Random poll: Did you have a homebirth?

[Wabi Sabi]

I suspect that there are many more homebirthers here than you would find in the general public. I would imagine that a person who decides to go against the grain in birthing choices is someone who is also more likely to make other similarly non-traditional choices in other aspects of their lives such as homeschooling.

[Caitilin]

No, but I and my three sibs are all products of successful home births!:D

 

I had a c-section with the twins, which pretty much nixed a HB had I wished to have one.

[Farrar]

Planned homebirth. Hospital transport. Oh well.

[Samiam]

I voted all three DS born in the hospital BUT......

with first..I was very mainstream and had no idea there were options.

with 2nd/3rd....premature twins....had no choice but hospital as C-sec and they needed NICU asap

with 4th, due to C-sec scar with prior birth....had to do hospital :(.

 

But so would have done home birth, as I think that is a very natural, "the way nature intended" thing.

[Mommy22alyns]

Hospital for both. I had an awesome epidural with Rebecca and a medically necessary C-section due to complete placenta previa with Sylvia.

[meggie]

My youngest two were born at home, both planned.

 

No, but I and my three sibs are all products of successful home births!:D

 

I had a c-section with the twins, which pretty much nixed a HB had I wished to have one.

And I know this has nothing to do with homebirth, but can I just say you have the most hilarious quote in your sig!!!:lol:

[Janie Grace]

4 in a hospital (with various midwives), 1 in a birthing center (with a midwife). Hospital births were FAR BETTER due to the specific midwives (birthing center midwife was clueless). The person makes all the difference, in my experience.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I was high-risk from the beginning with ds14 so I had a specialist in high risk births and a hospital. It was a very bad labor and delivery. The doctor later told me that she was afraid that she was going to lose me.

 

There was no doubt but that I would use the same specialist in high risk births for dd as well as the hospital, though this birth went much more smoothly.

[jelbe5]

I really really wanted a homebirth, especially after my first (induced C section). DH was too afraid to agree to that and I had to respect that. The compromise was in the hospital with a nurse midwife. I had two very successful v-bacs that way.:001_smile:

Edited August 6, 2011 by jelbe5

[mom2denj]

My first was almost 10 pounds, second was 10'8, third almost 10. I wouldn't have dared to have them at home. However, I always thought it would be neat for the whole family to share the experience.

[AnthemLights]

3 babies - all different

 

1. planned home birth but then transport to hospital because of low birth weight/breathing issues.

 

2. another planned (successful) home birth

 

3. emergency c-section

 

the home births were awesome

[Heather in OK]

My last two were home water births. One with a midwife present and one before she got here. :)

 

First two were hospital births.

[daffodil]

Both of mine were hospital births with a midwife, and one of those was a hospital waterbirth.

[SEGway]

My last two were home water births. One with a midwife present and one before she got here. :)

 

 

Hey, me, too! :)

[Hannah C.]

My DD was born at a birthing center.

 

I was born at home. :)

[Annie]

I voted other. Planned homebirth turned csection. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made even though we ended up transferring. Due to complications during surgery I'm not a VBAC candidate, and I could see myself being quite bitter about it if I thought there was a chance the section was not necessary. At home, I labored and pushed (for a loooooong time, lol) on my own terms. I know I did everything I possibly could to get that baby out myself, so I'm now able to look at my csection as a blessing of modern medicine instead of always second guessing what could have been different.

[gaillardia]

Six at hospital.

Seventh at home.

[JulieH]

I think home birth is really cool, but call me a wimp. You couldn't have paid me to even think about it.

 

One natural birth and 2 c sections and I'm very glad I was in the hospital.:001_smile:

[wendybird]

The first 4 were in the hospital, the last 3 were homebirths.

[Caraway]

Tried to have a homebirth with my third. All three born at a birth center connected to a hospital. No drugs.

[LidiyaDawn]

Nope…hospital, lots of drugs. :laugh:

 

I'd never even heard of "home birth" until I came across people talking about it on homeschool forums… and I still don't know a single person IRL who has done that.

[rocketgirl]

I did not see the "my child was almost born at home" option?? We were lucky to make it to the hospital 20 minutes away on an empty tank of gas :)

[Veritaserum]

1 hospital, 4 home

[sillymommy]

2 hospital, 2 home(1 of these was a water birth). I'm a labor & delivery nurse by training--I consider myself reformed. DH & I sing the praises of home birth!

[Peela]

I wanted to but the cost was prohibitive.

 

My first came too early to even be born at the birthing centre, so she was born in hospital- a 3 day labour.

 

My 2nd was born at a birthing centre- water broke at 6pm, he was born at 7.35 and I was home by 9pm. It was pretty straightforward and easy, except that it was intense because it was so short. Great birthing centre- I had the same midwife all the way through the pregnancy and for the birth, so it was pretty close to a homebirth.

[joannqn]

DD11: Planned homebirth with transfer 72 hours later. Epidural and pitocin at the hospital.

 

DS9: Homebirth

 

DS4: Planned birth center turned hospital induction 15 days past due with low fluid. Pitocin and epidural at hospital.

 

DD2: Planned birth center turned hospital induction 9 days past due with low fluid. Pitocin at hospital, but otherwise natural birth.

 

Older siblings attended all later births. DS9 cut DD2's cord!

[chepyl]

First one was born at a hospital, with epidural and an emergency c-section (cord wrapped so tight around his neck that he could not move down. When I was finally at a 10 they had me try a push and his heart rate dropped way too low and was very slow to recover, when he was born he had little color; scariest hour of my life!)

 

Second was born at a hospital with an amazing staff in L&D (can't say that about the admittance and post care nurses). I wanted an epidural, but the admittance nurse moved so slow! She left me in triage for an hour and a half without checking anything! By the time they got me to L&D I was a 8 and the anesthesiologist was in an emergency c-section. They were so apologetic and did everything they could to make me comfortable. They were awesome! If i have another, i think I can handle the no meds thing again. Maybe...

[UnsinkableKristen]

I voted other. Planned homebirth turned csection. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made even though we ended up transferring. Due to complications during surgery I'm not a VBAC candidate, and I could see myself being quite bitter about it if I thought there was a chance the section was not necessary. At home, I labored and pushed (for a loooooong time, lol) on my own terms. I know I did everything I possibly could to get that baby out myself, so I'm now able to look at my csection as a blessing of modern medicine instead of always second guessing what could have been different.

 

 

I think this is the best you can hope for with birth. To have a preferred scenario, but if something goes differently to know that you made the best choice under the circumstances.

[Pam Wilhelm]

DD1 was a "homebirth" that wasn't at my home....it was in an efficiency apt. in the doctor's basement....the closest I could get to a homebirth in St. Louis. The doctor was an O.D.

 

DD2 was a real homebirth in GA

 

DS was a real homebirth in GA

[Mandy in TN]

Oldest was born with a midwife in the emergency room examining area of the regional medical center in Memphis. He was a blue baby- NICU for 13 days. If he had been born at home, he would have died. If he had been born at any other hospital in the area, they would have sent him to the regional medical center and he probably wouldn't have survived the transport. Even being born at the regional medical center, we received a visit from a social worker who told us not to name him. I ripped so badly all the way through that even the doctor on duty didn't feel comfortable sewing me up and a specialist was called in out of bed in the middle of the night to repair me. Sadly, I had had no pain meds, because I barely got there in time for them to catch him. At home I may have died, too.

I would never, ever, ever in a million years have a child at home.

My second birth was a much better outcome as far as the little peanut, but: The hospital staff wouldn't even let me out of bed to go to the bathroom. The epidural was fine as far pain relief during labor, but I had a one heck of a post dural headache. Then the idiots ended up giving me IV dilaudid that caused me to be really out of it. Overall labor is less painful than a post dural headache.

However, even with all the fun of labor two, thanks to labor experience one I still wouldn’t consider having child three at home. Third time’s the charm- great nurse, great doctor, great experience. The nurse dropped the end of the bed to the floor and let me squat through contractions. The doctor gave me the smallest amount of IV stadol when she announced the last call if I wanted an epidural. (can I tell you how much I didn't want an epidural!) It was all grand. We walked out of there 24hrs later and I went home and did laundry.

 

Mandy

[TrixieB]

Child #1 was planned c/section.

 

Child #2 was homebirth.

[scrappyhappymama]

Baby #1- Planned Birth center w/midwife- transfer to hospital

Baby #2- Birth center attached to hospital, water birth w/midwife

Baby #3- Birth center water birth w/midwife

Baby #4- Birth center w/midwife, planned water birth but came too quickly to get in the tub, might as well have stayed home! :)

 

if there is a Baby #5... planned homebirth!

[Negin]

2 C-Sections in hospitals

[Cassy]

The first three were born in hospitals with epidurals and lots of drama. The fourth was born at home with no pain relief whatsoever - I followed a course in 'hypnobirthing', so all I had was the peaceful, relaxing music playing that I'd used in the preparation for the birth. It was a beautiful birth, he arrived within two hours, and my recovery was amazingly quick (I was actually washing the kitchen floor the next day), especially considering that I was 43 yo at the time. I really wish now that I'd had them all at home.

 

Cassy

[AnthemLights]

I think home birth is really cool, but call me a wimp. You couldn't have paid me to even think about it.

 

One natural birth and 2 c sections and I'm very glad I was in the hospital.:001_smile:

 

 

Awww, I don't think it is being a wimp at all. I went into my first a little ignorant...of course, being my first, I had no idea what to expect, lol. Very low birth weight so rather easy delivery, but still it was hard.

 

Second one....I think you kind of forget what it is like. At least, I did. Halfway through I was like "oh no, not this again." OHHH, what I wouldn't have given for some drugs at that point. :D

 

Third one, I felt like I had already done two....I can do a third. But, to be honest I have to admit to a tiny bit of relief when I found out that we were going to have to do a c-section. :001_smile:

 

There are many things to like about home births, but that is not one of them. :tongue_smilie:

[Carrie12345]

All hospitals for me. 3 with midwives.

 

I did want homebirths for my last 2, but wasn't comfortable with the timing/location/available mws.

[Rosy]

All of mine were born in hospitals. #1 was a C-section because her heart rate kept dropping with my contractions. #2 and #3 were VBACs in the hospital with epidurals. #4 was also a VBAC, but I did all of my laboring at home and literally only delivered at the hospital. Because of my experience with her (being sent home from the hospital and almost not making it back in time), I realized that being at home where it was comfortable and there were distractions was better than sitting in a hospital waiting for the next contraction to happen and have thought that if there was a #5 I would want a homebirth. I don't think DH would ever go for it though--early in our marriage we had a neighbor who had an unsafe homebirth and ended up in the hospital, and that always stuck with him.

[ktgrok]

I voted all three DS born in the hospital BUT......

with first..I was very mainstream and had no idea there were options.

with 2nd/3rd....premature twins....had no choice but hospital as C-sec and they needed NICU asap

with 4th, due to C-sec scar with prior birth....had to do hospital :(.

 

But so would have done home birth, as I think that is a very natural, "the way nature intended" thing.

 

Just in case you ever have more children...homebirth after cesarean is very possible, and in many cases the best way to have a VBAC. At least in my area. I know about a dozen women personally that have had homebirths after one or two c-sections, and only 2 women that have had hospital VBACs.

[ktgrok]

Child 1 was a 40 hour hospital labor, no drugs, turned "emergency" c-section, that in hindsight was totally preventable. Both he and I had issues that lasted a long time from that.

 

Child 2 was a vaginal birth at home, 8 hours start to finish.

 

Would have any others at home too, as long as I didn't risk out of home birth.

[happypamama]

First baby was at a freestanding birth center.

 

The rest have all been homebirths, the most recent one in the water. I probably would not have made it to the hospital with that one, as by the time I realized it was true labor, not prodromal, and therefore not going to go away, it was pretty close to over. I went from "I'm getting in the tub to see if it will help me relax a bit, let's see if I can feel the baby's head now that my water broke" to "it's a boy" in less than two minutes, with one huge push. DH had stepped out for a second and nearly missed it; the older children did miss it. (DD was at DS1's birth, and both she and DS1 were at DS2's birth; they had all been hoping to see DS3's birth, but oh, well.)

[Soror]

#2 and 3 were homebirths, #1 was natural, drug free and all that at the hospital.

[jenangelcat]

I had three attempted homebirths. The first two were foiled by my crappy midwives and the third was foiled by a cross country move at 36 week to a province that has no midwives.

[Princess Peach]

I've had all unmed births with midwives, first in the hospital, second was a waterbirth in a birthing center, third was at home.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I had hospital births with both, only at dh's insistence. I would have been okay with home births.

[stripe]

I had mine in hospital w midwives who had autonomy. Happy with this.

 

Spoke w homebirth midwife but she seemed unreliable so glad I did not pick her.

[radiobrain]

Intended to have homebirths... but ended up with hospital and my midwife (one with doctor lobbying for c-section). The complications of my first one freaked me out and made me do hospital with my second, which it ends up I really didn't need.

 

I was born at home, as was my sister.

[nd293]

Home birth for my first, and a life-saving emergency C-section due to complete placenta previa with the second. As homebirth was not an option with the second (due to where we lived) I was considering unassisted, but rather welcomed the C-section under the circumstances!

[Mrs Mungo]

Mine were all hospital births. But, my second two births were in German hospitals where I was attended by midwives (at least for most of it).

[lauraeden]

one in a hospital

one at home

[Lizzie in Ma]

My Mom told me "home delivery is for pizza" lol.

I am all for it but thank God I was in the hospital for both births or none of us would be here now. Bled out with the first one, crash c-section with the second. Would do it all again in a heartbeat. So love my girls. :)