Hospital, Birthing Centre, Home. Pros and Cons

[Celesse]

I'm trying to get it straight in my head what I want to do for this birth of this baby and wondered if you could help me out with some pro's and con's for Hospital, Home and Birthing Centre.

A bit of brainstorming really! I think it will really help if I can pick out the points relevant to me and see them written out when I have my booking appointment next week. This will be a VBAC birth with a doula, but any comments welcome. Gonna post in First trimester, since I'm first tri and Home and Natural Birthing for a range of answers.

Thanks.

 

[Nyn]

Hi there,

I've just had some excellent advice and views from a few ladies here in a post I started a few days ago regarding birth center and home birth

https://www.babyandbump.com/home-na...etween-birth-center-hb-opinions-please-x.html

x

 

[tristansmum]

i'm hoping for a vbac next time. can you still go to a birth centre for VBAC?? I won't do it at home but would love birth centre over hospital if it is an option

 

[NuKe]

ok ive only had a hospital birth so here's my pros and cons for that:

pros
24/7 help establishing bfing while you are there, if u shud need it
help is right there if a problem should arise
if u need some sleep (as i did after 3 straight days awake) the midwives can take baby away to give u a break for a couple of hours
no clean up to do

cons
usually daddy can't stay with you afterwards
even if your baby is sleeping, theres always another one crying and keeping you awake
in a strange place with a funny smell
ppl can just wander in and out of your suite (doctors etc i mean not patients )

pregnancy brain is kickin my ass so that's all i can think of right now!

 

[Celesse]

i'm hoping for a vbac next time. can you still go to a birth centre for VBAC?? I won't do it at home but would love birth centre over hospital if it is an option

I was a planned home birth last time and a transfer. There's a birthing centre opening soon attached to our hospital and my midwife has suggested that I try to negotiate an admission to the birthing centre rather than deliver at home. I think her basic suggestion was that if I threatened to deliver against medical advice at home (which I basically have done) then maybe they would allow me into the birthing centre even though I'm high risk, so I'd say to them I'll only come in if you let me deliver in the birthing centre. I have a feeling the answer is going to be no.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Why did you choose a home birth last time? What is different this time other than your are obviously hoping not to transfer and this will be a VBAC?

 

[Bournefree]

Oh Celesse, you are having big wobbles. It's Ok, IT WILL BE OK. It is natural considering the prep for your first., please, please, remeber this is different.

You and I both know that the patronising "your brave" comments passed on to you by family friends and well-wishers, is more than an little enoying when you are planning a home birth the first time round, but do you know what I think is brave?
Recognising this pregancy is unique, and you can over-come and surpass your previuos experience mentally. It takes courage. I know you have it. Why should your faith in yourself or body be wavered? You can do this. Don't let your choices be hindered.
Make yourself aware of the reasons you are wavering, Consder them in perpective. You are stronger because of your experiences.

You know that the concern with previous c-section is UR, but it is tiny!!! 0.05% the best choice for your health is a vaginal delivery, even your consultant will back that up. So you have to decide your birth options... It wil be somewhere you feel comfortable.

What do you want Celesse? You know the pros and cons, but I also know from this post you are feeling alone - you are not. There is nothing to say you can't have your home birth.
XxX

 

[lynnikins]

you can have your homebirth hun, i would consdier how you feel that having your daughter around will affect your labor though , i know for me being around children while im in labor even if its my own kids isnt a great idea as i cant focus properly on having the baby while im thinking about another child of mine. so it was that reason mainly that led me to the MW unit last time although i ended up induced in the end but i did give birth on the MW unit as there were no other rooms avalible lol so no monitors or anything around for the birth lol.
And its what will take me back to the MW unit again for this birth, I know i wouldnt be able to have a relaxed labor if my kids were in the house and we dont have family or friends able to care for them (outside of our house )for a long period (24 hrs or more if nessacary) so its better for me to have someone come to care for them here and if nessacary have a few people take alternating shifts to care for the boys while i have the baby

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I've been told that birthing centres attached to hospitals (MLUs) have the same stats for intervention and C section as obstetric led units. It's only stand alone birth centres and home births obviously, that have better stats.
Personally I would doubt that a MLU would take you when you've had a previous CS.
Whereas they cannot actually disallow your home birth.
A friend is planning a HBAC and she has an independent midwife who is very supportive, but the cost of IMs makes them impossible for most I guess.

 

[Celesse]

I did have it all worked out in my head at one point. That I'd plan and mentally prepare for both home and hospital, have a good bag packed but also everything at home. Then decide on the day where felt most comfortable and appropriate.

Biggest differnce between this labour and the last is I now have Abigail at home and its a Christmas due date. There is more than one possibiliy of who will look after her and where and its going to depend on the time of day and possibly the weather if we have another cold winter. If MIL has her it may be better for them to be at our house, especially if its at night and its a small flat. But if MIL or FIL is drunk and no one can get over here then LO will probably go to a friends house with other children. And thats quite possible during the Christmas season and I don't think FIL will go without a drink over Christmas and MIL can't drive. Also if I'm still BFing I may want to be close to my little oxytocin factory in the early stages of labour (probably not though).

And from a medical / labour point of view I don't know if this labour will feel different. If I get any pain that feels like scar pain rather than normal labour pain I may want to go in. But I definatly don't want to be in from 3cm on my back on the CTG if its a nice normal labour.

So I had all this worked out. And then I spoke to my midwife who suggested trying to blag a bed on the about to open midwife unit. OH loves the idea, I can see some positives too. But I really don't think they will take me. And if they did I think the only way would be to say "I'll come in, but only to midwife unit". And if they did agree to it at 20weeks, there's no guarentee the midwife in charge on the day would accept me. Or what if they where full and decided that since I was the "VBAC" I should be the one to go to consultant led? Or what if loads of staff rang in sick and they put all the staff together on consultant led? So I could get there and end up in consultant led, where a CTG would magically appear, and no gas and air or birth pack at home, so I'd be forced to stay in.

So I now feel stressed about it again, having felt very much in control about my open birth plan. My booking appointment is on Wednesday. I'm thinking that I should just say I want to deliver at home. I guess every home birth has the option to transfer for whatever reason. Maybe I'll have a list of transfer reasons written down well in advance of labour as last time it really helped having already decided that fetal distress would mean transfer and epidural.

 

[lozzy21]

i'm hoping for a vbac next time. can you still go to a birth centre for VBAC?? I won't do it at home but would love birth centre over hospital if it is an option

I was a planned home birth last time and a transfer. There's a birthing centre opening soon attached to our hospital and my midwife has suggested that I try to negotiate an admission to the birthing centre rather than deliver at home. I think her basic suggestion was that if I threatened to deliver against medical advice at home (which I basically have done) then maybe they would allow me into the birthing centre even though I'm high risk, so I'd say to them I'll only come in if you let me deliver in the birthing centre. I have a feeling the answer is going to be no.

I tryed that argument and it was still a no.

 

[Celesse]

Me and OH have had a talk and think we have decided to plan this labour as a Home Birth. We are gonna write a list of reasons to transfer (that we find acceptable) in advance of the labour, both medical and social reasons. If we decide we want to go in for a social reason on the day (bad weather, child care ect) and they will have us on the midwifery led unit then great, I'd rather go there than consultant led if there is no medical problem, but I'm not gonna hold my breath or give up the chance to birth at home for it.

 

[Mervs Mum]

I think that's a really sensible approach. The universe has a way of working things out just as it should

Xx