couple hours after I had my baby my body produced some giant blood clots the size of grapefruit, and my blood pressure dropped to 50/30. I was very happy to have a nurse right there who called for backup and kept me from passing out.

I'm not saying this happens to everyone, but other than that I had had a complication free pregnancy.

melsner · December 2014

kcebeling said:

stahlop said:

kcebeling said:
Another home birth...wow. You're really brave. I'm much too frightened that the lack of monitoring and support could leave my baby brain-damaged. Is your HCP a CNM?
There is still monitoring, just not continuous. They use the Doppler to check the heartbeat about once an hour (more when in the pushing phase). A good midwife can see when a baby is in trouble early enough to get mommy and baby to the hospital if need be. My midwife is not a CNM. They are not allowed to do home births in my state, only hospital births. We do have very strict rules and regulations thought the state health department though for our midwives.

First-hand accounts like this don't make you second guess the advice your midwife is giving you?https://www.skepticalob.com/2014/07/an-insiders-chilling-view-of-homebirth-midwifery.html

This isn't necessarily typical. In my state, there are more regulations for midwifery. Including certifications, lengthy apprenticeships, and mandatory testing. Also, in my state 2 midwives are required to be at the birth as well as an emergency plan. You pick the hospital you want to be transfered in case of emergency. They also have training in perineum repairs and do newborn screenings. I trust my midwife.

CaliforniaDream87 · December 2014

I wanted a med free birth with my son. FTM and I just knew that's what I wanted until those contractions kicked. After two days of labor-epidural was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'll be getting it again too

maroongolf · December 2014

I've had two med free births in a hospital, and plan to do it again. I'm too paranoid for a home birth. The chances of something going wrong are slim, but I want to be in a hospital just in case.

buggurl84 · December 2014

I would love to have a water birth, ive been wanting to have one for years! But there is nowhere anywhere near me for that and cant seem to find someone any where near me, plus my hubby thinks im crazy and told me no. So i plan (fingers crossed) on a med free birth at our local hospital. The thought of epidural freaks me out!

lndsyptnm · December 2014

I had a medication free birth at a hospital with my daughter and hope to do it that way again. I had a very good labor experience, and short, yay! But I did pass out several hours after labor so it was a good thing I was at a hospital. Home births are illegal in my state too And my hubby would never go for it.

lindy27 · December 2014

jhalula09 said:

Considering I wanted to propose to the anesthesiologist that placed my epidural with DS, I'm going with nope.

After the whole experience the anesthesiologist was the only name I remembered from all the hospital workers I encountered lol. I should have send him a Christmas gift!

TessyMessy · December 2014

FWIW the thought of an epidural freaked me out too. I had to have a spinal tap in between DS and LO1. I'm much less frightened of an epi now. My goal was to deliver med free with LO1. DH and I had a code word in case shit got too intense. I plan to have the same plan of action with #3. Maybe a different code word. Ostrich was a little silly.

lindy27 · December 2014

buggurl84 said:

I would love to have a water birth, ive been wanting to have one for years! But there is nowhere anywhere near me for that and cant seem to find someone any where near me, plus my hubby thinks im crazy and told me no. So i plan (fingers crossed) on a med free birth at our local hospital. The thought of epidural freaks me out!

Have you looked into the hospitals? The one I delivered at had tubs you could use attached to each birthing room. The only requirement is you had to get out once an hour for a check of baby's heart rate.

Miz_Liz · December 2014

My SIL did 2 home births and my middle niece was not breathing when she came out and an ambulance had to be called. She was low risk and had prenatal care throughout. Lots of hospitals have separate areas that are set up to give you the home birth experience without the risk. Me personally....if I could have the epidural already tapped in and ready to go the week before, I would!

stahlop · December 2014

kcebeling said:

stahlop said:

kcebeling said:
Another home birth...wow. You're really brave. I'm much too frightened that the lack of monitoring and support could leave my baby brain-damaged. Is your HCP a CNM?
There is still monitoring, just not continuous. They use the Doppler to check the heartbeat about once an hour (more when in the pushing phase). A good midwife can see when a baby is in trouble early enough to get mommy and baby to the hospital if need be. My midwife is not a CNM. They are not allowed to do home births in my state, only hospital births. We do have very strict rules and regulations thought the state health department though for our midwives.

First-hand accounts like this don't make you second guess the advice your midwife is giving you?https://www.skepticalob.com/2014/07/an-insiders-chilling-view-of-homebirth-midwifery.html

The Skeptical OB is a fear-mongering site. 'Doctor Amy' goes out of her way to skew numbers and find bad home birth stories to feed to people on her site. She has even attacked a member of our community who had a hospital birth but whose baby died in utero from a cord complication just because she was friends with a midwife.

I did extensive research when deciding to do home birth and found the home birth numbers were much better compared to hospital numbers.

goldenB · December 2014

My birth plan is 'healthy mama, healthy baby'. I don't want to have unrealistic expectations because some things are out of your control. That being said, even though I was induced with DS I still had a med-free birth and hope to have the same this time around.

CarolinaGirl2014 · December 2014

I would very much like to have a med-free birth. I was planning on doing so at an amazing birth center near me within a mile of the hospital but it recently went out of business due to legislative change in my state so not it's hospital or home birth. DH isn't completely comfortable with home birth but I'm pretty traumatized from my last birth. In addition to going through that only to go home empty-handed, I was pushed into a heavily medicated birth because I was scared, exhausted, and vulnerable. I'm thankful for modern medicine because it saves life, but I am healthy, young, and low-risk. I'll admit that some (non-emergent) intervention was probably necessary last time to be on the safe side but a birthing center very well may have prevented that.

Another thought to consider to others with resistant/afraid husbands- a doula I know mentioned having her support to labor at home until the last possible safe moment then transitioning to hospital. She mentioned that while the hospital I gave birth at last time advertises being "natural friendly" they are known within the community for giving the hardest time. Another is highly supportive of going med-free, works with outside doulas beautifully, and will let you bring in a birthing tub (blew my mind!). Ask around with independant doulas for their opinions and suggestions. If you aren't 100% comfortable there may be compromises you hadn't thought of.

KLB2T · December 2014

I'm active duty, so my only option is to give birth at the Army hospital in my town. I wouldn't do a home birth anyway though. Last pregnancy, I went in after laboring at home for 7 hours (+ a 30-45 min drive to the hospital) and they sent me home...told me since it was my first pregnancy, it was likely that I wasn't in labor since I was still only 38w6d... ~X(

Fast forward to going back home, laboring for 8 more hours, then driving back to the hospital, and I was at 8.5cm with a "bulging bag of water". They couldn't even finish hooking me up to the monitors when I was ready to push. I was very upset, because since I had tested positive for group b strep, I wasn't able to receive the antibiotics for the full 4 hours before DD was born, which ended with us having to stay an extra day in the hospital. I was a little upset to say the least.

So long story short - I went med free and it wasn't by choice. She's happy, healthy, and beautiful and that's all I could ask for.

Edit: because hard words are hard.

fowlerpfs · December 2014

I planned on having a med free birth with DS #1, but stalled at 9cm, and his heart rate started dropping during contractions, so after 24 hours at the hospital, I had to have a c-section. I was very disappointed. With DS #2, I ended up getting an epidural at 6cm, because back labor was so intense, but I got to have my VBAC. Of course with this LO, I want to have another VBAC, but I know now to be flexible with whatever happens, but still advocate for what I want.

SidraJedi · December 2014

I had a home birth with DD and I am planning another for this one. I even have the same CNM attending! So that's kind of exciting because she's seen me through it before.

Want a personalized experience?

Anyone else planning a natural birth (hospital, birthing center or home)?

Re: Anyone else planning a natural birth (hospital, birthing center or home)?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards