I'd like to Hear from All the Homebirthers Out There...

My first child was a textbook hospital birth, an experience I found very impersonal and lacking. I started out with a different OB with my second child. When I was told by both the OB and her nurse that I would have a stillbirth for refusing a gestational diabetes test, I immediately went in search of a midwife. I was already past 20 weeks by the time I met with her. She came to my home for all prenatal visits, and for a few false alarms in labor. When my daughter was born two weeks early the cord was wrapped very tightly around her neck. My midwife, who worked alone, resuscitated her for 10 minutes. She nursed within 20 minutes of birth, even while on oxygen. Her lungs were completely clear very quickly so we decided against transfer. When the doctor checked her out the following day he said he would have never guessed there was a problem. I'm so happy I had her at home, because we delayed cutting the cord allowing her to continue to receive that oxygen. Plus, we avoided a certain stay in the NICU. Today, she is a happy and healthy five-year old.

For my third baby, my husband was deployed to Iraq and insisted I have a hospital birth. I went to an OB's office for prenatal care from a certified nurse midwife. At every single visit my blood pressure spiked. I absolutely despised being there, and missed my homebirth midwife terribly. It was never in my heart to deliver in the hospital again. After months of prayer, God gave me the birth I desperately wanted. I had an extremely fast labor. I delivered my daughter alone in the bathtub while my older two kids played in the backyard. It was so empowering, and is still my favorite birth experience. I did have some secondary hemorrhaging from a bit of retained placenta. I handled it on my own with Shepherd's Purse, and was never even examined after the birth.

I just had my youngest at home 9 weeks ago. This time I did all of my own prenatal care. I did have some preterm labor for which I used herbal remedies and bed rest, and carried my baby 40 weeks 4 days (longest so far). Again, I had a very fast labor. I actually got up and cooked three meals that morning during active labor. My two-year old was getting clingy so I sent she and my husband to the grocery store a few miles away for popsicles. I delivered my son alone in the tub only 12 minutes later. When I called my husband he replied, "I haven't even gotten popsicles yet!" :) I did have a lot of bleeding this time and knew something was wrong. Despite my best efforts the placenta had not delivered two hours later so we headed to the ER. I was very concerned about them trying to admit me and the baby. We did have a little fight with the neonatologist (my son was 9 lbs 2.5 oz, 22 inches). Having such a big healthy baby meant we didn't need his services, but he thought otherwise. Thankfully, my husband threw him out of the room. As wary as I usually am about hospitals, I must say they were fantastic. After getting the placenta out the OB showed me blood clotting on the back side. He said that meant I had a partial abruption, which explains the stabbing pain I'd had periodically during the pregnancy (no bleeding until labor though). He said I could go home as soon as a bag of fluids, and a bag of pitocin ran out. The OB nurse stayed with me the whole time. The staff was very clear that my son was NOT a patient, so he stayed right with me. They did footprint him for me, which was nice. Less than two hours later we were right back at home.

Your care provider and where you give birth is a very personal decision. What's right for someone else may not necessarily be right for you. The most important thing is that YOU feel safe and comfortable. That will allow for a much better birth experience for you and your baby. Best wishes!

B.

I didn't have a homebirth but I did a midwife attended birth at a freestanding birth center. This was not a hospital "birthcenter". There are only 3 rooms in this facility and it feels like a home. I choose this option b/c I wanted some medical backup without hospital interventions. This option worked really well for my family and I went on to have natural waterbirth and was able to go home 6 hours after the birth. I would be open to a homebirth in the future however for my first birth I liked the idea of being a 5 minute drive from the hospital. Good luck with whatever you choose and remember that labor is only a temporary pain but the way your child is brought into this world will have an impact on their personality forever.
A.

I have 4 children, all their births were midwife assisted. My first two were born in a free-standing birthing center and my last two were born at home. We chose these births because of the individualized care, non-seperation of mother/baby, pending no complications "we" were in charge of our birth experience and we were truly supported by my midwife/birth team. My older children were included in every prenatal, all prenatals took place in our home and each one last for 45m-1hour. The medical part of the prenatal only took a few minutes...the remainder of the time was spent talking about the birth, sharing knowledge, reviewing diet/nutrition, etc. I am a doula and chose to have my doula friend attend my most recent birth but however, my midwife and doula arrived 25 minutes after our baby girl. Had there been, I am confident that the research I did and education I've had would have prepared me to know how to handle the situation.

All my experiences were complication free.

Have you found a midwife? I used to live at Fort Campbell, KY and can share resources with you if you are interested.

Peace,
J.

I've had 5 homebirths & 2 hospital. My 1st, I had ob care & went the hospital route, like everyone expected me too, even though I never did understand why a healthy pregnant woman was expected to go to a hospital full of sick people! I knew any drugs given in labor has possible bad side efects, so knew I would gladly suffer any pain imagineable rather than use narcotics for my own comfort, when the side effects , though rare (Ha, but not as rare now, as it was then, before epidurals!), could be so dangerous. Well, lets just say, that birth was frought w all kinds of unnatural interventions, except pain meds to help me deal with their interventions! After that I vowed to educate myself to avoid it ever happening again. I read voraciously, everything from Lamaze & Grantly Dick-Reed to Williams Obstetrics (this was back in the 1970's). By the time I was pregnant again, I knew enough that there was no way I was going to step inside a hospital again! We had our next two unassisted. By the time #3 was on the way, word had gotten out and I was occassionally asked to help a friend birth at home. I said I wasn't a midwife, just a home birth mom, but I would be glad to help out in any way I could. By the time #4 was born, I had a good support group to help me through labor, all women who I had helped, it was really neat to exchange roles like that! Even an OB, came ( I was working for him at the time though he did nothing but sit quietly in the corner & congratulate me afterwards.) and a PA, who was the husband of one of my clients, and a friend of my husband's. #5 came too early, so I reluctantly went to the hospital again, but that's a whole 'nother story! It is good to have docs & hospitals there when you need them, just wish they wouldn't do all those unnecessary interventions! I loved all my homebirths, and would never dream of choosing a hospital birth for anything less than severe complications! I have found, many complications are actually caused by hospital interventions! Most other complications can be avoided by good nutrition & exercise. Over the years I eventually stopped denying I was a midwife... it kinda gradually dawned on me that I was more than just a willing friend of a friend of a friend, and indeed fit the description of a midwife. # 6 & 7 were also born at home, attended by fellow midwives. My last baby was my 1st waterbirth, it was great! I've done lots since then. When the CPM certification became available, I sat for it, and have been proud to be called a CPM ever since, no denying I'm a "real" midwife any longer! I just attended my 536th birth a few days ago.
As far as complications go, I've had a prolapsed bladder since baby #4. I simply get on my hands & knees once I'm completely dilated until the baby is past my bladder, then I get in a more comfortable position... my fav is lying on my side. Thats the only complication I've had personally. At others births, I've dealt successfully at home w shoulder dystocia's, hemorrhage, babies needing resuscitation and a few birth defects. When there is a complication beyond my ability to deal with at home, I have always had subtle signs, that warn me to head for the hospital in time. God is good! Of course in my early years, I had way more transports than I do now, since I am always learning new ways to prevent (my preference!) & deal with complications. I think that is the main advantage of having a midwife attended birth rather than a uc, less need for transports! For instance, I have removed placenta's at home, where Bridget (see post below), not having the herbal knowledge or a midwife to help her, transported for that.
I think anyone having a homebirth should have someone present that:
1. knows newborn resuscitation
2. can stop a hemorrhage
3. knows how to deal with the other most common variations, like breech, nuchal cord, & shoulder dystocia
4. ideally can prevent tears, but if not can facilitate their healing

If you want to know more about my homebirths, just email me privately, be glad to give you all the many details!

My middle two were born at home with the same lay midwife.
Pros: Better overall, personalized care, comfortable setting, no unnecessary interventions, allowed me to progress as I needed to, as well, she was a very strong personality, which I need b.c I can be hardheaded yet feeling helpless during transition, also very supportive of the Bradley Method, she was willing to let me birth the best way for the baby (hands and knees) and applied pressure to relieve my hemorrhoids, home visits during the last 2 months and after the birth.
Cons: Had to pay out of pocket, she couldn't write me excuses for work, my family doc was not supportive and refused to see me for anything pregnancy related (like blood tests), in fact no doc would sign on for me as back up...so if something went wrong I had to take whomever was available at the hospital. Luckily it never came to that.

I don't regret it at all. We had our last child at the hospital b/c Nurse midwives finally were able to do births there by that time, we didn't have the money to pay for a homebirth, and I liked not having to be left with the three boys after the birth (my dh couldn't take time off from work).

I chose a homebirth with my second child b/c I had a midwife lead birth in a hospital with my first and didn't like my expereince. With my homebirth I had a pair of midwives that practice together, their midwifery assistant, and my own doula. I plan on having another homebirth with my third....
My midwives scheduled monthly prenatals, then weekly the last month of pregnancy. I also had two doctor's visits, it is required in my state. I had no complications during pregnancy or labor and delivery. I had the most mundane/least dramatic pregnancy and delivery imaginable :) My child was born full term, and was/is very healthy. He had his first doctor's visit at one week old.

I don't really know what kind of info you are looking for, I discussed EVERYTHING with my midwives during my pregnancy and read A LOT about homebirths. I have many family members who also had homebirths and I talked to them a lot too. I think the most critical part of doing a homebirth is choosing your midwife and care providers carefully, interview extensively, know your state's regulation/requirements, make sure you get along and feel comfortable with them, etc. You can send me a message if you want to discuss something in particular....

I had 2 home births, the first one w/a CNM in IL, and the second one w/ a CPM in MS. Actually, the 2nd one ended up being unassisted, because there was no pattern to the contractions, so I wasn't sure I was *really* in labor, and didn't call the midwife until the water broke, and then I had the baby before she was able to get there.

Prenatal care for both pregnancies were very similar -- I went to the midwives' offices, weighed in, checked my urine, they took my blood pressure, listened to the baby's heartbeat, checked my fundal height, etc. There was no waiting time, and the appointments lasted usually about an hour. In both pregnancies, I met with the midwife's back-up doctor just in case I ended up needing to transfer to the hospital.

There were no complications in either birth.

Why did I choose to give birth at home? Because it's what I thought would be the best and healthiest start to my babies and myself as a mother -- no drugs, no interventions, no interruptions, no "routines" that might interfere with breastfeeding, bonding, etc. Being in my home, I "owned" the birth, rather than having to ask permission of others to do things -- like eat, drink, use the bathroom, walk around, etc. The midwife would be there with me the entire time, monitoring me herself (rather than using machines to monitor me and half a dozen other women remotely), being able to help me during labor with things like counter-pressure on my back during contractions, suggestions of different positions that might help, etc.

Both my midwives had an assistant with them who also served as a doula. If you end up planning a hospital birth (whether with a midwife or doctor), I would consider a doula as *indispensable*. If you have a midwife and a home birth, and she has a labor assistant, you may not need another person to function as a doula; but if it's just her by herself, a doula could be beneficial, because then you'll still have someone there to help you during labor if the primary labor attendant needs to take a break (use the bathroom, eat something, take a nap if it's a long labor or if she's just come off of another birth, etc.).

Having ended up having an unassisted birth, I can heartily testify to what not having *anyone* to help you in labor is like, and I would **not** recommend it! [While there are no formal studies looking at planned unassisted births, statistics of planned + unplanned UCs show that birth without a trained and qualified midwife in attendance are riskier, so I can't really recommend them, although I admit that no matter what the circumstances, birth usually goes right, so even if you end up planning an unassisted birth, everything will probably work out all right.] So, even if you plan a UC, plan on hiring a doula, or hope that your husband is going to be very good in labor support.