Out of hospital birth?

carolinefriesen · April 2017

Is anyone aiming for an out of hospital birth? (Home birth or freestanding birth center). My fist required a hospital transfer, but my second was a water birth in a free standing birth center. We hope the same for our third with the same group of midwives. I'm just wondering if there are other Mammas out there with similar plans?

missbmama · April 2017

My goal is a home birth this time around but I haven't taken steps toward it yet. My first was high risk due to preterm labor and my second was an uncomplicated pregnancy and birth so I am being cautiously optimistic that I could have a home birth this time around. The midwives that I'm currently with (and love) only deliver in hospital so that is a downer to the idea. I'm actually going to be speaking with them soon about their thoughts and recommendations since they know my history.

failuretofly · April 2017

I am planning a homebirth! I attempted a homebirth with my first, but we ended up transferring after 2.5 hours of failed pushing. Of course, climbing up the stairs and the car ride was enough to shift him so we didn't actually NEED to go to the hospital, but at that point it was too late haha.
I've already found a new midwife (we moved since DS was born) and have our first appointment next week!

camomile_june · April 2017

I'm also interested in doing unmedicated birth. I want to do a homebirth, but I'm concerned about how expensive it will be. Even if (best case scenario) my insurance covers it as out-of-network, there are still so many additional expenses (buying all the supplies, cloths, inflatable tub, whatever), that I think it will be a significant cost to us. Especially given that my other alternative is a birth center inside a hospital, so the bill will just say 'hospital birth', so everything will be covered. I'll look into all this once I'm further along.

torresfamily5 · April 2017

We will be having a homebirth this time too. My first was a planned homebirth that resulted in transfer and cesarean at 42 weeks and my second was an at home vbac. Planning for the same this time around!

torresfamily5 · April 2017

@camomile_june the extra supplies did not amount to much for me. I think most birth tubs can be rented through midwife or local doulas and everything else was probably $100 (tub liner, tarp, some hydrogen peroxide/med supplies we did not already have on hand). The one fee that wouldn't be covered through ins would be the midwifes assistant, and for us that was 300

GraysonsMama · April 2017

I would love to have a homebirth but I'm scared to go med free. With both previous deliveries the epidural helped me to dilate. I also had group b step with the other two so not sure it would be feasible. My husband also thinks it's a bad idea...

lavashiner · April 2017

I went med-free in a hospital with my DD since my insurance didn't cover anything but a hospital birth. I had planned to labor at home until the last possible moment, but then 13 hours in, the construction site next door started jack hammering! I've never wanted to get to the hospital faster!! I ended up laboring there with my husband and doula for 8 hours with minimal intervention from the midwife on staff, which was great.

I was ultimately happy to be there since I had a postpartum hemorrhage and it was really with so swiftly that I barely knew it had happened.

SierraGood · May 2017

I love the idea of a home birth but with my daughter I got a pretty serious case of preeclampsia and she had the cord around her neck twice (so that's kinda scared me out of it).... I would love to try and labor at home a bit more this time around before going to the hospital and less pain meds.

leahfoxparker · May 2017

We are hoping to give birth at Atlanta Birth Center, which is a local freestanding birth center. We have their tour tomorrow morning, so we're going to see how it goes. If we aren't comfortable there, we will work with one of the local midwifery groups for a midwife assisted hospital birth (but we're really hoping not to have to go the hospital route!!).

failuretofly · May 2017

@SierraGood FYI nuchal cords are perfectly normal, about 30% of babies are born with a nuchal cord. DS was also born with a double loop around his neck, but it was totally fine and the midwife just somersaulted him through it. They're totally used to and prepared for it because it happens all the time, if that was a contraindication for homebirth, they would never happen!

ab920 · May 2017

I did an unmedicated hospital birth with my last baby and am planning the same for this one. I considered a homebirth but too many horror stories from friends who have done it scared me out of it!

kate0506 · May 2017

I am hopefully planning on home birth this time round. I had a water birth in a midwife lead unit with my DS with no pain relief.
One of my main reasons for wanting a home birth is because my husband and I have no family support who could take care of my DS who will be 2 when baby is due. Friends have offered but I cant really rely on them as they work and have their own kids and may not be available when the time comes.
I live in the UK so the fees aren't an issue, but interested to hear how it all works and if this would be a good option with a child around, or should I give birth on my own at a midwife unit while DH looks after DS?

HRM2L0 · May 2017

@kate0506 I think it should be fine to have your son around, but you'll still need one person there to take care of him in case something critical happens to you, or in case you need your husbands full support, or maybe your son gets scared or tired and someone would need to take him outside for a bit. That person can be a friend or a sitter who stays in the background or in another room until they're needed. That way you can relax and only focus on what you need to do, while at the same time it'll be a nice family experience for you all.

HRM2L0 · May 2017

I had a home birth with a midwife with my first. It was a perfect experience from beginning to end. Water broke nice and quietly in the early morning, I had a relaxed day at home until midwife came by and did some acupuncture on me in the evening in order to help the contractions to get going (and they immediately did). Then I labored in our bath tub for a couple of hours and gave birth rather quickly in our bed. Had to go in to the nearby hospital to have him weighed and checked by a pediatrician the next day, other than that we just stayed at home.

With my daughter we lived to far from a hospital to safely have a home birth. I didn't want to risk having to be air lifted to hospital in the middle of labor. Lo and behold, by the time I realized I was in labor I was too far along to reach the hospital by car and was airlifted anyway. Getting a few days to rest in a very nice new family hotel was enjoyable though. But the labor part, with a midwife I didn't know nor particularly get along with, was nothing to write home about. It was a frantic and scary labor during which I felt like I had no control over my body and this jet pack of a baby who just wanted.out.so.fast.

This is time I am planning for a home birth, if only we decide that we can afford it. Our insurance does not cover it, but our deductible and copay is so high anyway it might not make much of a difference. I'd love for our kids to be at home though not necessarily in the room at all times.

kate0506 · May 2017

@HRM2L0thanks for the advice. I will definitely see about having a few people on standby to be able to come and entertain DS for a while. In fact I'm quite concerned he Will want to get in the pool with me lol.
But I definitely think it sounds like a very intimate, beautiful experience for any family, providing everything runs smoothly.

Sounds like your home birth went great. Ive heard some stories of midwife not getting there in time or late etc and that does concern me, but I do only live round the corner from local hospital, so it wouldn't be difficult to change the plan if needed.

Hope you get to have your home birth this time round. I guess we are quite lucky in the UK that we dont have to worry about cost.
Take care of yourself

silkentofu · May 2017

Excuse my ignorance but what the benefit of an out of hospital / home births?

This is my first pregnancy and I'm hoping to be as medicated as possible haha!!

missbmama · May 2017

@silkentofu it's more of a preference. Here in the United States there is (imo) a really crappy stigma on birth and the laboring process. Basically people scare you into thinking that you're going to be in so much pain and misery that YOU MUST HAVE DRUGS TO SURVIVE. When in reality labor and birth can be a beautiful, powerful and sometimes even pleasurable experience. Both of my boys were born in hospital med-free and it wasn't painless for me at all but it also wasn't this terrifying, horrible experience either. I'm totally not against pain meds by the way. I was about 5 minutes away from using gas for my second birth because he didn't want to drop and I had been laboring for almost 24 hours and man it was hurting and I was done lol. I'm just saying that women have options and I think it's wrong to tell us we can't have babies without medical intervention. Thank God it's available but it's not the only way to experience bringing a baby into the world. I am personally interested in a homebirth this time because of the ease and calm of laboring at home. At the hospital (even med-free) there is a ton of monitoring and checking and hurry, hurry, hurry. Sometimes labor takes awhile and I really think that being relaxed at my home and not having constant beeping and machines around me will help me open faster and have a more zen experience. If you're interested in statistics or just want to do some research I highly recommend the book 'Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth' and the documentary on Netflix by Ricki Lake called 'The Business of Being Born.'

failuretofly · May 2017

@silkentofu I agree with everything @missbmama said. There is a lot of misinformation about how 'awful' labor and delivery are, when they actually can be quite peaceful and pleasant. It is in no way EASY but, it can be beautiful. When I was pregnant with DS I was obsessed with watching birth videos I found on pinterest, and they completely changed my perspective on birth, as well as Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin & The Farm Midwives. I also found reading Ina May's books very helpful in taking away the fear associated with birth.
My labour and delivery with DS was HARD, and there were moments that hurt, but honestly, I am legitimately excited to give birth to this next babe. I am not exaggerating or trying to sound like a hero, I just loved the whole process. It was kind of like climbing this really tall mountain, that you don't know how long it will take or what obstacles you'll face along the way, but once you reach the top, the views are spectacular. I, personally, would hate to miss out on any of the steps along the way!
Here are some of my favourite birth videos:
Welcoming Theodore
Waterbirth of Scarlett
Birth of Sloane
I also encourage you to check out the blog Birth Without Fear, there are SO many amazing stories written on there, including mine

, as well as The Birth Story of Sparrow.
Hope this helps! I am a bit of a natural birth junkie

kate0506 · May 2017

Totally agree @missbmama, birth can be a really beautiful experience.
With my DS I was unmedicated and I felt completely in control and just listened to my body. The key is to stay calm and controlled breathing. Obviously I can only speak from my own experience and I realise I was lucky enough to have a pretty easy birth. I have nothing against drugs for pain relief but I think you should try it first, we are powerful women after all

silkentofu · May 2017

Thanks ladies for the insight. I've had a look at the options available at our local hospital and can see they offer 3 option being the standard maternity ward, a birthing centre run by midwives with min intervention as well as a home birth program. I'm in Australia so this is all publicly funded.

When I saw it I immediately thought I'd go for the full hospital experience with max intervention. My only experience with the labour process is from movies so I was pretty scared! I will go and watch and read those resources you ladies provided and reevaluate the options.

collectiveliving · May 2017

I think if I were 10 years younger, I would consider a home birth. It's my first pregnancy, and I'm 40, so we are going to deliver at a nearby hospital. We have a midwife (and hopefully will have a doula), and their practice tends to encourage starting the process of labor at home if possible and all looks good. I am excited about that, and am hopeful to be able to have a natural birth and that staying at home in the beginning may up my chances for that.

carolinefriesen · May 2017

For me, I was trying to avoid an unnecessary C-section. I've seen many friends go through that painful recovery, and I wanted to avoid one that wasn't 100% medically necessary. Many hospitals in my area have C-section rates of over 30%, which is crazy! With my first, I ended up delivering in a hospital because I needed an intervention, but with my second, we were able to have a beautiful water birth. My recovery from a drug free birth was a thousand times easier than when I needed Pitocin and an epidural. I encourage all mothers to at least tour an out of hospital birth center. You will know if it's your comfort zone or if a hospital is more your comfort zone.

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