Home, Birth Center, or Hosp? - Page 2

[lunita1]

I have had three hospital births

The first was at a university-affiliated hospital, and I hated it there. I had to refuse drugs offered to me, the nurses were really unfamiliar with unmedicated births (so many people were fascinated by how alert my daughter was!) and after the birth they took her off to a warming table in another room and kept her there for HOURS.

I drove to another town for their awesome team of CNM's for the younger two. They have birthing tubs, free volunteer doulas if you ask, and all low-risk births are attended by midwives. I've returned to the same practice for my prenatal care this time, but I'm also considering a homebirth.

My first labor was about 11 hours long, my second was 13 hours (she was born posterior and I had bad back labor) and the third was 2 hours long. Since the hospital is about 40 minutes away, I kind of dread getting in the car in labor again, especially if there's any chance of repeating the 2 hour labor. Last time I got to the hospital about 15 minutes before my daughter was born. If there had been any problems with traffic (instead of an empty road at 2:30 am) I'm not sure we would have made it there. Since my second labor was longer than my first, I guess I can't count on my labors getting shorter every time, though.

Even though my hospital has really mother/baby friendly postpartum care (warming baby skin to skin instead of in a warmer, good lactation help instead of formula samples, etc.) I requested early release both times in my birth plan. I just felt like being in my own bed at home was much more relaxing than being in the hospital with strange sounds and a strange bed. Daughter #2 was born in the afternoon, and I stayed overnight and left the very first thing in the morning as soon as a pediatrician could come and do a newborn exam. Daughter #3 was born very early in the morning, so we left before 5:00pm the same day.

[SamGroom]

I had a hospital and a homebirth.

HOMEBIRTH all the way. It is soooo worth it.

I am not sure I would ever pick a birth center because they can not do anything that a homebirth midwife can't do. They have all the same equipment as a HB midwife brings to your home. So the only difference is the crappy drive while in labor and then having to get back in the car with your newborn to go home. I much preferred the three steps I took from the birthing tub to my bed

That being said if I could not afford a HB and my insurance covered a birth center I may consider it, though I would look into having a unassisted birth as well.

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by theretohere

I've had a natural hospital birth and a homebirth- and I can honestly say barring medical necessity I'll stick to homebirthing now.

Also- my first labor was 4 hours and my second was 12- so it doesn't always go quicker.

me too... well, ok, I was pit induced in the hospital, but it was an "easy" induction and I required no pain meds. I actually feel like my two labors were about the same, for the most part... but my first was more text book. The difference for me (and DH) was how lovely and awesome and amazing it is to be able to sleep in your own bed after all that. We didn't have to worry about our young child who had never been away from us and it made the transition from a 3 person family to 4 SO smooth. It did take a bit of convincing but there's some really good info out there on home birth... by the time of the birth, he was more on board than I was! And then after the birth, he was completely convinced that homebirth is the way to go, barring medical complications. Dh actually was concerned about having more children because he was worried we might not be able to get another home birth since they're sorta hard to come by in our area! He didn't have any interest in going back to the hospital, if we could avoid it.

Actually, the transition when we had our first (with the hospital stay and all) was pretty hard on DH, but the homebirth went so smooth. I guess that's why he was so into it? Or maybe the homebirth helped him because it took some extra factors out of the mix (the stay away from home, the frantic drive to the hospital, etc)

[Juvysen]

Another thought I had...

There'll be swine flu in the hospital... who wants to pick that up (and who knows what else) when you can just stay home with your own normal germs. I have a friend (and actually a fellow MDC mama) whose daughter gets mrsa boils because she picked it up in the hospital when she was born.

I was thinking about this yesterday... I feel somewhat safer going to my homebirth midwife for visits this year instead of my old hospital practice because the homebirth practice is tiny and so there'll be less exposure to who knows what, whereas I'd have to go into the hospital frequently during flu season to a HUGE practice with a busy waiting room if I were going to the hospital...

[Plummeting]

We had a nice hospital birth with DD, but what happened after the birth was pretty awful. This time we're having a homebirth. I live in what appears to be a black hole for natural childbirth options - no birth centers, no non-interventionist OB's, bad hospital policies, etc.

The locals around here (I am not one) even told me on a msg board it would be irresponsible for me to have the baby at the closest hospital, because it doesn't have a level 4 NICU. Apparently, if I chose to deliver at that hospital, which is 15 minutes away, it would be careless with my baby's life and I would only be a good and worthy mother if I drove 45 minutes to deliver at the hospital with the better NICU. I didn't bother telling any of those...women...that I wasn't going to be doing EITHER. lol

[Right of Passage]

Do what feels best, if you want to birth in the hospital go for it, if you want to birth at home many MWs are flexible with payment arrangements. We're planning a homebirth and it would be really hard to afford if nugget wasn't due until right after we'd get our tax refund.

My last birth was a nonemergent HB transfer(if you want more details about the transfer feel free to ask). If you looked at it like a planned hospital birth is was a pretty fantastic experience! I arrived fully dialated and ready to push, no time for any intervention, baby was born in less than 10 minutes of arriving in the birth room, and we left 7 hours after DS was born and even had a truely delicious breakfast at the hospital. It really was a good experience.

[SamuraiMom]

2 Hospital births and 2 Home Births. My first Hospital Birth went smoothly the 2nd, not so much. With the 3rd we were w/o HI, so I finally got the Home Birth I always wanted and it was too easy, she came right out into my arms after 15 minutes of pushing. My last Home Birth was long and hard and I was sick and coughing my lungs out w/ a fever and my cervix refused to open that last centimeter for EVER! We ended up transferring because DS had fluid in his lungs and besides one witch of a nurse who ridiculed me for not being in the hospital in the first place, everyone was great. I was even reassured by many a nurse and a DR that what happened at home could have and does regularly happen in the hospital and that they would have done the same exact thing. And I got to sleep for three days while DS stayed safe in the NICU under an oxygen tent. I wouldn't have been able to do that at home. However, I will never birth in a hospital again. I love being at home, in my own house, my own bed, my own toilet. My own food in my own kitchen. Surrounded by people I love and want to be with.