1st time mums-Home Birth or not??

[trumpetbum]

My mum has worked in neonatal intensive care for the past 30 years, and she tells me if you want your baby to be safe, then there is no safer place than in a large public hospital. Home births are dangerous. If something goes wrong, then there is very little medical equipment to save it. It will have to be rushed to hospital and this could seriously endanger it's life. If you value it's life, then have it in a hospital. That's all I can say.

Amy while I value you and your mum's opinion, experience of working in SCBU or NICU does tend to skew opinion and assessment of risk. The evidence available does not back this opinion up, especially the infant mortality and morbidity rates for homebirth in those areas and countries where there is both good quality antenatal and maternity care and where homebirth for low risk pregnancy is the norm. The statement that homebirth is dangerous simply isn't supported by current evidence. Women who choose to birth at home are generally well informed in my experience.

 

[aliss]

If you value it's life, then have it in a large public hospital. That's all I can say.

I've seen a lot of shocking comments on this site in the past 9 months, but that might just take the cake.

 

[amy_2]

My mum has worked in neonatal intensive care for the past 30 years, and she tells me if you want your baby to be safe, then there is no safer place than in a large public hospital. Home births are dangerous. If something goes wrong, then there is very little medical equipment to save it. It will have to be rushed to hospital and this could seriously endanger it's life. If you value it's life, then have it in a hospital. That's all I can say.

Amy while I value you and your mum's opinion, experience of working in SCBU or NICU does tend to skew opinion and assessment of risk. The evidence available does not back this opinion up, especially the infant mortality and morbidity rates for homebirth in those areas and countries where there is both good quality antenatal and maternity care and where homebirth for low risk pregnancy is the norm. The statement that homebirth is dangerous simply isn't supported by current evidence. Women who choose to birth at home are generally well informed in my experience.

Put simply it's just that there's a lot more medical equipment and trained medical staff in a large public hospital vs. your home. There is no denying that. And if something did go wrong, then I fail to see how your baby would be as safe in your own home as in a hospital.

I haven't personally seen statistics, but that is just my opinion and the opinions I have heard from my mum and other medical staff. I know that I wouldn't want to have a baby at home. But at the end of the day, it's your choice what you do.

 

[trumpetbum]

My mum has worked in neonatal intensive care for the past 30 years, and she tells me if you want your baby to be safe, then there is no safer place than in a large public hospital. Home births are dangerous. If something goes wrong, then there is very little medical equipment to save it. It will have to be rushed to hospital and this could seriously endanger it's life. If you value it's life, then have it in a hospital. That's all I can say.

Amy while I value you and your mum's opinion, experience of working in SCBU or NICU does tend to skew opinion and assessment of risk. The evidence available does not back this opinion up, especially the infant mortality and morbidity rates for homebirth in those areas and countries where there is both good quality antenatal and maternity care and where homebirth for low risk pregnancy is the norm. The statement that homebirth is dangerous simply isn't supported by current evidence. Women who choose to birth at home are generally well informed in my experience.

Put simply it's just that there's a lot more medical equipment and trained medical staff in a large public hospital vs. your home. There is no denying that. And if something did go wrong, then I fail to see how your baby would be as safe in your own home as in a hospital.

I haven't personally seen statistics, but that is just my opinion and the opinions I have heard from my mum and other medical staff. I know that I wouldn't want to have a baby at home. But at the end of the day, it's your choice what you do.

Like I say, you're entitled to your opinion. I just wanted to point out that it wasn't supported by evidence, quite the opposite and it's a very strong statement to make when unsubstantiated. I'd be more inclined to think that valuing life means having an evidence base for health care choices, but that's just me.

 

[sleepinbeauty]

I am aiming for a hb with my 1st. Hospitals are so unnecessary in most cases and they care more about their schedule than our bodies and belief. F**k that, I'll stay home in my own space with my own clothes and my own food, where I know I'm safe and that I will be respected.

 

[Gille01]

If I can do it, I would love to. I want to at least attempt to labor here at home as long as possible and then go to a birth center close to a hospital. I'm not a fan of hospitals at all.

 

[Ashley999]

My SIL is going to have a midwife and do a home birth. She's super excited to try something different. I guess I am a super square and too nervous to have a home birth. We're going to have a hospital birth but going to try and have a natural birth.

 

[trumpetbum]

I wouldn't say you're a super square If you're more comfortable in hospital, it's the best place for you to be.

 

[Pilot]

I think I would feel more comfortable in a hospital just because I know all help is a walk away.
And also the thought of anything going terribly wrong, I would not want that feeling to be hanging over me in my own home but rather "leave" the bad at the hospital if it did

 

[dragonhawk]

... I would not want that feeling to be hanging over me in my own home but rather "leave" the bad at the hospital if it did

Pilot, that's reasoning behind my thinking too. Things can end badly.

But I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens... as we're not currently TTC yet.

 

[4magpies]

If I had of been born at home I wouldnt be here now.

That hasnt put me off home births. I like the idea of birthing centres. I think I will try and labour for aslong as I can at home then go hospital. Or try and have a water birth at the hospital.

xxx

 

[booflebump]

I'm going to try for a homebirth providing I dont have GBS which has shown up on a previous test done while I was having a smear x

 

[Princess_LV]

... I would not want that feeling to be hanging over me in my own home but rather "leave" the bad at the hospital if it did

Pilot, that's reasoning behind my thinking too. Things can end badly.

But I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens... as we're not currently TTC yet.

But do you not think that if something where to go wrong at the hospital, and you left those "bad feelings" there, you'd associate hospitals with those bad feelings with subsequent births?

My reasoning behind being pro-homebirth is that hospitals intervene, and a lot of the time they do so unecessarily. Once that first intervention has been made, another is more likley to be needed, and so on until the whole process becomes completely medicalised and in a lot of cases, rushed. Whereas, if you give birth at home, things happen the way that they should do, at the speed that they should do.

I do believe that hospitals, at least in the UK, are improving as regards birth - more options are being given to mothers such as the use of alternatve pain relief methods and allowing more movement for an active birth, but they have a long way to go until they reach a standard that would be ideal for me.

I think the subject will always be a toughy, as there will always be people out there that look down on the decision as "unsafe," as we have already seen on this thread. I cannot talk for everyone that chooses homebirth, but I know that I would not be taking the decision lightly; my childs safety will always come first, but I do not agree with the poster who said that if you value your childs life, you will chose a hospital birth. In fact, I find that very narrow minded and condescending. Choosing a homebirth in a low risk pregnancy places no more risk on the child than a hospital birth, in fact that stats suggest the opposite. Unfortunately, it is an opinion I will no doubt face several more times before I even get pregnant!

 

[booflebump]

[
My reasoning behind being pro-homebirth is that hospitals intervene, and a lot of the time they do so unecessarily. Once that first intervention has been made, another is more likley to be needed, and so on until the whole process becomes completely medicalised and in a lot of cases, rushed. Whereas, if you give birth at home, things happen the way that they should do, at the speed that they should do.

I agree. A lot of intervention occurs because you are in the hospital in the first place. If you'd been at home the need for intervention may never have arisen.

That said, we have a lot of wonderful maternity hospitals with great midwives who advocate natural, calm births so we are lucky to have these options

 

[Pilot]

But do you not think that if something where to go wrong at the hospital, and you left those "bad feelings" there, you'd associate hospitals with those bad feelings with subsequent births?

I guess you are asking me? Not sure since you quoted both!

I'm not sure what I will do yet as I still got at least a year before anything would happen. I just have from previous experiences regarding illness found myself more relaxed in a hospital because when I was younger I always had the fear of not getting to the hospital in time when there was a chance I would need it.

As regarding the bad feelings, well if something like that would happen then yea, I most likely would associate hospitals with horrible stuff and never want to go back again. But it's just that, then I can have a home birth as if it happened in my own house I could not get away from it so easily.

Hope you understand what I mean. I am in no way again home births at all. Infact I am pro all natural ones. Women have been giving birth forever and it's not always needed with the unnecessary intervention as you say. it's just the memories I have from previous health issues that makes me personally want to give birth in a hospital.

 

[Celesse]

Planned Home Birth = Safe. Fact.
Research has shown that for a low risk pregnancy and labour home birth is at least as safe as a hospital birth.

There's no need to be in hospital "just in case"...that's what blue light ambulance transfers are for!!! (Read my birth story)
I was transferred down a very busy high street, during rush hour when I was in labour..... and they still got me there without any hassle.

I was a planned home birth with my LO. I started labouring at home. LO's heart rate went up an we where transferred to hospital, eventually having a section. When it stopped being safe we had plenty of time to transfer to hospital. If I had gone into hospital initially the outcome would have been exactly the same.

If my labour had carried on at home then the outcome could have been bad.....but it was a planned home birth, with 3 midwives there at one point.... and part of that plan is that when things deviate from the norm the ambulance service are aware you are labouring and can get you into hospital very quickly.

A lot of the complications of modern childbirth happen due to the interventions offered in hospital. When medics start interfering with the natural processes of childbirth further interventions often become necessary.

If you are having a normal labour then the care you receive from a midwife at home is exactly the same as that you would receive in hospital. Both would use observation, take the same recordings and use an intermittent monitor for the baby. The quality of care you get at home is most likely better.... Community midwives are generally more experienced and they only have you to care for. The stage of labour I was in when I was transferred would probably have meant I was sharing a midwife if I had been in hospital....rather than having 3 there at my house.

 

[Princess_LV]

Pilot, I hope I didn't sound like I was suggesting you are against them, that part of the comment was a lot more general. I do understand what you mean, but having had bad experiences rather than good myself, my mind has been pushed the other way. If I HAD to give birth in hospital for any reason, I'd still want to do it as naturally as possible as you say, mainly because I feel that this is what our bodies are designed to do, so why not let them get on with it? x

 

[Celesse]

https://www.babyandbump.com/bnb-groups/255340-home-birthers-hopefuls.html
There's been a handful of in labour transfers for various reasons. All babies have been safe and all transfers have been unproblematic.

 

[Pops]

Hi girls :wave:

I am a previous WTT'er and will be back once Missy arrives in a few weeks time.

I can only speak from our experience so far but I thought I would share. Missy is our first baby and when we saw our GP and had our booking appointment it was assumed that we would have a hospital birth, by them and by us. As the weeks went on, Boyo and I realised that we really didn't want one. We are real homebodies and are never happier or calmer than when here, so, we started to look into it and by the 14 week mark or so, had decided that all being well, the Home Birth route was the one we wanted to go down.

We set about doing some serious research, we spoke to people, we read books, we done it all and not once did we come across anything that made us waver on our decision, in fact, all we found were statistics, facts and stories which made us more determined to go down the HB route.

We met with a lot of "your mad" type comments and "what if.." comments - we always ask what if what? People say it without really thinking about what they are saying and no one ever has an anwer other than "well, if something goes wrong"...Ok, if what goes wrong....and they can never follow up.

We would NEVER do anything to put Missy in danger, she is our world already, nor would Boyo let me put myself in any danger and we know enough about hospital births, inductions and C-Sections, as it would have been ignorant not to have educated ourselves about all possible outcomes, to cope whatever happens.

It is not for everyone, there is no right or wrong decision here but all I know is the only thing that has ever caused me any degree of stress or worry through our entire (very easy, enjoyable and simple) pregnancy has been the thought of having her in a hospital laying flat on my back with a load of people trying to do stuff to us that doesn't really need doing.

I'll go away now

xxx

 

[Princess_LV]

Been stalking that thread for a while, and I really suggest those of you that are interested in a home birth yourself go and have a read, or at least bookmark it for when the time is closer - it's really informative, and even if you decide on a natural birth in a birth centre, there is a lot of discussion on how to keep your birth as natural as possible, and just generally birth in a way that you are comfortable with.