Hypnobirth- home birth or hospital? Advice please!

[diggory77]

Hi all,
I'm doing hypnobirthing at the moment and up until now I've thought I was going to have the baby in the hospital. I am now becoming really keen on having the baby at home, hopefully a water birth. I live in a third floor flat though so I understand I'd have to look at this in terms of the floor and support for the pool.
I'm going to need to talk my husband into it I think, because hes concerned over how safe it is, but so far he's been really on board with all the hypnobirthing techniques, I think he's just worried about transfer times ( 20 mins ) to a hospital in an emergency and if things don't go right. Plus I think we'd have to keep the fact we're having a home birth to ourselves as although all my family are supportive of natural birthing, they have all insisted I go into hospital as its my first 'just in case'.
Any hints or tips of things I need to think about before deciding between the two?
Any information on how safe home birth is?
Anyone else had a home birth with their first?
Any help or advice would be greatly received!
Xx

 

[MindUtopia]

This is my first as well, so I can't exactly tell you much from experience, but I'm having a home birth because I know I'll be more comfortable and feel safer at home, and it will be the best place to allow my body to do what it needs to do without too much interruption. I'm also using hypnotherapy techniques, so I feel like that will work better for me at home too. Many of my friends have had their first at home as well and it was a wonderful experience. So home birth definitely isn't only for second or third time (or more) mums.

I'm not sure if you're in the UK, but this is a fantastic website with lots of resources and links to research that's been done on home birth.

https://www.homebirth.org.uk/

I'm a medical researcher, so I read a lot of the medical, nursing and midwifery journals and textbooks for my work. I don't study home birth myself (though I'm considering doing some research on it in the future!), but a few of my colleagues do and I can tell you from what I've read, home birth is very safe. Bad things can happen anywhere, and that's the risk you take in becoming a parent. I think people worry a lot about the 'what if something goes wrong scenario' in deciding on home birth, but the reality is that your midwives are trained to handle those (very, very rare!) situations and in most cases, they can provide you with the same care they would at hospital, so where you are doesn't matter that much. If you did need more intensive care than they could provide you, like a c-section or surgical removal of the placenta if it didn't detach properly, the reality is (contrary to what you see on tv) that you don't get rushed into surgery that second even if you're in hospital. It takes time to summon a surgical team and prepare you and the surgical theatre. In many cases, that's going to take 30 minutes anyway even in hospital. Assuming you are withing 20-30 minutes of a hospital, all that can be done while you're transferring and your care won't be delayed in anyway because you were at home. But the great thing is that because you are at home, your risk of needing any sort of surgical intervention is much, much less! So it's something to think about and something you should talk to your midwife about if it worries you, but it's something they are equipped to handle safely, and you're not likely to need that anyway.

Our bodies work best in quiet, calm, relaxed environments where we feel safe and where we can let them do what they are made to do. If you set yourself up to birth in that sort of environment (whether you're at home or at hospital), then you're much more likely to have a natural birth with little need for intervention. I'd think about where you'd feel the most relaxed and safe, and where would be the most conducive to practicing your hypnobirthing too. Some people (like me) are more relaxed at home. Some people would be nervous at home and wouldn't be able to feel that calm unless they were at hospital. It's very individual, but you want to find that place and plan how you can create that peaceful place for yourself.

 

[booflebump]

What MU said I'm planning a HB too, and this is my first baby

In regards to the pool - if you'd have a party of 20 people all in your living room, you'll be ok with a pool. My friend was the same, 3rd floor flat, and managed not to end up giving birth in her downstairs neighbours front room

 

[aliss]

To me (as someone who had her first in the hospital), it seems strange that I was there "just in case". Just in case what? I was perfectly healthy and normal. We experienced the cascade of interventions. That experience taught me that sick people go to hospitals. Pregnant women generally aren't sick if they are normal low-risk pregnancies. In hindsight, I wish I had stayed home "just in case"

 

[JD'2]

had my first at home in water. would HIGHLY recommend my transfer time is 20 and i did have to be transfered due to a heomorrage but i remained calm through out and even the doctor commented how calm i was thanks to my hpnobirthing. i found it stange that my consultant said no due to being first baby but i thought my god how has anyone ever given birth before haha

my advise go for it

 

[clairea]

Hi all,
I'm doing hypnobirthing at the moment and up until now I've thought I was going to have the baby in the hospital. I am now becoming really keen on having the baby at home, hopefully a water birth. I live in a third floor flat though so I understand I'd have to look at this in terms of the floor and support for the pool.
I'm going to need to talk my husband into it I think, because hes concerned over how safe it is, but so far he's been really on board with all the hypnobirthing techniques, I think he's just worried about transfer times ( 20 mins ) to a hospital in an emergency and if things don't go right. Plus I think we'd have to keep the fact we're having a home birth to ourselves as although all my family are supportive of natural birthing, they have all insisted I go into hospital as its my first 'just in case'.
Any hints or tips of things I need to think about before deciding between the two?
Any information on how safe home birth is?
Anyone else had a home birth with their first?
Any help or advice would be greatly received!
Xx

Hi there
This is my first birth also. I was booked in with an OB at a private hospital because I thought it was the "safest placë" After doing my hypnobirth course I started to research and found that the "safest place" for a low risk mum is actually at home, statistically. I am now having our baby at home with a wonderful midwife, I believe the continuity of care is better with a private midwife, as the OB only gets called IF there is a complication or when your baby is crowning. Silly really as all the hard work is over then! And I’m saving a heap of money, and being in the comfort of my own home. I could not imagine doing it any other way. – I found the C section rate at my private hospital was over 50% - what does that say to you!!

I am 15 mins from our closest hospital and feel completely confidant in my midwifes ability to recognise if a problem may arise way with plenty of time to get us to the hospital safely. She has done 22 home births in the last year. If you hire a private midwife they will accompany you to hospital and stay with you there, so the person caring for you does not change.

Does your hubby do the hypnobirth classes with you? As soon as mine started the classes with me he goes “why are we not doing this at home!” Or get him to read the book, turns your view upside down! I have pelvic floor issues and a painful bladder condition so I was worried about that, not having a catheter near by, or having to be stitched (because my pelvic floor is too tight), but I am more likely to get prodded and poked in a hospital than at home and if you are as relaxed as possible, you are way less likely to tear!. Home midwives rarely do internal checks, they don’t need to because they are observing you. In a hospital setting nobody has time to watch you and how your body is responding, so they have no idea where you are at in labour unless they do a cervical check, when in reality there really is no need.

I hope you make the right decision for you!

Ps. I’ll be in the water too!

 

[solitaire89]

I had my first at home; a planned home birth with transfer times of 35/40 mins by car, they reckon 30 mins on blues and twos. I was using Natal Hypnotherapy.
Once I'd got to the magic 37 weeks when I was "allowed" my HB, the mw gave me some forms which showed that, in our area, the risk factors for most things were much reduced by having a hb. I've posted the info in another thread, I'll see if I can find it for you and re-post

ETA: Here you go! Linkey!

 

[hapi2bhealthy]

Like one PP said, "how has ANYONE ever given birth before??" LOL. If you can convince those who need to be, have it at home! I couldn't convince my hubby and now I'm classified as high risk anyway due to a couple of late term bleeds...so I'm OK doing it at hospital because I acknowledge I have a higher risk of postpartum hemorrhage etc. BUT- my hospital is virtually like a midwife run unit: birth balls, birth tub, very hands off, very pro choice, no monitoring or strapping down, allowed to go up to 15 days overdue before they push for an induction...My hypnobirth classes were run through my hospital!!

If you're low risk, and people can be convinced, there's no reason not to in my mind! Women only starting birthing in hospitals in the 1800's, and that was only the RICH ones...and clearly, humans have been doing this for a whole lot longer than that! Yes, the maternal and fetal mortality rate has dropped a LOT since then, but that's due to better advances in medicine and a better understanding of the process...not because of hospitals per se.

Hope you get that birth you want