Home birth

[Amelia Bedelia]

Anyone here have one?
Anyone here truly research it and decide not to? Why?

I recently went to a Mother Blessing for my cousin (not like a traditional baby shower but a special gathering to celebrate her journey as a woman becoming a mother) and she is going to have a home birth and we got to talking about it and she sent me a dvd of information and interviews about home birth (she is also a doula so she has tons of information available LOL) well anyway to sum it up
WOW!  it sounds so much better than the usual hospital managed medical procedure we are used to in this country....  which I've never been totally comfortable with considering it is such a natural and life changing experience - the hubbub and regulations in a hospital I've always felt interferred with the specialness of what was happening... I was really thrilled to find out that home birth is actually a really safe alternative

So, thoughts everyone??

(no, I'm not pregnant and I have no plans of getting pregnant until many many years from now LOL)

[nicolejoy]

I think the major "downside" to it is that IF anything is to go wrong, there isn't as much "support"... Of course, if everything's fine I'm sure it'd be a really wonderful experience... but I'd hate to have a home birth and then need an emergency caesar or something like that... or for the baby to have problems that need immediate attention...

Personally, I think that a good "half way" point is to go to one of those "birthing centres" run by midwives at the hospital - it's more like a hotel room, you can have a water-birth if you like, but still you're near to any emergency medical "back up" if you need it...

That said, I haven't ever majorly looked into it, just heard a bit here and there about it all...

[Amelia Bedelia]

yeah one of my coworkers uses a birthing center and that definitely sounds better than a hospital

from what I've heard the chances of something going wrong are so greatly reduced with HB and if you have an experienced midwife they can handle most of what might arise too and if not... well I'm not one for living in the boonies anyway and have never lived further than 5 miles from a major hospital LOL

[nicolejoy]

Is there a webpage or something about the home birth people that your friend is looking at?

I think that a lot of places in the world wouldn't have that kind of option available... I don't know if Australia does, and even if Hong Kong did, I don't think that very many people would want that Might disturb the people in the next apartment

[SippinTea]

Personally, I think that a good "half way" point is to go to one of those "birthing centres" run by midwives at the hospital - it's more like a hotel room, you can have a water-birth if you like, but still you're near to any emergency medical "back up" if you need it...

Our local hospital has a birthing center that is more or less shared by midwives and doctors. As I understand, you can opt to have your midwife deliver your baby, but if something goes seriously wrong, they have the needed equipment and doctors standing by to take care of the problem.

*shrug* I haven't really looked into it either.

[Amelia Bedelia]

I'll have to ask her about websites

one of the big points I've been hearing throughout this is that in many other countries - developed european countries - home birth is normal and accepted... unlike here where the doctors and the medical community are pretty much against it and most people don't even consider it because the first thought is that is has to be unsafe because we are trained to trust hospitals

but I'm more of an organic back to nature hippie type   :grin:

a lot of hospitals allow midwives and birthing centers... but you still have the government takeover of the baby  and thats something that really irks me LOL  to have a baby handed to you looking like merchandise from wal-mart with an alarm system and barcode reading system and the nurse has a little reader gun like a cashier... 

[SippinTea]

you still have the government takeover of the baby  and thats something that really irks me LOL  to have a baby handed to you looking like merchandise from wal-mart with an alarm system and barcode reading system and the nurse has a little reader gun like a cashier... 

  Yeah, I know what you mean. I am really opposed to all the required vaccinations, too. I don't think it's any of their business.

[JoleneHeather]

I had Elijah in a Birthing Center and I liked it.  The room was comfortable and homey, and I had more freedom, but I also had medical attention at hand.  It was nice.

[Arctic Rose]

I wish I could have done that, but alsa both mine had to be born by C-Section. So the only place I could have my boys was in a hospital.  But I  had always thought that would have been neat to have it at home and not have all the hospital noises around.

[newkris]

had i attempted to have j at home, we both would have died.  i seemed to be healthy.  he seemed to be healthy.  everything seemed to be perfect, just a little over due . . .  after 36 HOURS of labor . . . it was discovered that not only was my pelvis not big enough (hard to imagine) to deliver him naturally, but the cord was wrapped around his neck and he was choking himself every time he tried to descend.  if the cord hadn't been around his neck and he somehow managed to descend, he would have been born with a shoulder dystocia because i wasn't big enough.  had pushing been forced, he would have strangled.  i likely would have bled to death. 

i was a "perfect" candidate for a home birth.

we would have died.

you can take that chance if you'd like, but i am quite grateful that i didn't.  **shrug** to each his own .  . . eh, her own.

don't mean to be a downer, but . . . there are a lot of things to take into consideration when a baby is being born and in an instant something awful can happen. 

okay, maybe i have spent too much time defending docs in "bad baby" cases.  each case breaks my heart and makes me realize how fragile we human beings are.

[acjmom]

they have guidelines to prevent that sort of thing kris....  i've checked into it, but wasn't able to have one because i was on medicaid and they wouldn't cover it.  if you are in labor beyond a certain amount of time, and/or there seems to be any type of stress on you or the baby, they call an ambulance and send you to the hospital.  any good doula should have emergency precautions in place, and not wait until the last minute to take action.  i have an aunt in north carolina that used to be a doula (she also was a RN in labor/delivery for several years prior).  she jumped my case when i went up there for my grandfather's funeral just 2 months before my due date with jolie, cuz i had already been showing signs of pre-term labor.  i told her i felt like i'd be in good hands (my doc ok'd it too... only because i told him about my aunt)    she also flipped when she saw my arm.... i had just had my glucose test the day before leaving and was developing a HUGE hemotoma at the draw site.  she took good care of me 

[littlegal]

Two of my uncles children were born at home.  It was a good experience for them.  Of course all the rest of the family thought they were weird and nuts, haha.    I don't think i would be completely opposed to it, but in my case, i had to have an emergency c-section, so it wasn't an option for me. 
Around here, i don't even know where to begin looking for  a birthing center.

Another side to the home birth issue, my uncles wife's mother died during a home birth attempting a VBAC.  There were complications and they couldnt' get her to the hospital.  She and the baby both died and my aunt and her sister were left without a mother.  That was many years ago, but still....

[acjmom]

most docs recommend you be at a hospital for a VBAC... it's considered a pretty high risk delivery.  i can't speak for all doulas, but i know my aunt won't do a home VBAC.

[littlegal]

I couldn't even find a hopsital that would let me try one down here 
I'm upset about it now, because if I could have found someone to let me try one, i might still be able to  have kids now...  Of course, I might now have been able to, but at least I woud know that I tried.

[acjmom]

with all the issues you've had during pregnancy kim, i doubt a home-birth would've been a good idea.  if you go into labor prior to 37 or 38 weeks they send you to the hospital.

[nicolejoy]

I read up a bit about it after looking at this thread, and it actually looks pretty good - and they monitor the baby really closely and call an ambulance if the mother needs to get to the hospital!! I think that probably a birthing centre would be a better option though...

[acjmom]

birthing centers can allow for a little more risk too cuz they have more medical equipment on hand. 

i sort-of had my kids at a birthing center.  the hospital where i delivered calls their maternity area "the family birthplace", and it's set up more comfortable than most.  the room is like a hotel room, but with a hospital-type bed and there's a nurse station at the end of the hall.  the nurses are trained in lamaze, and do whatever they can to help make you comfortable during labor.  you choose how you want your labor to go (no water births though)... they pretty much just call for the doc when it's delivery time.  after the baby is born they don't take the baby to the nursery unless you specifically ask them too, and even then they usually keep the baby at the nurse's station rather than putting them in the nursery.  they help you get yourself cleaned up too.  they really cater to the families at that hospital. 

[Jennie-lynnie]

birthing centers can allow for a little more risk too cuz they have more medical equipment on hand. 

i sort-of had my kids at a birthing center.  the hospital where i delivered calls their maternity area "the family birthplace", and it's set up more comfortable than most.  the room is like a hotel room, but with a hospital-type bed and there's a nurse station at the end of the hall.  the nurses are trained in lamaze, and do whatever they can to help make you comfortable during labor.  you choose how you want your labor to go (no water births though)... they pretty much just call for the doc when it's delivery time.  after the baby is born they don't take the baby to the nursery unless you specifically ask them too, and even then they usually keep the baby at the nurse's station rather than putting them in the nursery.  they help you get yourself cleaned up too.  they really cater to the families at that hospital. 

That sounds exactly like the hospital where I had Noah. It's also called "The Family Birthplace." I loved it!

[*Christi*]

Also sounds very much like the hospital where I had all 3 of my babies.  It's a small hospital with only 6 rooms when I had the boys and they expanded between Isaac and Isabelle to 12 rooms.  They do allow water births too.  The nurses just do exactly what YOUR doctor says.  My Dr with Noah was a jerk and I had a terrible delivery.  But if I had been at home, there would have been serious complications.  He ended up being delivered with forceps to avoid an emergency c-section and I had 3rd degree tears.

If you are doing so because you are a crunchy hippie type, that's your thing... whatever.  But I have a friend who had one to save money and I found THAT to be ridiculous!!  She informed me that a midwife was less than 1/2 of the cost of an OB and then there would be no hospital bills either.  She delivered her son in a kiddie pool in her living room.  That boy was over 10lbs!!  They had no idea because she never had an ultrasound.  I also read a blog recently about a lady in WA I think it was that was a midwife herself and delivered her baby at home with another midwife.  The baby did not live and she had to be hospitalized.  She says after the fact that she wished she would have had the baby at the hospital.  They were only minutes from the hospital but it was minutes too long.

As for the tagging of the baby... I'm actually very glad that they do that.  That is for the babies protection!  If the baby gets too close to the doors an alarm will sound.  It's so that nobody can steal the baby out of the LDRP dept.  Also so that the right baby goes with the right mommy (and daddy, Josh had to wear a matching hospital bracelet).

[littlegal]

Oh, I would have never really wanted a home birth.   I'm too much of a scaredy cat for that, haha.  What I wanted to try was a VBAC.


The hopsital I had westley in had an amazing birthing ward.  I was so looking forward to having him there.  Then I ended up with a c-section, so I dind't get to enjoy any of it.  It was a fantastic hosptal though.  Brand new and the ob side even had their own ER.  So with my first I had the very best, with my last two, here, well....This hospital is not known for being too great.  It was quite a step down.  If I had been here first, it wouldn'tbe so bad, but I had seen how good it could be, so I was greatly dissapointed with the hospital experience here.

[rapunzelgirl]

I wouldn't do it for my first, but might with my second or third if everything was going okay.

I want to have my first in a birthing center with a midwife.  Their c-section rates are much lower.  Note: They also would be more willing to try a VBAC for those who have had c-sections.

If you want to read some positive homebirth stories go to www.mothering.com/discussions.  Great board for non-mainstream parenting ideas (no vax, no circ, exclusive breastfeeding, co-sleeping, etc.).  Some of them are a little kooky, but definitely interesting.

ETA: Or, for a Christian site try www.gentlechristianmothers.com/mb/.

[newkris]

okay so maybe it's safe to youse guys . .  and i'm just too old to trust it. 

i had a hard enough time allowing my grandbabies to be born in the small town hospital where they live . .  . just seemed . .  . too remote for me!  maybe that's why it's better to have babies when you're younger.  you are more trusting and more adventerous.  the older i get, the less trusting i am of things.

better you than me, kiddos!

[myhaloisintheshop]

I'm with ya Kris.


It just scares me and to me it would be taking a chance

[Envelope]

I KNOW too much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I would not EVER try to have my baby at home................

I had both of my babies at the hospital that I used to work at.  The L&D ward was new (as the whole hospital was new...LOL)  and you got to stay in the same room for labor/delivery/postpartum.  It was really NICE!!!  The room was HUGE!!!!  When I was delivering Kaitlynn, the doctor had the nurses roll up a large mirror so that I could see the progress of her descent.  I loved that the doctor and nurses were RIGHT there!!!!  I just could NOT consider having a baby at home!!

sharon

[acjmom]

they offered the mirror thing with mine, but i didn't really want to see everything    without my glasses on it would've been difficult to see anyway, and i was a little distracted being that i had no epidural