Hospital vs home birth?

[Belle25]

In the news today was an article on home births, saying more women should have their babies at home. What do you think about this?
https://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=16897
I would worry about my daughter being scared of by hearing me! And the neighbours...also if things went wrong no immediate care.
So whats your opinion?
xx

 

[Catherine896]

Im the same, I think Id terrify the cats and dogs and my son would be screaming out of being scared! Id much rather do it in hospital so I can have the emergency care ASAP if needed.

xx

 

[moomin_troll]

home birth anyday!

i had my son in hospital and was left alone pretty much 99% of the time, the "care" was disgusting and i may aswel have been in my own home to get on with it rather then being spoke to like crap.

theres actualy less chance of things to go wrong in a home birth then a hospital and if something did ud be taken to hospital and probably get seen in the same amount of time u would if u were already in hospital.

 

[mrs_lukey]

I'm hoping for a homebirth. As long as it is straighforward with no complications then I think it would be a waste of time going to the hospital!

 

[MatthewAlyssa]

i had both my son and my daughter in hospital and this time...........

IM HAVING A HOME BIRTH!!! lol

i am a little worried but not too much tbh... i have been thinking about my children and how it would be them hearing me but tbh i was told both times that i am quite quiet during labour and birth so im not too worried at the same time lol

we are about a 25 minuite drive away from the hospital but as i have had no problems before my mind is very at rest with everything =) xxxx

 

[05mummy07]

I'm having a homebirth, you get too neglected in hospital because it's so busy.

 

[moomin_troll]

i just think giving birth is over medicalised now and certain things are done just to make it easier for the mw not the mother. if more mws were good at their jobs and cared abit more then there would be far less complications. and also far less things being done just to speed things along.

u might be able to tell i had a bad expierence with my hospital lol

but u watch things like one born every minute and the woman are screaming and always on their backs pushing on ur back is one of the worst things u can do but again it makes it easier for the mw to do it this way.
but then if u watch a homebirth video and its so relaxed and peacful, and with the right coaching a woman can get thru so much more then she realises

 

[luvmyfam]

Personally I believe that having a home birth is dangerous. Sometimes (although rarely) there are emergencies during labor (like cord prolapse or baby getting stuck) and they have to be delt with within 2 min or less. They monitor you very well at the hospital. You can have a midwife delivery and as much as a natural birth you want in the hospital as well, but they have the resources they need should things go wrong quickly. Unfortunately I have seen some very sad cases of home births ( I am a NICU nurse).

 

[moomin_troll]

ur actualy better monitored during a homebirth (here anyway) then at hospital

 

[Belle25]

Think it would horrify my OH, but just looking at the stats for it now etc online, and it is appealing to me a bit. My local hospital was really dirty when I took OH to a&e last week. I will be going on a tour of the maternity dep when I can.
There is less chance of getting an infection post birth, and your midwife won't be going off to other rooms and leaving you. But its just to worry of if you need medical intervention you can't mess around, you need it asap.
xx

 

[MrsMama]

I had my daughter in a birthing centre and it was hell, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a homebirth this time x

 

[mrs_lukey]

Personally I believe that having a home birth is dangerous. Sometimes (although rarely) there are emergencies during labor (like cord prolapse or baby getting stuck) and they have to be delt with within 2 min or less. They monitor you very well at the hospital. You can have a midwife delivery and as much as a natural birth you want in the hospital as well, but they have the resources they need should things go wrong quickly. Unfortunately I have seen some very sad cases of home births ( I am a NICU nurse).

It may be different in the US but here in the UK the maternity units are severely understaffed which means you get limited monitorring.

When I had my son I was checked at 7.30am when I arrived at the hospital and then nobody came back to check me until 10am even though I was already 7cm dilated on arrival!!

At 10.30am by partner called the midwife as I wanted to push and my boy was delivered 9 minutes later.

When you are at home you have the constant care of the midwife for the duration of your established labour - if something had gone wrong when I had my first baby I was labouring on my own and would not have had the medical help needed.

 

[lynnikins]

Think it would horrify my OH, but just looking at the stats for it now etc online, and it is appealing to me a bit. My local hospital was really dirty when I took OH to a&e last week. I will be going on a tour of the maternity dep when I can.
There is less chance of getting an infection post birth, and your midwife won't be going off to other rooms and leaving you. But its just to worry of if you need medical intervention you can't mess around, you need it asap.
xx

i had both my boys in the MW unit attached to my hospital its a very good unit with some of the highest standards in this part of the country but still my "emergancy ventouse" with ds1 took them 45 min to organize and get for me dispite it being less than 10 mts to the doors of the main labor unit where there was a consultant on shift. i easily could have gotten from home in that time and they would have been ready and waiting for me and i believe ( as did my MW ) that it would have been picked up earlier had i been at home because i would have been watched more closely ( even though i had been in the pool with 1-1 Midwife care at the hospital ) Im having this baby at home (fingers crossed this relys on us moving house first ) there are very very few emergancys in birth that require imediate assistance and most can be avoided with the right care and theres no guarentee that even if you were in hospital that 1) the theatre would be free for an emergancy c-section 2) the anesthisologist would be avalible when you want an epidural 3) that your MW even comes to your room the first time you ring

in the UK there isnt always a MW in the room with you when in labor and how are you and your OH /birthing partner supposed to recognise an emergancy? at a homebirth there are 2 midwifes always present so you get a higher level of care

 

[5-a-side]

always an interesting thread, people have personal views on both.
My experience with dd2 was good in hospital but I know if I decide on a HB this time I would have more relaxed surroundings and having a better bonding experience in those first few hours for all the children, OH and myself.
The transfer time here is around 30minutes blue-lighted, which has been a factor to consider as well as the under-staffing issue.
But giving birth is natural which is at the forefront of my mind and having had a completely natural, drug free birth with dd2, I'm definitely open to a HB.

There was a video on the natural birthing forum from a lady who had a c-section and then a water HB, it was truly amazing to watch the difference.
I'd say to anyone considering a hospital birth to look into it, get real life experiences from women who have been through it, its an eye opener.

 

[moomin_troll]

id like to think a woman giving birth either in a hospital or home would research to make sure they understood everything before hand.

but it seems to me we get pregnant and think ok my mw will tell me all i need to no (and they dont) and then u trust the hospital to look after u and ur best interests (which isnt always the case)

i wouldnt be having my homebirth if i hadnt looked into it and knew it was the best place for me and my son to be while giving birth to him

 

[Belle25]

I had my daughter in a birthing centre and it was hell, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a homebirth this time x

I was think of birthing centre too-why was it hell? Sorry to hear that.
xx

 

[Bournefree]

Immediate medical care IS available at home - home birth isn't something out of the Middle-ages! ;-) MWs are trained experts in child birth and they bring all the same appropriate equipment, drugs and expertise as a hospital midwifery lead unit or a birth centre.

I would state that you get better care at home, you are guaranteed to have at least 1-2-1 care with your MW - they don't leave your home to attend to another labouring women, they keep and eye on you, and only you - and this has been proved to be a significant benefit to birth outcomes whether at home or in hospital, but you are unlikely to get that in hospital, although it is part of every hospitals plan to try and provide this.

Instances of transfer and need for Obstetric care are much lower for home births than compared to similar mums who attend a MLU in hospital, as there isn't a culture of intervention being on-tap as it where and the pressure to deliver in 1 hour of you are a second time mum and 2 hours if it is your first. Failure to progress is the single biggest cited reason for c-sections!

In emergency situations, appropriate measures will be taken with your consent to transfer to a hospital if indicated, and as said by others.. even this takes time even if you are in hospital, they don't have a theatre all set up and a consultant waiting just for you. they still need to book it arrange it and phone it ahead... same at home.

The beauty of home birth, is that you can go into hospital anytime you like - for what ever reason, and women who home birth are appreciative of the medical skill that has been afforded to modern women by obstetric advances in saving lives - but we also understand that for 90% of patients the intervention spiral that is leading the UK and the US to some shocking statistics on c-section rates, is out of kilter with the inherent normalcy of labour and birth for most women. WHO accepts that only 10% of women should have A REAL NEED for c-sections.

For a better birth experience - after all this is something that will effect you for the rest of your life - I would only say to any women make sure you are central and responsible for your own health and make your decisions (whatever they be) based in INFORMED choice and NOT just what someone else recommends because of policy or you think they have some authority over your body because they are a medical professional.

Xxx

 

[Shmead]

Now that I think about it, what it really is is that I want a professional, medical relationship with my caregivers, NOT a personal relationship. If it's a personal relationship, I won't want to show pain or whinge or "bother them" because that's how I am with my friends. I'm a lot more shy about my body in front of friends than medical professionals. To me, having someone IN MY HOME, especially IN MY BEDROOM, makes it a personal relationship. I'd be worried about what they THINK OF ME. In a hospital, in a medical setting, I won't.

That's not to mention the bother of keeping the whole house "company clean" for the last month of pregnancy, and (shudder) being responsible for clean-up later.

But, again, I am in the US where you are in a private room the whole stay, and that makes a difference.

 

[cranberry987]

My view is that if Im ill Ill go into hospital. The majority of birthing isnt something which needs all this fuss and bother. Ive been in a situation where they said it was a massive emergency and that the baby needed to come out now, half hour later and the woman is lying on the table ready waiting for the Dr who was waiting in the break room...obviously not such an emergency after all if they can finish their cup of tea.

I can get to hospital in 15 mins in which time I will be looked after my a dedicated midwife who knows my entire labour minute by minute and can actually deal with a lot of issues herself. And as others have said its much less likely to get to that stage, if it does tho, I can get to the hospital in plenty of time for them to do what they need.

My MW has tried to scare me out of HB by telling me of the perils of shoulder dystocia. They treat it exactly the same at home or in hospital the only difference is that if baby needs extra care its a 15 min ride away, would it really be that fast to get anything extra done if I was in a hospital?

Ultimately tho I feel more comfortable having a HB and its likely that Ill progress better, leading to less distress for me and bubs, needing less interventions. If HB isnt for you then theres no point forcing yourself as the anxiety is just going to be counter productive.

oh and i doubt theyll give two hoots about the dust on the mantlepiece. Ill clear a space obviously, but if the floor needs a hoover they can do it themselves if theyre so bothered. Im planning on getting the pool up in the living room, put sheets and some towels from freecycle down, any blood etc im assuming the MW will deal with, if not then the whole lot just gets chucked in the bin, not too much bother really.

(and you can have private rooms in the UK too if you pay)

 

[no1seasider]

I have 4 children,the first two were born in hospital and the second two were born at home. I would definitely recommend home births to anyone considering it as it's relaxed, calm and you have one to one care. I have been lucky enough to have a very pro home birth midwife,who delivered both my boys 4 years apart.Unfortunately she retired in april this year!

Yesterday i went to see the consultant purely to discuss home birth options(new midwife was concerned as im 35 and on baby number 5) and the consultant was more than happy to agree to a home birth and send me back to midwife care as she said its just as safe as being at the hospital