Please join our Facebook group for more general chit chat and a place that you can post links, videos, news articles etc.

Home Birthers & Hopefuls on Facebook

Please feel free to invite anyone you want to.

We also have a homebirthers and hopefuls reference site with LOTS of useful information here.

Hello!! My name is Mervs Mum AKA Lisa :-)

I thought I'd start a group for people hoping for a home birth, thinking about home birth or who have had a home birth and want to tell the world about it!! If you would like to add your due date to the list drop me a PM

At the time of starting this group I was hoping for a home birth with my 3rd baby!

I've had a hospital induction and a wonderful and very successful 'birth centre' birth and think home birth is the next obvious step for me. I am currently taking a hypnobirthing course with my OH. Up until starting the hypno course, he wasnt really up for a home birth. Since starting the course and talking to his best friend over Christmas, he has become much more open to the idea. His best friend and wife are 12 weeks pregnant with their first and hoping for a home birth also.

His main reservation is that we have a wonderful birth centre which is on the same site as the hospital and so this seems like the best of both worlds - the relaxed atmosphere we want but with the back up right there to hand if needed.

I am hopeful that he will want to plan for a home birth after our next appointment with the MW. She is very pro home birth and has set aside extra time to answer his questions and help us to come to a decision. I've been sending him birth stories and other resources to read - this website seems quite objective about the pros and cons of home birth http://www.homebirth.org.uk/

In the meantime I have bought a birth pool and cant stop thinking about it!!

I found this home hypno birth video on youtube and this is EXACTLY how I see my birth and I just know if I can get him on side it will be just as serene and wonderful



Helpful Links and Reading Recommendations

Books
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
Birthing The Easy Way - Sheila Stubbs - CLICK HERE FOR A BOOKLET VERSION OF THE BOOK! OR PM me to buy your copy (UK only)
Hypnobirthing The Mongan Method - Marie Mongan
Juju Sundin's Birth Skills

Useful Links

http://www.homebirth.org.uk/
http://bringbirthhome.com/
http://www.birthingtheeasyway.com/
http://www.gentlebirth.org/index.html
http://www.spinningbabies.com/ - for optimal fetal positioning
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homebirthUK/
http://www.airedalemums.co.uk/
http://www.motherbabymidwifery.com/m...Homebirth.html
Some HB statistics

Birth Pools
http://madeinwater.co.uk/pool.html
http://www.birthworks.co.uk/
https://www.birthpoolinabox.co.uk/


Home/Hypno/Water Birth and other Videos

Rikki Lake's The Business of Being Born - http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/9...rn?tab=summary
(you will need this free torrent software too - http://topdrawerdownloads.com/download/104773 )



http://www.mybirth.tv/video-diary.cfm?id=13


Links for Home Birth Dads.

http://www.homebirth.org.uk/blokesven.htm
http://www.homebirth.org.uk/blokes.htm
http://natality.co.uk/content/view/30/9/
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/papatoto.asp
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/..._feature.shtml
http://www.choicemidwives.org/?page_id=22
http://www.homebirthbook.com/1.html

Having difficulty getting your care providers to support your home birth?

Contact here if you have issues with the email address quoted in the post this is an alternative dhmail@dh.gsi.gov.uk

Useful advice from a member on this thread

To see how your hospital compares to others in supporting HB Google 'Healthcare Commission's Survey Results' and the name of your hospital....you can see how they compare against other hospitals in the UK and the national averages.

Have a blinkie!!



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Can i join...i am a home labourer but unfortunately never made it all the way to the birth
i spent 30 hours at home before i had to transfer 4 a c-section (due to Kian passing meconium) Kian was laying back to back and it caused a lot of problems...Apparently he was pretty stuck! if only my MW or someone had told b how important good fetal positioning was!!!...Now i know more abt it i shall b spending next labour crawling around on my hands and knees as much as pos! lol

i really liked labouring at home and i hope to have a full homebirth next time. i had a birthing pool as well which i spent quite a bit of time in.

being at home is great and i found time seemed to go much quicker coz i had so many things to keep me occupied (OH and i baked a cake at 1am after being in labour for 19 hours! lol)

I think OH had a hard time towards the end tho...He said he felt really alone and freaked out when things started to get tough (i got quite upset coz i was so tired!) I don't think he was prepared for feeling so powerless. Next time i would def have another birthing partner there along with OH so he doesn't feel so alone.

i'd b really interested to hear abt ur hypno birthing classes. i did it home study style this time but i'd like to do the full course next time.

YES! Especially as it's YOUR book and CD that was the catalyst for my OH considering a home birth!!

Re your OH. I think he'd find the course really useful. My OH said after just one class that he would feel less powerless this time. They really are key to the whole hypno part. They need to understand how your body is working and watch for certain signs etc.

that video is amazing, brought tears to my eyes

i think if ross and i take the plunge for another a home birth it would be, as my labours last under an hour it probably would make much more sense. Ive never thought about nor really heard of hypnobirthing but omg it looks fabulous, good luck convincing dh MM not that he probs needs it just show him the vid

ps i cant believe youre only 10 weeks away

Here's another home/hypno birth.....and the baby is called Sid!

http://www.mybirth.tv/video-diary.cfm?id=13

sooooooo show me the pool ? did you get it online ?

Here it is.....http://madeinwater.co.uk/pool.html

I bought it from another BnBer

I really like the idea of a home birth. My sister had one with her 4th and said it was so much better than her hospital experiences.

I am not sure whether I will be allowed as Poppy was so prem, but I am going to ask - they can only say no I guess!

I had a home birth and it was great My midwives were awesome, we had trouble with his positioning and the gas and air and bleeding after but they took care of everything. I would recommend it to anyone!

I wonder what the essential items are for a home birth......with all things baby related, bet there are plenty of gimmicky things you dont really need....

Question to mum's that have already home birthed:

Exactly how much mess was there? I think my hubby is imagining we will need re carpeting throughout the whole house......