Does anyone have experience with home births?

[Adrianne]

I am current pregnant and am looking into my options for bring the baby into this world. My two boys were born in a hospital both without complications. I would say the experience was okay.

 

I have known women who have given birth at home and I am curious about this but have no idea where to start or how to go about looking into it.

 

If you have some experience in this area would you please share yours with me?

 

TIA

Adrianne

[Guest Lorna]

Hi Adrianne,

I had a home birth with my second child. I, like you, had a straight forward birth with my first. We were in the UK and so it might be quite different than in America. At our doctor's surgery they were very reluctant because they really had had no experience of it before but luckily our midwife was thrilled and very confident.

I had had pain relief with my first and was quite happy to have some again thank you very much! But my midwife said 'Oh you won't need any at home' so I said 'Well you just bring some along anyway please!'

When I had been in hospital the first time we had actually found it quite difficult to find a midwife when I needed her but at home I had one there on hand throughout the birth and a second at the delivery.

I was so relaxed that I really didn't need pain relief. I was actually worrying about the labour 'going off the boil' and the midwives having had a wasted journey only a few minutes before our gorgeous son was delivered. Once he was there I was able to ensure that he was feeding well (I was rushed out of the delivery room with my first and she didn't feed then for twelve hours).

It was so nice not to have to go anywhere during the labour. It was lovely to be at home straight after. It was wonderful to have my older daughter with me a hour after (she went to her friends to play for a few hours). Our two are best of friends and there has never been any jealousy. I am sure it was the blissful start we all had together.

All through the process I was more than happy to go into hospital if the midwife was at all worried. We could be there in five or ten minutes. I actually felt far safer at home because of all the attention I got.

I really recommend the experience. Truthfully, I think it was the best day of my life.

Best wishes with your pregnancy,

Lorna

PS Our doctor was converted after he saw our darling son!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Lorna - We love the Moomin books too (Sorry Adrianne -this has nothing to do with home births).

[Jennifer in MI]

I had my fourth child at home. I loved having her at home and being able to recover in the same bed in which I delivered her. I had three other births that were natural, but I did have a bleeding complication with each. So, it was important for me to find a midwife who carried meds. I also don't think I would've tried a homebirth if I hadn't been near a hospital (two minutes). But, that's just my own comfort level. What it came down to for me was that basically, my midwives would be bringing a birth center (all the equipment) to my house without my having to travel to the birth center. I ended up having a major bleed, but it was easily handled in my house.

 

Do you you have a Birth Network in your area? (Do a search) They are a wonderful source of information. They have the names of doctors, midwives, childbirth educations, doulas, etc. so that you can make an educated decision about your birth. Ask your friends who have had the homebirths. Are the midwives more hands on or hands off? Do they have a particular religious affiliation? Decide what's important to you and your dh. Make appointments with them and talk with them at length. Make sure both you and your dh are comfortable with him/her. Take your time with the process. Most midwives will take you late in your pregnancy as long as you've been seeing someone and having regular prenatal care.

 

What a fun time and a fun decision! I think we're done, so this was my last and it really was the perfect birth!!

[Guest Lorna]

:D

[Cricket]

My first two were hospital births and the 3rd and 4th were born at home. I loved the experience. Working with a midwife is so different (and so much better!) than using an OB/GYN. I learned more from my midwife than I ever did from the doctors. My 3rd was actually delivered by my dh because it happened so quickly. My midwife arrived about 10 minutes later. It was such a quick, easy, happy birth. My 4th was a hard labor with a few complications but my midwife handled them with ease.

 

I found my midwife through word-of-mouth. There is one in Oregon I can highly recommend but I don't know where you are. I suggest finding several different midwives (do some google searches if you don't know anyone who can recommend a midwife) and interviewing them. I had lots of questions and the two I interviewed were very informative and open.

 

Congratulations! I hope you can find a good midwife. It was a great experience for me.

[HomeOnTheRanch]

#1 was a wonderful hospital birth with a midwife, #2 was a less than pleasant hospital birth with doctor and cranky nurses, lol. #3 was born at home. We weren't sure until I went into labor what we were actually going to do (home or hospital). We were prepared with both and opted for home. It was ok, but DH was way too nervous (it was "unassisted" but he was a med student at the time and had delivered some babies). #4 was a hospital (we had moved) water birth. It was wonderful. We've moved again since then, and if we have another I'll probably do a home water birth. I don't think our current hospital is open to that sort of thing. DH would deliver, so I really have no experience with seeking out a midwife, etc.

[Sue G in PA]

will hopefully deliever this baby at home as well. My first was a c-section (unnecessary but I was inexperienced), next 3 at home, 5th was another c b/c he just wasn't decending (bad position) and I was just pooped. My choice for that c-sec. 6th was another planned homebirth, but I gave up and wanted an epidural. Vag. birth, but in the hospital. My midwife and I are talking about how we can prevent another hospital birth. I REALLY don't want to go to the hosp. again. My suggestions: Get a good midwife. Read lots of books (Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, and google natural childbirth for other suggestions). Take a course in Natural Childbirth (Bradley method). It is a 12 week course. Find yourself a doula you are comfortable with. Essential if you ask me for first time homebirthers. She's there just for you, to help you through labor and delivery. Try renting a birth/labor tub. Even if you don't want to deliver in the water, it's GREAT for easing labor pain. I'm very anti-hospital for births. My last 2 born in the hosp. was just horrible for me and I regret giving up and going. My midwife was certain if I had just persevered both could have been home births. My 1st home birth and first vag. delivery was a 9lb. 10oz. baby and pushing took more than 4 hours. Of course, I was in my 20's then...not my late 30's! Anyway, good luck and email me if you have any questions or need a midwife reference. My midwife knows midwives all around the country.

[~Tara~]

Well, what kind of information are you looking for?

I've had all 5 of mine at home, planning on #6 as well, come May.

I had 2 midwives with the first birth, long labor, long pushing stage, was talk (unbeknownst to me at the time) of transport due to this but we made it through. Strong, big, healthy boy!

Second birth was MUCH faster than anticipated, midwife was 10 minutes down the road from us, we called her, in no rush and..well, she made it after the head was out.

Same midwife for number 3, she missed that one by a full 10 minutes. He was my first waterbirth.

Same midwife again for #4. Called her at THE very first sign, as she had 1.5 hr to drive (30 min. less than the previous birth) and my dd decided to stretch things out a bit..6 hr labor, midwife was there for the whole thing. She actually got to see me laboring! LOL

With #5 we went unassisted. Another waterbirth after a 3 hr labor.

 

I wouldn't trade my homebirth experiences for the world! I pray I never have to deliver in a hospital.

 

As for looking for a midwife...stop by midwiferytoday.org They have a 'search' there to find a midwife in your area. And feel free to stop in and ask personally as well for direction.

 

My midwives just 'fell into my lap', so, I've never had to actually seek one out. (long story with the first one) When pg with #2 we moved to a new town and I had been talking to someone online who was due within a few weeks of me and was planning a homebirth. She gave me her midwife's #, we set up an appt and that was that. She was a good fit for us. We continued to use her for the next few because she was just so great and willing to travel (that's huge! she was driving 2hr one way at one point...and we still got our repeat customer discount :p ).

[5wolfcubs]

The first three were with a midwife in IL and the last two were with a midwife here in AZ. They were all great...especially #4 because I actually was able to relax by keeping my hands open instead of clenched fists during the contractions.

 

Check your phone book under midwife and/or do an online search w/ midwife and your city name. States have various restrictions on midwifery such as certification required. Then call a couple -- most are very encouraging, supportive, personable, etc and would be glad to meet w/ you first.

 

Your insurance may pay for a midwife, or part of it anyway. Oh, another resource for finding one would be Le Leche League.

[HomeOnTheRanch]

Oh, yes...the Bradley method is the way to go. I just read the book...I never took a class...but the first midwife I had couldn't believe I was a first-timer. The book did a lot to prepare me for everything.

[Meliss]

Hi Adrianne

 

My first three children were born in the hospital. With the 2nd and 3rd, I had a midwife in the hospital. With my 4th pregnancy, the midwife had moved to a different hospital that was not an option for me. I started out seeing an obstetrician, but when I told her of my extreme sensitivities to medications and asked her what non-drug pain relief strategies she could use, she suggested inducing me early so that my baby wouldn't be as large!! :eek:

 

In my third trimester, I talked to a woman that I knew who had two home births and to her midwife and was referred to a midwife in my area.

 

Even though my fourth delivery was probably my most difficult and painful, I still feel better about it than the others, because I like the way that it was handled. Here is a link to my birth story (with CC): My Home Birth

[Adrianne]

Ladies

 

Thank you so much!! I appreciate all the experiences you have shared. I have so many great places to start my search and have found a few good leads!!! I am really looking forward to this birth.

 

Thanks Again,

Adrianne

[Mamagistra]

I haven't had a home birth yet, but my 3rd and 4th children were water births at a local birthing center. It was a wonderful experience, so I can only imagine how wonderful a home birth would be! :)

 

I can suggest two books that helped me move beyond medicalized birth:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Hency Goer

[~Tara~]

and don't forget to take a look at Ina May's Spiritual Midwifery as well. Some may be a bit new-agey or hokey or whatever, but there's *good stuff* in that book. The birth stories in there are great, can be really inspiring.

I also like to recommend Active Birth I always forget the author, sorry, it's a light green book, has a woman on all fours on the front I do believe. It's not necessarily a home birth book, but, like those mentioned above, gets you away from that medicalized birth stuff.

[Mama Lynx]

#1 was a horrible hospital birth. #2 was a fantastic birth in a birth center.

 

For baby #3, we planned a homebirth. However, my blood pressure shot up and we had to transport to the hospital for an induction at 36 weeks.

 

For baby #4 we tried a homebirth again, and this time, my body cooperated :) We set up a big horse trough in the living room for a big tub to relax in. It was such a better experience than birthing in a hospital. So much more relaxed. And no, I did not *need* pain meds at either the birth center or at home. (I needed them in the hospital for #3, and did not get them. Argh.)

 

Any specifics you'd like to know? If we were going to have more babies, I'd definitely plan homebirths.

[melissel]

and don't forget to take a look at Ina May's Spiritual Midwifery as well. Some may be a bit new-agey or hokey or whatever, but there's *good stuff* in that book. The birth stories in there are great, can be really inspiring.

I also like to recommend Active Birth I always forget the author, sorry, it's a light green book, has a woman on all fours on the front I do believe. It's not necessarily a home birth book, but, like those mentioned above, gets you away from that medicalized birth stuff.

 

Janet Balaskas, I believe. Excellent book! I also loved Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way--I found it so very empowering. The Ina May books are great too.

 

I had hoped for a homebirth my second time around, but insurance wouldn't cooperate. Instead I had a wonderful natural hospital birth with incredibly supportive nurses and great midwife. But if I ever have another, I think we'll have to make a home waterbirth the way we go.

 

Good luck to you!

[Angie in VA]

And, boy howdy, did my friend get superior care from that midwife than I did from two different OB/GYN's I saw for my 2 pregnancies/deliveries. About supplements, how to breathe, how to moan even (sounds crazy, made a difference!), etc.

 

She almost needed a transport due to her bleeding, but white vinegar and some shepherd's purse saved the day.

 

It was wonderful, but this friend got a great midwife who helped her w/ her birthing plan and would have gone to the hospital w/ her to be an advocate for her if it came to that.

 

Oh, and this friend's home birth was a VBAC. Amazing, just amazing. I was so honored to witness that and be a tiny help to her.

[Quiver0f10]

My last baby was a home birth and I wish I had done it with the others. It was so peaceful and amazing! The other ladies have given you alot of great advice, I just wanted to say you will love having your baby at home!

[HomeOnTheRanch]

A horse trough...I've told DH that I could use that next time but he laughed at me. What did you use to pad it? Any other ideas for a diy birthing pool?

[Karen sn]

My big dog lying by the front door was the best part. He was a part of my dd's life from the time he began rubbing his head into my belly (I wasn't even showing yet) through my labour (he wouldn't leave my side) and he loved her deeply until his death.

My birthing experience was way laid back. Midwife later said to her assistants that she thought it was her most fun birth. She sang a country song and changed the words a little when we were trying to get that baby down the canal. My dd had the biggest cone head anyone had ever seen! You could see her hair and then - slurp - she'd get sucked right back in.

 

Gentle Birth Choices is an awesome book and if you are really up for some new education into the world of babies and the function of the human body I would recommend What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Circumcision - every parent should read it so they can make a truly informed decision.

 

I would give up all the stupid smiley faces for the old board. You can't have any sub threads this way.

[Amy in NH]

My favorite home birthing book is Birthing From Within.

 

I had two unmedicated hospital births before homebirthing my last two. My last baby had shoulder dystocia during delivery, and I was so glad that I was attended by my calm and professional midwife, because my dd would have ended up with at least a broken collar bone if we had been in the hospital! I really wish I had explored this option earlier in my mothering career.

 

My 3rd ds was a water birth. The midwife owned an Aquadoula (sp?) tub that she lent to us. We had planned on #4 being a water birth as well, and we used an inflatable swimming pool in our living room. It didn't have a heater, so we filled it with very hot water when labor began and put a tarp over it until we needed it. It's best not to get into the water until you are far along in your labor, because the warm water can slow you down if you get in too early.

[Mom2GirlsTX]

I had my oldest at home with a midwife, totally wonderful experience. :)

[Quiver0f10]

A horse trough...I've told DH that I could use that next time but he laughed at me. What did you use to pad it? Any other ideas for a diy birthing pool?

 

We had a hot tub and that worked wonderful! If we have another baby I am going to rent an aquadoula as we no longer have a HT :( LOL

 

http://www.aquadoula.com/

[DIY-DY]

Ask around your area - chiropractors, naturopaths, health food stores - all great places to get first-hand recommendations for midwives. If you happen to be Northern AZ, or near El Paso, TX, I can recommend some fantastic midwives in both places. :-)

 

FWIW, we had our first child in the hospital, the last three at home. #5 is due in March, and we'll be home, in the pool, enjoying another homebirth. (If you are worried about pain relief, look into waterbirth. I had an epidural w/ my first, and while it did the trick - and I was *petrified* of not having one w/ #2 - I found the waterbirth to be a better replacement all the way around, and have never looked back. Good stuff, imho.)

 

Good luck w/ your search, and if you have any specific questions, you're sure to find plenty of info readily available!

Dy

[HomeOnTheRanch]

OK, I was just surfing looking at the different pools and came across this site. Has anyone used a standard kiddie pool like they have there at the bottom of the page? The pool I used at the hospital looked very similar to the Aquadoula, and I found that awkward. Every time I would try to relax between contractions I started to float. That wasn't exactly what I wanted at the time. I guess it was too deep for my taste.

[Amy in NH]

Yup. The inflatable pool I used during my 2nd homebirth was very similar to the 2nd from the bottom. My only advice is to inflate it way ahead of time and store it somewhere, cuz it took quite a while to inflate and you wouldn't want to be doing that during a quick labor. ;)

[Lady Katherine]

I had my third at home because my labors are so fast that even at the hospital, I didn't have time for any pain killers to help. But if I had had very long labors, I would have opted for the hospital.

 

If you have a wonderful midwife and easy labors, it's a great option.

 

Just a few things I would do differently if I had it to do over ....

 

Have plenty of Gatorade on hand. The hospital puts you on the IVs for a reason -- you lose a LOT of fluid during labor! When my baby was born, I was so dehydrated (I kept throwing up anything I drank) that I was disoriented, fuzzy-brained, and could barely lift my hands, never mind my head. I wasn't even interested in holding the baby because I was so out of it. We finally realized the problem, and dh ran to the store for Gatorade. I was fine within minutes.

 

Also, I would have a series of blankets that could be put in the dryer, used, and put back in the dryer to keep me warm. It was July, so I didn't anticipate that I would need them. But sometimes when you are in labor, your body is in such shock that you get very, very cold. I remember my teeth chattering and my dh giving me sips of very hot tea (which I just threw up again, but it helped warm me).

 

And don't have your heart SO set on a home birth that you are not willing to go to the hospital if necessary. If something goes wrong, you need to have made the decision ahead of time that you WILL be willing to go -- you may not be in a rational state of mind during labor.

[Ellie]

her dh was in the Navy and out at sea, which is why I coached.

 

My friend was supposed to have the baby at the military hosptial, but she wanted this one to be "perfect" :-) When she was telling her OB what she wanted--no fetal monitor, no drugs, rooming in, all that stuff--he laughed and said, "Why don't you just have the baby at home?" So she did :-)

 

She found a good midwife who saw her regularly during her pregnancy. She also went to her appointments at the Navy hospital. The midwife recommended a home birth class, which she and I attended. A friend had some home movies of her 4 home births, and we watched those, along with my friend's older dc. There were *lots* of discussions with the children :-)

 

When my friend's baby was born, there was a house full of people. It was a beautiful birth. Even I cried :-)

 

Part of our preparation was the route to the hospital in case of complications, the object being a healthy baby, Kwim?

 

I wish I had had my babies at home :-) This was a wonderful experience.

[StaceyinLA]

and it was the best of all my experiences. I had a c-section with baby #1. When I got pregnant again, I swore I would not be put in a situation like that, where the doctor just basically didn't have the "time" to let me have my baby.

 

Well, I found a midwife, and dds #2 and 3 were born with her in a birthing center. It was only natural that I would progress to home birthing by #4. It was WONDERFUL!! I had really thought the birthing center was nice, but being home was totally awesome. I had a great midwife. I labored in my tub up until I was 9 cm and it was virtually painless (as I swear laboring in the tub is). I delivered Zachary standing up at the foot of my bed 17 minutes after I started pushing (my second baby I delivered standing - gravity really helped me). I nursed him right away, held him and cuddled, took a nice warm bath while they weighed and measured him, and then nursed him some more while I ate a hot breakfast of eggs and toast that my midwife's assistant made me.

 

I would have loved to have another home birth, but, alas, no more viable pregnancies for me - all have been ectopic.

 

It was a WONDERFUL experience!!

[Mama Lynx]

I just had to laugh, Katherine. My homebirth was in February, and I got HOT. So hot that I had to have the windows open. I have a great picture of my midwife and her assistants huddled under a blanket on my couch!

[Pam Wilhelm]

All 3 of mine were homebirths.......the middle child was over 10 pounds and I had no tearing..... very little pain. I used a birthing stool for the last two....loved it. The whole experience was awesome!! I recommend homebirths all the way!!!

[JennifersLost]

I had a hospital birth, a birth center birth with a midwife, and then a home water birth with a lay midwife.

 

Then along came my fourth baby. Somehow I knew I wanted to go "mainstream" with that one and I found an ob-gyn to work with. That was very strange for me since I had always previously wanted a midwife.

 

About five months into the pregnancy, an ultrasound - which I hadn't had for the previous two births - showed that I had full-on placenta previa.

 

In other words, had I used another midwife and had a home-birth I'd be dead. Since I know how stubborn I was about not getting ultrasounds previously, I know that some kind of intuition made me change my mind for this one. I cannot believe how awful it would have been for my husband to have me bleed to death in his arms because we had made the wrong judgement call.

 

So - my only caveat about home births is to see an ob-gyn through enough of your pregnancy to get these basic tests done. Then go through the rest with your midwife.

[Sunshine State Sue]

I am very glad that I chose a midwife with lots of experience, a good relationship with a backup doctor, and a "gracious" personality. I can't think of a better word than gracious. One midwife I interviewed, while I liked her, could have been antagonistic towards the hospital staff had I wound up in the hospital.

 

I did wind up in the hospital (it was not an emergency, everything was fine, but my water broke and the baby wasn't coming, so...), and it was nice that my midwife had a lot of experience because I knew that we had tried everything we could at home before going to the hospital. It was nice that my midwife had a good relationship with the backup doctor because he let her help judiciously. It was nice that my midwife had a gracious personality because the nurses treated her likewise.

 

I loved my hour-long pre-natal appointments. We talked and talked and talked about everything. I was so afraid. I'm not anymore...

 

Best wishes!

[DIY-DY]

OK, I was just surfing looking at the different pools and came across this site. Has anyone used a standard kiddie pool like they have there at the bottom of the page? The pool I used at the hospital looked very similar to the Aquadoula, and I found that awkward. Every time I would try to relax between contractions I started to float. That wasn't exactly what I wanted at the time. I guess it was too deep for my taste.

 

The two-ring inflatable fish pool - worked every time. The only hard part is keeping the rest of the children OUT. ;-)

 

What we've found works very well is to lay a tarp on the floor, and then a layer of blankets beneath the pool (b/c it is amazing how hard the floor seems mid-contraction!) Set up the pool and fill it, then climb in. Something DH thought of for me at one point (I think b/c I had the same floating problem, or maybe I was just complaining and he was being creative!) was just wonderful - he took a large beach towel, folded it up, and put it in the water, at bottom of the pool, as a little 'bench' for me to sit on. That helped quite a bit with comfort and traction.

 

I like the soft sides - so if I wanted to flop over face-down and read or zone out, I could. If I needed to put my arms up over the sides and lean back, it was comfortable, like having a built-in pillow no matter where I was on the side. The depth wasn't enough for me to actually float, but it was enough to cover my stomach while I was sitting.

 

Now I do have a friend who tried a waterbirth, and she felt like she just didn't have enough control in the water, period. I guess it's not for everyone. But the nice thing is that you can always climb back out if you're not comfortable.

[Andie]

A horse trough...I've told DH that I could use that next time but he laughed at me. What did you use to pad it? Any other ideas for a diy birthing pool?

 

I haven't been able to have a home birth, but I have had a waterbirth. My only suggestion when looking at tubs is to make sure you have the option of depth. My tub was a rental from Waterbirth Int'l, and we didn't fill it quite as high as recommended, but still a good bit deeper than a baby pool. I found I got very little pain relief until I was covered to the booKs. During another labor, a shallow tub (similar to baby pool depth) didn't help me much at all, but I know others say they love the baby pool depth. I think, if I were to have another, I'd look into troughs before baby pools if I couldn't have a birthing tub for some reason, simply for the depth! (I would be worried about heat retention in a trough, though.)

[Sandy in Indy]

I had a hospital birth, birth center birth with a midwife and a homebirth with two midwives. All birth experiences are special events...but I have to say, my homebirth topped the list for me. DS was born on Thanksgiving 2000 and was greeted by his brother and sister as well as dad, the midwives and two friends. It was so wonderful to be in my own home, my own bed, etc. I'd do it again in a heartbeat...if we were having any more. (But since I'm now 50, hmm, it's time to move on to grandchildren!)