home birth or hospital birth

[babypoot]

Hi Everyone. I'm on the last trimester and I'm wondering what you can suggest from the two. This is my first pregnancy and thinking about home birth but, I'm a bit scared. Any suggestion please?

 

[Mum2BKW]

Because it's our first and we really don't know what to expect we have decided to go to the hospital. However, our hospital has a lovely midwife led unit which is separate to the main delivery wing - they are all about natural birth there and have rooms with special lighting, pools, active birth equipment etc. If you decide you want an epidural or any complications come up it takes all of 2 minutes to get the the delivery suite where the doctors are.

For me, the advantages are:

- They have all the equipment there for an active birth or water birth, I won't need to buy or hire anything
- If I do want stronger pain relief (which they can't give you at home) everything is close by
- Hubbie is reassured because the Doctors are so close should anything go wrong. We only live 10 minutes from the hospital but even this made him nervous.
- They have a 6 hour discharge if everything goes smoothly so hopefully I'll be back home really quickly after the birth anyway.
- I won't need to clean up afterwards!

If all goes smoothly for number 1 I would seriously consider a home birth for number 2. Also if the midwife led centre wasn't there I'd be a little more keen to go for it this time too, but we are fortunate enough to have that facility available and it seems a really good happy-medium

Also - apparently 50% of home births end up transferring to hospital either during or immediately after labour anyway, so Hubbie thought we may as well start off there!

 

[summer rain]

I had a home birth with my second youngest. It had its plus and minus points but we didn't have to really clean up anything, the equipment the midwives bring meant that there was literally a couple of spots of blood on a pillow and our machine washable rug and these could easily be thrown in the wash. We didn't have to buy anything either, just a pound shop shower curtain, anything else we would have bought for a hospital birth anyway (snacks etc). In my case the midwives didn't bring the mouthpieces for the gas and air and also came not long before he was born, but then again that day there had been two horrendous road accidents in the area-why the midwives were so late and by the time we had set off to the hospital and they would have admitted us, he could well have ended up being born on the way or before getting into a delivery suite anyway. He also had the cord round his neck and I have been told staying put was the safest thing in that situation. At the time there were zero birthing centres in this area, now there are three.

Birth centres/MLUs are good but bear in mind some are not all that much different to the consultant led unit at the same hospital, except for having less options of pain relief. The new one at one of the local hospitals, the only difference is they have laminate flooring, pools in every room (though most are inflatable) and that's about it. Some are previous CLUs that they just added birthing balls in and pools but overall the appearance is very clinical. The MLU where I had my second eldest was like this. Also some have very strict criteria as to who they would allow in, some don't allow women in who have had any complications in this or any previous pregnancy or delivery. They can also often be full on the day. To be honest I haven't personally met anyone else who was actually able to give birth in the birthing centre when the time came. Xx

 

[xxVickyxx]

I would reccommend a home birth any day!! I have had both an induced hospital birth last year and most recently a home water birth and I can honestly say my home birth was the best experience of my life! I would do it again in a heartbeat xx

 

[youngy]

Hi Hun I'm booked a home birth, first baby, so not a expert. How ever I am 100% sure of my choice and I have done loads of research ect.
I think if you are not 100% or worried about a home birth then you will not feel relaxed about it if you know what I mean?
Good luck with your choice , if you have any questions xxxx

 

[DLA]

Personally I feel more comfortable in a hospital, but that's just me. I know lots of ladies on here have had wonderful home birth experiences that I'm sure are happy to share details on!

 

[Chellxx]

Sorry for tri hopping but I had a CLU birth first time round and was so glad I did as he got stuck and I ended up with an episiotomy and an assisted delivery. My 2nd I would of had at home but we we're living in a hostel so I had her in the MLU which was fab (although I was only there 14 minutes before she was born) I stayed in the night as I didn't want to go back to the hostel on her first night. They were really lovely, I had my own room and it was very peaceful and relaxing.

We have moved now too far from my last hospital and I'm 80% going for a home birth this time, the only thing that puts me off is setting boundaries with my mum, I'm worried that the minute she knows I'm in labour she'll turn up and I won't be able to get her to leave, she likes to be involved and very hands on.

If you feel you will be comfortable with a home birth and your mw thinks you will be ok then I'd say go for it! I know a few people who had home births and no-one has regretted it!

 

[Mum2BKW]

Birth centres/MLUs are good but bear in mind some are not all that much different to the consultant led unit at the same hospital, except for having less options of pain relief.

- This will obviously vary by region, but really isn't the case for ours. I think many facilities will give you a tour if you're considering having your baby there, so perhaps the OP can see for herself what the facilities are like in her area before making a decision?

Also some have very strict criteria as to who they would allow in, some don't allow women in who have had any complications in this or any previous pregnancy or delivery.

- In my area, this is no different for a home birth. They will discourage you (though they obviously can't stop you) from having a home birth if you have had any complications in pregnancy or any history of problems in childbirth, which I think is totally understandable.

To be honest I haven't personally met anyone else who was actually able to give birth in the birthing centre when the time came. Xx

- I have, and I find this statement is a little biased. I also know people who have planned home births and had to transfer to hospital (both through complications and through no midwife being available to come out to them when their labour started). I know people who have planned to have their baby as hospital A but when in labour have been told that L&D is full and they will have to go to hospital B, which might be some distance away. I think whatever your birth plan is you need to be prepared to be flexible as anything can happen!

 

[summer rain]

I can only speak for the birth centres in my area, other areas of London that I know and in Manchester where I am originally from. I did get to have my second eldest in a MLU as mentioned however it was adapted from a CLU so only difference was really that the rooms were double the size (they were knocked through) and had en suite bathrooms and kitchenettes, after birth they still sent you to a recovery room or the ward which I understand is different than many birth centres. Not all birth centres/hospitals do tours.

The major difference between a home birth and a MLU is legally they have to allow you to have a home birth, no matter what risk factors you may meet, whereas with a birth centre there is one legal opinion saying if you have been told you can have your baby in the birth centre throughout pregnancy they have to facilitate this unless there are extremely strong reasons otherwise, but most say that birth centres are entitled to admit or refuse admittance to whoever they choose and to set in place any policies or criteria that they wish. I am allowed a home birth though I didn't like the midwives who attend home deliveries in this area, not their preferences and so I decided to give it a miss-I have been told though that I would have no chance of getting into any of the birthing centres around here because this is my fifth baby. Similarly they are legally required to send midwives out to you for a home-birth and if none are available they have to send agency midwives or even independent midwives, most women don't protest when they are told they must come in due to staffing levels but it is their right to be attended at home. With a birth centre the health authorities are under no obligation to even keep it open, staff it adequately or anything else so there are quite a few differences xx

 

[summer rain]

And with a home birth unless it was in your most recent pregnancy they don't usually care if you had forceps, pre-e, depression or anything else in a previous pregnancy/birth whereas some birth centres will not admit any women who have had complications in any pregnancy even if it was in their first pregnancy and they are now on their fourth for example xx

 

[MrsWhy]

Hi,

I had a hospital birth with my son due to pre-e, it was good that I was in hospital too as I suffered with a post partum haemorrhage (rare complication) and ended up having to have a blood transfusion.

This time round, I will be in hospital again as it is more than likely I will suffer from another haemorrhage and they will be keeping a close eye on me because of it. This is only what happened to me and wouldn't happen to probably 95% of other women in labour.

A friend of mine chose to have a home birth and everything was going great until they found the baby was just too big to come naturally. She was transported to hospital and had an emergency c-section (baby was 9lb 15.5). If she got pregnant again she would opt for a home birth again.

I guess I'm saying that if you end up opting for a home birth, then usually they go fine and in those rare instances where they don't, the midwives will get you to hospital.

Xx

 

[tinkerbelle93]

I had a hospital birth with my son but next time I'm really swaying towards a home birth. I spent a lot of my labour at home and found it easier to cope with the pain in my own surrondings, I would have felt a lot more relaxed if I'd been able to just stay there for the duration of my labour and birth. I hated going to the hospital, it was busy and the staff were stressed-out and I felt like an inconvenience and endured a lot of tutting and eye-rolling. I hate hospitals in general and just didn't feel comfortable in such a clinical setting full of machines and other people. I hated having to stay the night.. I was so tired from two nights in labour and just wanted to sleep but other women's babies on the ward screamed continuously through the night so I hardly got any. I just hated it! Obviously, this is just my personal experience.

My sister-in-law gave birth a few months ago at the same hospital and had a good experience so some it's down to luck but the thought of giving birth at home just seems so appealing to me. I have also read that when you have a home-birth you feel more in control because you and the midwife are in YOUR territory which makes sense. There are also no birthing centres in my area so that is not an option to me! I'd say to do lots of research to make up your mind. xx

 

[summer rain]

At the end of the day hospital or home birth, both have their pros and cons, and with both you get ladies who just aren't comfortable with the idea. If you're at home and you need to be transferred the midwives can call ahead and get you to the hospital and admitted, sometimes quicker than you would be transferred within the hospital. The midwives also have emergency equipment with them and aside from 3rd and 4th degree tears, they can do any stitches at home. It is always difficult to say for sure but it does seem that in some cases interventions are caused by the hospital environment and may well not have happened at home or in a maternity led unit. I've had babies in CLUs, a MLU and a home birth and I did have a horrendous experience with my eldest in a CLU but had my youngest at the same unit, albeit drastically overhauled and it was better than my home birth in many respects, my second eldest was a MLU but they had some overly clinical policies such as automatically inserting a cannula/IV for no reason whatsoever as soon as you arrived and my home birth was scary at the beginning as it was a precipitate labour and the midwives got stuck in traffic but it was nice to be in my own house and I felt completely back to normal by the next morning xx

 

[Pielette]

I had a home birth with my first baby and plan on having another with this one.

I had an amazing birth, I was relaxed and at ease in my own environment. The midwives I had were very good and respected my wishes not to be examined and simply checked on LO's heartbeat and let me get on with it. I did not want to be in a clinical environment, I wanted to be in my own surroundings with my DH and my mum and it went very well. 7 hours from start to finish. I didn't have pain relief and had a natural third stage. Cleaning up afterwards wasn't really a problem, I had my own pool and my mum and DH emptied it afterwards, the midwives helped to clear everything away too.

My hospital is 10 minutes away and that was enough for me. Midwives can handle almost any situation that could arise - naturally they can't do surgery, but it takes half an hour to prep for an emergency c-section anyway so if you live within a sensible distance of a hospital it isn't an issue. They are extremely well trained to spot potential problems from an early stage so will transfer you in if necessary.

Home birthing has been statistically shown to reduce the need for intervention, typically because the labouring woman is more relaxed and at ease.

Of course, if you would feel more comfortable being closer to the doctors then that also makes sense

I enjoyed my first birth so much that I honestly can't wait to do it again

 

[aliss]

I've had one of each. My home birth ended in transfer after prolonged pushing/labour (he was born less than one hour later at the hospital, drug-free/no assistance/still with midwives). I would still do a home birth again in a heartbeat, labouring at home and even transition/pushing was far easier in the home environment than at the hospital. Most girls who end up transfering don't regret the decision to attempt the home birth. There are various transfers and it's important to remember that the majority of them are by first time mothers who want pain relief at the hospital, rather than things going wrong.

I guess things vary in the world but here, the midwives clean up after and have their own medical cleaning tools for that.