What types of things would convince you to birth at home or at a birth center if you are currently opposed? Or were opposed and than changed your view.
Please only answer in helpful ways.
Warm regards,
Jessica
Edited:
Thank you all for your responses! I wanted to clarify the question. This is not for me . I've had a birth center in a hospital and a homebirth. It is for my own research. How would some of you be able to ease those fears. Ideally 3% of births require c-sections but in America most hospitals average close to 50% and the World Health Organization claims over rates 10% is a national health epidemic. Also hospitals are the least sterile place.
So it seems awareness/education would be helpful. But if a mom has big fears, that is within and she would have to overcome that. So helping a mom build trust in her body would also be helpful it seems.
Thank you again!
I had my first 2 in a hospital and then decided to have the 3rd in a birthing center. I am a very traditional person, but we paid for 2 of our childrens births out of pocket and it was over 2x's more to have it in a hospital vs. a birthing center. I must say having my daughter at Labor of Love was the best thing I ever did!!! I had a bath tub birth, by accident:) But there were only 2 other people there beside my husband and I and they played soft music and had candles lit instead of those bright lights. We didn't know the sex of our baby and they handed her to me to see. It was weird not having any epideral or drugs, but again, it was the best choice I ever made!
I had my first at a hospital, second at a Birth Center, and am planning to have my third (due Jan) at home. There was such a huge difference between having a baby in a home-like environment! The best part for me was being handed my baby right after he came out, he wasn't taken right to a table, he had no blinding lights in his eyes, he was just held and nursed and welcomed by our family. Then later as he was sleeping they took him for an exam and cleaning. I really wish I had done it that way the first time!! It was so peaceful and beautiful and natural.
We chose to have our baby at a hospital for many reasons--mostly the fear of the unknown. All of the "what ifs" that would cause a trip to the hospital regardless of where we started, led us to the decision to at least have the first one in the hospital.
After having my son, both me and my husband agree that it was the right decision and any future children will also be delivered in a hospital. My labor progressed quite quickly--checking in around 2am after my water broke, I was 2cm dilated. But with each contraction, the baby's heart rate was decelerating. They immediately put me on oxygen and a monitor and started moving me into different positions--since there was a good change the baby was entwined in the umbilical cord. But in less than 2 hours I had already progressed to 9cm and the heart rate was still decelerating with each contraction. My labor was going so fast they actually gave me something to slow it down so they could prep me for the ER for an emergency c-section.
All went well with the c-section and the umbilical was wrapped around my son's neck--twice. Not that this is considered a "normal" experience, but the point is you never know what will happen or how much time there is to respond to it. If something is going to happen that I or my baby would need to be transported to a hospital, then I would rather just already be there since in so many situations, time is of great importance.
I think it's more important that your Dr. knows what your birth plan is and what your wishes are, but that you trust your Dr/midwife enough to make decisions for you based on his/her expertise--even if that mean with not going with the exact plan. If you don't feel this way, then find another Dr./midwife that you do feel this way about. Having a child has made me realized that no matter how prepared you think you are, nothing ever goes as planned!
I gave birth 4 times in the hospital. My first was cesaerian and the following 3 were VBACs. I went to the hospital for the safety factor. Luckily I had no complications but I had a friend who had a uterine rupture during a VBAC. For me the knowledge that I was mere seconds away from surgical assistance if necessary helped make the experience less stressful.
Having said that, I must point out that the hospital facility has more of a birthing center vibe. The staff was very accomodating to my wishes. (3 non medicated VBACs, baby handed to me right away, breast feeding support, etc.) The facility had a water birth room as well.
Personally, if I had no other risk factors I would have considered home birth but I think my hubby would have been freaked out with the what-ifs.
When I was pregnant with my first, I did not personally know anybody that did it. So it really wasn't even a thought. I ended up with an emergency c-section so I would have ended up at the hospital anyway. At that time though, I thought people were crazy to even consider it. The "what ifs" were enough for me. But, I thought I'd share a close friend of mine's experience.
She did 5 home births. She loved it. In fact, when she went into labor, they called all of their friends and family over for the "party." LOL She and her mom had cooked tons of food and had that set up. So while she and her dh were in the other room bringing a baby into the world, everybody else was having a party. She loved it. After she had her first son, her first words were, "I want to do that again." One of her daughters was born in a hospital. It was just a cautionary thing and everything worked out fine. Now her daughters are going on to have home births. She said her husband worried more about everything than she did.
If I hadn't had any csections and had to do over, I would consider it. Some of it would depend on how close I am to a hospital in case of complications. I wouldn't want to be too far away just in case. I would also have to have a very healthy pregnancy. If there were issues with me or the baby, I would prefer a hospital. I'd do lots of research on home births. What kinds of complications can come up that would be a danger to the mom or baby? I'd do some searches for message boards and want to know other's experiences. I'd probably look for people who had bad experiences so I could learn from those. What were the complications with those? I'd also do lots of research and find somebody highly recommended. Most of all I'd pray a lot to see where God is leading me.
I also knew another lady who had a bad experience. SHe lost her baby and tortured herself about whether it was her fault for doing a home birth. She ended up at the hospital, but it was too late. The doctor reassured her over and over that even if she had been at the hospital, the baby would not have made it. I didn't know her that well, but those close to her said she was having a really hard time with that one.
In the end, I'd have to be completely, 100% confident in the decision to home birth. If not, I would lose sleep and stress about it. I'm one of those who can "what if" anything to death. So I would have to be sure of it to really enjoy it.
We had our daughter in a hospital, and (if I get pregnant again) we'll probably have our second in a birthing center.
I had as much control over the process at the hospital as I dared, no pain meds and had a doula at my side along with my husband. The doula made it a great experience, as she was my advocate and helped me focus, gave me tips on what might help manage the pain etc. She was exceptional.
The down side to the hospital was the fact that some nurses would accommodate me and cheer me on, while others made disparaging remarks about the fact I chose to go without pain meds - while I was having pitocin-induced contractions! Not a help. :)
In my one-time experience, I found that if you don't have some trust built with each one of the people around you at the birth, it can suddenly be intrusive/rude/awkward/unnecessarily painful. The doctor forgot I had no pain meds and started working on stitching me up. I had to remind him!
All this being said, I would (of course) opt for a hospital birth if there were foreseeable complications. I believe most births just don't need all the extras. Having a birthing center located very near a hospital would probably be the best of both worlds.
It's such a personal decision, but I can't help but be on the side of the "what ifs". My daughter (my first) had a pneumothorax (sp?)(hole in her lung) which collapsed the lung and needed immediate attention, she also had a seizure and two different colored eyes which the doctor's originally thought was a cateract. I held her for 30 seconds and then she was wisked off to the NICU and we didn't get to see her for five hours. She is absolutely fine now with no repercussions other than one light and one dark brown eye. So, I am forever thankful that we were in the hospital with a renowned children's hospital right across the street and access to some of the best pediatric specialists. My son's birth ten years later was completely different with absolutely no problems. I was extremely nervous that we were not in a big hospital and the nearest children's hospital was a ways away, but it all turned out well. So, I would personally err on the side of caution especially knowing what I know.
Ultimately wherever you feel the most comfortable is the best place! As for home vs hospital, home IS safer than hospital, studies show. I would suggest not watching those "Baby Stories" on TV-they almost always end in c-sections, and birth takes longer than a half-an-hour ;)
Also look for a good Childbirth Education class, but keep in mind that hospital classes teach you how to birth in a hospital - they will not be homebirth friendly!
As a Childbirth Educator myself, good books to read are the following:
'Mind Over Labor,' by Carl Jones
'Spiritual Midwifery,' by Ina May Gaskin
'The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth,' by Henci Goer
and as for magazines,
Mothering Magazine is both online and in print and gives thoroughly researched material an every subject from pregnancy to older kids and anything in between! http://www.mothering.com/
I myself had a hospital birth because I developed preeclampsia and had to be induced at 31 weeks, but my next one - whenever that may be ;o) - I would like to be at home.
I don't want to scare anyone but definitely wanted to be honest. My child was born with a major heart defect (she is doing great now after several surgeries out of state). We were very blessed to find out about the defect when I was pregnant and we had time to plan. However, through this process I have met other "heart" parents and many of them did not know of their child's defect until their child was born. But fortunately they were in a hospital setting so the child could get immediate assistance. When a child is born with major health problems that have not been detected by ultrasound, it is very important that they get immediate assistance in the hospital. Seconds/Minutes count. Had we had our child at home, the situation would be much different. Hopefully your child we be born healthy and this will not be an issue for you. Good for you to ask and try to make an informed decision! Take care!
Hi Jessica, there isn't anything that would change my view about hospital vs. anywhere else. I believe that its safest for you and the baby to deliver at a hospital, where they can react quickly to any emergency situation that may arise. Why take risks with your baby's life - or your own? Better to be safe than sorry!! thanks!
If you have a low risk pregnancy, and the birthing center is very close to the hospital, then I think a birthing center would be a great choice. The fact is, women having birth in hospitals have more episiotomies, more forecep and suction deliveries, and more c-sections. Hospitals, even good ones with homey birthing rooms, tend to medicalize birth.
I decided I couldn't stand most of the doctors in my OB/GYN group around 35 weeks, but it was too late to switch to another group. (The doctors all started telling me that it was always better to cut than to tear - which is completely false - and I would have to have continuous fetal monitoring even though I was low risk because "that's just our procedure.") So I looked into birthing centers. The problem was, even though I wanted to have a natural birth, I was not ruling out an epidural. But at a birthing center, I would be ruling it out since they simply can't provide an epidural. So I decided to stick with my stupid OB/GYN group -- but I had a GREAT doula who would also be my advocate, along with my husband. In the end, I ended up laboring 34 hours -- including 9 hours on pitocin -- without any pain medicine, and then I had to have a c-section. So I would have ended up in the hospital anyway.
Since I've had a c-section, my next baby would be born in the hospital, since there's always a chance of a uterine rupture with a VBAC. But I would pick a different set of doctors and one that does water births. That's really what I would have liked!
When I had my first I had a hospital birth because that is all I knew about. Not one of the nurse that were taken "care" of me would listen to anything I had to say. I think there was like 4 different ones coming in and out of my room. I was mintues from having the baby and they kept telling me I had hours to go. I was doing this with no pain meds and they didnt support me at all. The birth was very tramatic and afterwards I said I would never do it again. Well time passed and number two was coming along. I read "A thinking women's guide to a better birth" this got me thinking to go to a birth center. However I had all the "what if's" so at about 7 months pregnant I finally went to the birth center to take the tour and get some info. Well by the time I left I knew thats the kind of birth I want. If anything where to happen they have things there to help both mom and baby. PLus most things that are going to go wrong don't come out of nowhere. There are signs and there is also time to get you to the hospital if any where to come up. So I had baby number 2 at the birth center and it was the most amazing experience in my life. I did have a water birth and I also was able to "catch" my own baby as I birthed him. Moments after I had him both my husband and I thought this was the best thing ever and even were like when can we do this again! After having a baby at a birth center I would definitly think about a homebirth but the birth center in my opinion is best thing! My son is now 4 months old and I still get a smile from ear to ear thinking about my labor and birth. Do what makes you feel the best and don't let others scare you or try to talk you out of it. Alls I have to say is research research research!
I chose a hospital for my first as I had heard so many "horror stories" about births that was my choice. I had what I term a negative experience with the hospital and opted for a birthing center or at least a midwife with my next child. To sum up, I did not do pain meds with any of my 4 labors. I had 3 with a nurse/midwife, doula, best friend and my husband to help. Only one actually was at the birthing center as with the other 3 (hospital) births I needed pitocin. There were no complication with me or the babies. We had a back up plan in case I did need to go to a hospital. The transition was easy as there was already an agreement between them and my midwife's practice. Basically, you never know what might happen, but if you think possitive, that's how it will be. I was under a lot of stress during the pregancies of numbers 1,2 and 4, but not with 3. His birth was beautiful and how I always wanted it to be. The end result in all was a healthy baby.
HI-
I chose to birth at home with my son (who's now 5 1/2 mos). We were initially going to birth at the birthing center, but after several visits, we agreed that we both felt comfortable enough to give it a try at home. I had a perfect pregnancy, so there was no reason to think that I would need to be transferred to a hospital. It is a very personal preference, so while taking advice is good, you have to have a good feeling about it & ask all your questions. It takes a lot of preparation on your behalf if you should choose home, a little less if you are choosing a birthing center & even less for hospital.
In my case, we birthed at home & I progressed very rapidly, by the time the midwife was here I was at 10 cm already & she checked me before I got in the tub, only to find out that he was footling breech! So, I had to be transferred by ambulance (since I was fully dilated) to the nearest hospital. I had to have an emergency c-section & that was devastatig to me & my husband.
My husband is from Holland & over there like 90% of women birth at home with a midwife. They only go to the hospital if there is a problem; people don't choose to birth in the hospital there, it's seen as unnecessary & extra costly. There is a new documentary out about this, which is very interesting. It is called "Pregnant In America" & you can see a snipit on You Tube. The full length version is complete now.
It talks about the overuse of hospitals & the amount of c-sections which are done in comparison to other countries & thereby the high # of infant/mother mortalities in our country.
Good luck to you & if you haven't met with a midwife yet or chosen a center, I can refer you to the one I used, if you are in my general area.
Bring a doula to the hospital if you must go who knows what your vision is for your birth. The birthing center was a definite happy middle for me and my husband between safety and comfort level for the birth.
Know the statistics of what happens at hospitals and how much of that can be avoided if women just knew and trusted their bodies more. Birth does not have to be so horrible.
My daughters birth at a birthing center was amazing and I felt a connection with her immediately that I did not find with my other births due to all the distraction and lack of bonding allowed.
As other mothers have mentioned it is a very personal choice and you have to know what you want and what you are comfortable with.
I always thought military hospitals were awful until I read some of these hospital horror stories. I had both of my children at a military hospital, and both experiences were great. I had c-sections with both, and I still got to see them and touch them right away. The nurses were super friendly and helpful, and I had breastfeeding support. I got to help with their first baths. I would never have done it any other way. Like some people here have said, you never know what might go wrong, and even if the hospital is close it might not be close enough. Good luck, I may be wrong but your question sounds like you're trying to convince someone else, not like it's a choice for you. If I'm wrong, good luck on your decision.
I thought about both alternatives and decided to have both of my daughters naturally but in a hospital. I chose no medication i.e. epidural because I didn't want to expose my baby to that. I chose the hospital for safety. If my babies heart beat dropped and I had to have an emergency c-section the time saved by being in the hospital could mean life or death to my child. The minutes it would take to get to the hospital from a birthing center or from home could result in a lack of oxygen sufficent enough to result in disabilities for my child. If the baby came out with other complications I know she would get the best care possible and the qickest in the hospital. In emergency situations seconds count. You can never forsee whether an emergency will happen so I want to be prepared to ensure not only I am safe but so would be my child. I am expecting my third in June and although I would love to give birth at home and have already had 2 perfect births I still plan on having the baby in the hospital for its safety as well as mine.
I had my first two daughters in a hospital and the third in a birthing center. I wish I could have had all three girls at a birthing center or at home. At the hospital, the epidurals did not take well on either birth and recovering from the epidural was weird and difficult to explain. I didn't feel like myself until days later. During labor, the nurses checked my vitals from the computers at the nursing desk and didn't come in often. They were distant and it felt I had my daughters according to their schedules.
On the other hand, the birthing center was great from the beginning. The midwives were so in tune with my needs. The routine exams during my pregnancy were in bedroom style exam rooms without the stirrups and bright lights. They gave me an option for all the tests and fully explained each of them. (With the OBGYNs, I felt like I was breaking the law or something if I declined any of their blood tests)
I hear a lot of fear coming from other mothers that have responded about emergency situations. The birthing centers have very strict protocols about emergency situations. I almost had to go to a hospital because my daughter's heart rate kept dropping. The cord was wrapped around her neck, waist and wrist. Luckily she was ready to come out by then and was fine. There was a midwife there for me and one for her along with other midwives to help out. I was never worried about our safety.
I had freedom to walk around during labor and do what I felt comfortable. Well as comfortable as I could be in labor. Many people ask me about the pain. But I promise you, I felt more pain and way more stress doing it the hospital way with pain meds. It hurt pushing her out, but it was a different kind of pain that I can't explain. It was like a relief to get her out and welcome her to the world more than typical pain.
If you contact the midwifery near you, I'm sure they can recommend books that give pros and cons of each birthing style.
Thank you for aksing the question. It seems like a lot of us have been able to share our birth stories. Good luck to you in whatever method you choose.