Thinking of a Home Birth after watching The Business of Being Born

[BrandiCanucks]

I'm 25 weeks pregnant and already have a midwife. They have been encouraging me to have a home birth, but I've always fallen back on a hospital birth assuming it's "safer".

I have only had hospital births before, two with an OB and one with a midwife and the midwife birth was 10 million times better and more supportive and easier than my OB births. My first OB birth I ended up with 86 stitches from a 4th degree tear, followed by 4 infections within 48 hours because of lack of postpartum care. My second, my OB never made it and a student delivered (who had never delivered before) and I was Group B Strep positive and never received the antibiotics. My son wasn't "cleaned out" after birth and ended up in NICU because he swallowed the plug and stopped breathing. He was on antibiotics for 7 days as a precaution.

My midwife hospital birth I was home 3 hours after her birth, no stitches, no complications, NOTHING. I had wanted a home birth but my husband said no and I was scared of the "What if she stops breathing too?"

Anyway, I was planning on another hospital birth with a midwife based solely off three factors: What happened with my son, and that I'm having another boy and will be having him circumcised. I figured it was easier to have him circumcised while still at the hospital. Finally, all my kids have a "first photo" on the scale with their weights, and I wanted this one to have the same photo. Such a trivial reason I see now.

I watched The Business of Being Born and what an eye opener this documentary was. I'm seriously considering a homebirth now. I'm only 5 minutes from the hospital and the paramedic headquarters is actually right on my street anyway if something goes wrong. I know I can schedule my son's circumcision for after his birth, so now I'm not really sure what was holding me back.

Is there anything I would need to plan for ahead of time with having a home birth?

 

[Feronia]

I had a home water birth and it was amazing! I wouldn't do it any other way now.

Your midwife will probably have a list of things to get in preparation for a home birth, but it really isn't too much. I got most of it at a dollar store.

For my water birth, I used a kiddie pool (but you can buy or rent a birth pool, there are plenty of options) and just had cheap shower curtains around it on the floor. I had a hose and a connector to the sink, which also made it easy to drain afterwards (hose in pool, hose out window -- I'm on the 4th floor of a one-bedroom apartment). The rest my husband got out with a bucket.

It really isn't that much, best of luck though!

 

[ttc bubby no2]

My 2nd was born at home and it was so much better than the hospital experience, even though I actually had a good hospital experience!!

If the midwife is offering the option she should be able to give you an idea of what you need. Mine provided me with a list of things.

As for the photo on the scales, you could always hire some baby scales if you really want it to look the same. I think the thought did cross my mind that I wouldn't have that same photo but then a lot about the birth was different because I was at home. I have a great photo of my son in the scales that my midwife used (handheld ones with him in a cloth bag) which is just as special.

 

[BrandiCanucks]

That's what my midwife has too, the scale with the sling. She would bring that to my house to weigh my daughter when she was first born. Seems so trivial to let a picture of a scale determine where I birth though, right?

 

[Feronia]

I have an awesome picture of my midwife weighing my baby in a cloth sling after my home birth. You can do the same.

Since the Canadian Pediatric Society does not recommend circumcision, it is not paid for here in BC and parents who still wish to do it have to pay out-of pocket, so it isn't done in the hospital anyway. I won't relate my personal feelings of circumcision since this thread isn't about that, but your desire to do so shouldn't affect having a home birth.

 

[BrandiCanucks]

Yeah, it's $300 here. My son was done in the hospital in 2008 but that could have changed since then.

And thank you! I mean this is the nicest way possible, thank you for not trying to turn it into a circ debate. I see it happen so many times, and how it just gets ugly. I feel like for controversial issues, if it's not my child, I don't have a place to judge and it's very sad to see when people are looking for advice or pros and cons on ANY controversial issue and they get shot down for their feelings or parenting choices. In the end, we're all Mommies and all love our babies. I VERY MUCH appreciate keeping it about the home birth. Thank you so much!

Was buying the kiddie pool cheaper than renting a birthing pool? They're about to go on the shelves here for about $10 and water birth has been an interest of mine too. I've been watching lots of home water birth videos and everything just seems so calm and the women in control. It's absolutely beautiful!

 

[aliss]

Bought my pool at Canadian tire! My labour took too long and we transferred after 2 hours pushing. 2 minute ambulance ride, popped him out, and home 3 hours later without even registering at the hospital. It was awesome!! It was sooooo much better than my hospital labour!

 

[aliss]

I'm sure you won't get a circ debate here, I think we've all been judged enough to know better!!

 

[Feronia]

Haha, no problem, Brandi!

Aliss, how did you like the Canadian Tire pool? Did you get to try it out at all (or at least take a dip in it in the summer?) I almost bought that one, but got the Intex fishy one from a home birth website instead. Yeah, it was much cheaper than renting a birth pool! At least in Vancouver I couldn't find one to rent for under about $250 -- my Intex one was like $30 and was very comfy!

 

[aliss]

Haha, no problem, Brandi!

Aliss, how did you like the Canadian Tire pool? Did you get to try it out at all (or at least take a dip in it in the summer?) I almost bought that one, but got the Intex fishy one from a home birth website instead. Yeah, it was much cheaper than renting a birth pool! At least in Vancouver I couldn't find one to rent for under about $250 -- my Intex one was like $30 and was very comfy!

I loved my home shower so much I never used it! But my kids lovedvit the following summer lol!!!

 

[BrandiCanucks]

I found my kids' kiddie pool from Walmart from last year. It never got used because I could never find the pump needed to blow it up. Now they have tons of those in stock. I did look into it and there's a place near Toronto who will rent birthing pools and all the necessary equipment for $195, but if you want it delivered and picked up, they charge an extra $50. I didn't expect it to be that high to rent a pool. Better off just buying a hose to attach to my kitchen sink and a tarp to go under it

 

[aliss]

Some private doulas offer pool rentals as well for much cheaper. $195 give me a break eek... $30 pool is just fine.

BTW, I cannot recommend home birth enough once you have other kids at home. It made it so much easier. I laboured all night, my sister took care of my son from 7-9am (parked him in front of the TV), and then suddenly mommy showed up with a baby, as if I had gone to the grocery store or something. Slept in my own bed that night with baby and life was normal. It was so much easier than spending 2 nights away from him in the hospital (which was very hard on him!).

 

[BrandiCanucks]

It probably would be easier for me, lol. I'm a single mom, and tend to go into labour in the middle of the night. My closest family is 45 minutes away, so home birth would make it so I'm not scrambling to find someone to take my kids at 3am, lol.

With my last hospital birth, I went home after 3 hours, which was wonderful, but the idea of crawling back under my covers right after delivering is quite enticing.

 

[Feronia]

Yeah, a $30 pool works just fine! I'm going to let my daughter play in it this summer and then tell her (and neighbours who happen to walk by) she was born in it. If I have a second one I'll do it at home as well and would LOVE to have her involved!

Neighbours of mine who have had home births have said really positive things about being at home with older kids. (I'm in Vancouver and live in an apartment where everyone seems to have a home birth LOL!)

 

[BrandiCanucks]

My three are 7, 5, and 3 and very excited about having a baby brother. With me tending to go into labour in the middle of the night, it eliminates the need of scrambling to find a babysitter, or having to wake them up, and if I deliver after the sun rises, they can be there to see it and if they don't want to be, it'll be warm enough that they can play outside too. My ex knows about the pregnancy, and says he's okay with it but probably wouldn't be willing to come get them anyway so home birth just makes a lot more sense. And I'm not far from the hospital, and the paramedic headquarters are literally less than a kilometre away from my house, if something goes wrong. I'm also trained in CPR and First Aid IF what happened to my older son happens again.

My living room is huge and can easily accomodate a pool and it's also open concept so I can get a hose to easily go from the kitchen sink to the pool to fill it. The pool I have has three rings to it. Will that be tall enough or should I go taller? I attached a picture of one that is similar and the same dimensions.

That's so cool that your daughter will get to play in the pool she was born in. I think she'll feel that it makes that pool a whole lot more special and meaningful to her.

And Vancouver...how I miss it there. It's my favourite place in the world to be and if it weren't for my family all being here, and my kids' dad being here and very involved in their lives, I'd be out there in a heartbeat.

 

[Feronia]

Do you know the height of that one? Anything above about 19"" would be fine. It's hard to tell with that picture.

Here's a picture of me in my birth tub when I was about 38 weeks.

mine was about 21 inches. It's the height that matters the most, and having an inflatable bottom will also really help!

It sounds like you have a good space! I have a small 1-bedroom apartment and did it just fine in the living room (seen above, haha).

I should have realized you're from Vancouver with your screen name! I do love it here, though I've only been here for 4 years.

 

[BrandiCanucks]

I'm from Ontario but moved out to Vancouver briefly when I was 18 to help a friend care for her boys while she was in the hospital. She didn't have any family, and I had no commitments here, so I went out and helped until she came home and was able to care for them again. When I came home, my heart stayed in Vancouver. Been there for 10 years now. I've gone back to visit a few times, but now that I have kids, and am single, it's not so easy or feasible to go as often as I'd like. Last time was in 2011 for a Canucks game and I took my youngest with me. She was 7 months old at the time and we got on the jumbotron with our sign (We Flew In From Ontario To See a Real Hockey Team). Best trip ever.

Yeah, your pool is MUCH deeper than the one I have. This one is pretty shallow, so I'll look into deeper pools. I just found a doula agency in my mom's town that rents out heated birthing pools with a heating lid, the hose and attachments, tarp and liner for $135 and delivers for $15. And that's to keep the pool for 4 weeks, so not horrible. Much better than $195. I'll look into cheaper options first though

 

[aliss]

Another missing my Vancouver (born and raised) where you didn't have to go for for a tofu wrap and people didn't judge as much, sigh

 

[BrandiCanucks]

I went out there at 18 a Leafs fan and those two boys changed me. Came home a Canucks fan and have never looked back. This baby will be one of three names, and one of them is Kesler.

 

[Feronia]

I had never even watched a sports game until I moved to Canada, and then I found myself gushing over the Stanley Cup back in 2011. We got sucked into all the Hype.

Vancouver totally rocks though! It sounds like Ontario isn't as nice? (I'm potentially moving to Ontario next year.)