Just to give you an idea about a "what if". If something goes wrong with the home birth either with you OR baby what's the plan? In critical situations minutes matter. If something happens to you in the birth they have three minutes to get the baby out. You cannot do that in a home setting. I'm sure whatever choice you make will be right for you and your baby. Best of luck!!!
I've had both a hospital birth and a home birth. I'm having a home birth again. I know the what ifs. My midwife (and every midwife I know) has a very specific protocol that must be met before she will consider you a candidate to home birth. Their practices offers excellent pre-natal courses specifically for couples who are planning to birth at home. Complications and "what ifs" are all discussed. Home birth isn't a decision that's made lightly and without considerations given to the "what ifs". I won't generalize but I feel it's safe to say that women planning for a home birth do a significant amount of research and planning and take into serious consideration emergency management procedures.
Even in a hospital there is no guarantee they will have the baby out in 3 minutes. Unless you are already hooked up to stuff and ready to go (which often means you are laboring flat on your back with i.v.s, moniters and an epidural - all of which increase risk of distressefd baby, oxygen deprivation) and there is someone at your side to immediately recognize the emergency and act on it, it can take some time. Homebirthers do take some risks, but with considerably more forethought, research and preparation than most people put into their planned epidural. Also, the art of home based midwifery is in recognizing potential problems and avoiding them (for instance, not breaking the bag of waters until the head is firmly engaged - if ever, which prevents prolapsed cord - whereas it is routine for most doctors to simply break the bag in early labor).
Anyway. There are risks in either setting. Be confident in the choice you make and accept it's limitations amd strengths. Best of luck!
Re: Home Birth
Anyway. There are risks in either setting. Be confident in the choice you make and accept it's limitations amd strengths. Best of luck!