I really want a homebirth BUT...help??

[1stTimeMama]

Hey everyone,

This is my first baby and I really hate hospitals and I want to give birth at home. There are a few issues that may pervent this from happening and I was wondering if anyone had advice.

1.) I am taking a medication called subutex. It is an opiate, and it is highly unlikely that I can withdrawal from because of very severe bone pain in my hands and severe back pain when I withdrawal. I want to try it because if I stay on my whole pregnancy (I am 11 weeks now) then my baby will have minor withdrawal and will have to be in the hospitals to be monitered. I am scared of two things here; 1.) if I have the home birth, I dont want to have to bring the baby to the hospital 2.) if i have the baby in the hospital, I will be judged and maybe my baby will have very unecessary medical interventions and i will be treated like a terrible mom

2.) If I give birth at home, how do I bring the baby to the doctor later on? Also, how can I get a birth certificate? Will I be in legal trouble? I live in NJ, USA.

3.) What if our neighboors hear me in labor and call the police? If I go into labor in the middle of the night or something, and I'm moaning or being loud...I'm afarid they may call the police.

Can anyone give me any helpful advice about this situation? I would really appericate it. I want a homebirth so badly, if it is at all possible.

 

[CupboardLove]

Hello there!

Congrats on your pregnancy!

I wouldn't worry too much until you know the score.

What I would do in your situation is get a friend to speak to a medical professional (prefereably a midwife) anonymously, and find out how they would deal with someone who is taking subutex and is expecting a child, and is wanting a homebirth.

If no personal details are given, you can get the information you need and move on from there.

I was worried about the neighbours hearing a screaming woman next door. All you have to do is go over to the neighbours in the weeks before you reach term and explain that if they hear loud noises then not to worry, because you'll be having a baby and there might be a little bit of shouting.

Good luck, I hope you get the information you need and the homebirth you want. But if you don't, then try to remember that it is the baby's safety and well-being that is most important.

 

[Lilly12]

I don't know about your first question.

But I live in the US too, FL, and I have a midwife and we're planning on a homebirth.
She will do all the paperwork for the birthcertificate, just like a hospital would do.
And my midwife does a 24/48 hour checkup (depending on how long she will stay afterwards) , then a 3 week after checkup and a 6 week after checkup.

If you want or need to go to a doctor, then you can just go to a doctor.
There are no problems with that.

Also we're probably going to let our neighbours know around 38 weeks that we're going to have a homebirth, so that they know what's going on.

 

[MandaAnda]

Could the midwife attending your home birth stay for a while after the birth or drop by frequently? She needs to assess the degree of withdrawal to see if baby needs a hospital stay and/or medication. I'm sure she could tell you what to look out for, but I also know it could be very stressful for you to symptom spot with a newborn.

Midwives/obstetricians usually want a baby admitted to NICU/SCBU, if only for short observation, if they are showing signs of NAS (neonatal abstinence syndrome). Regular observations (temperature, pulse, respirations, possibly blood pressure and pulse oximetry - all non-invasive) along with NAS scoring. NAS scoring gives the nurses/doctors an idea of the severity of withdrawal and whether or not medication will help. If it is moderate to severe, I can say that, even as a NICU nurse, it's upsetting to see; and I would worry about dealing with it on my own as a mother, which is why I asked initially what support would be available.

 

[1stTimeMama]

MandaAnda-

I'm wondering if you have ever seen a baby on the NICU who was born to a Mother on subutex? It doesnt seem to be nearly as common as babies born to Mothers on methadone or other opiates. If I cant get off the subutex before I give birth, which is likely, then I would probably want the baby to be born in the hospital or be seen by a doctor after birth. I have never had a baby before and I would scared that my baby might be sick and I wont know the difference. I hate to think of my baby being born into this world sick.

CupboardLove- You are right that even though I want a homebirth, the most important thing is my baby's safety. I do think that I could give birth at home, and I think it would be good for the baby because its much softer and calm. If my baby is sick I think the more relaxed and calm the situation is, the better my baby will feel. But I would never do anything to endanger my baby if there is a real medical risk.

 

[MandaAnda]

No, not Subutex specifically; but other opiates. I think, with any opiate, there's no way of predicting the severity of NAS. Is there any way of trying another drug that won't affect the baby as much? Please don't worry about anyone judging you - the NICU nuses would be aware it was necessary prescription drug use. And I don't imagine baby would be subjected to horrible interventions - it usually consists of observations +/- medication. Are you hoping to breastfeed? Some clinicians feel it is particularly beneficial in babies with NAS, as the baby could get a bit through your milk to keep severe withdrawal at bay.

 

[Adela Quested]

1.) I am taking a medication called subutex. It is an opiate, and it is highly unlikely that I can withdrawal from because of very severe bone pain in my hands and severe back pain when I withdrawal. I want to try it because if I stay on my whole pregnancy (I am 11 weeks now) then my baby will have minor withdrawal and will have to be in the hospitals to be monitered. I am scared of two things here; 1.) if I have the home birth, I dont want to have to bring the baby to the hospital 2.) if i have the baby in the hospital, I will be judged and maybe my baby will have very unecessary medical interventions and i will be treated like a terrible mom

Hiya,

I just wanted to say that my baby had to be monitored in hospital for three days after birth due to medication that I took during pregnancy (though not an opiate). I am in the Netherlands so things might be very different here to in the US, but I experienced no judgement or anything like that at all. Health care professionals, if they are any good at all, know that there are reasons why women may want or need to take prescription medications during pregnancy, and their aim is to provide the best possible outcome for both mother and baby during pregnancy, birth and afterwards. I assume you are being monitored by an experienced professional during your pregnancy for the medication that you're taking, so you should not expect any 'judgement' from those who care for your baby during the time in hospital.

Unfortunately you will still need to take the baby to hospital for care in this case even if you have a homebirth (NB I only know the situation in the country I live in of course), that's just the way it goes I'm afraid

Sorry that I can't help with your other questions - homebirths are very common here (30%) so it's rather different to the US. But I want to reassure you that the doctors and nurses are there to care for you and your baby, not to make assessments of your worth as a mother