winter homebirth(water)

[smusiak]

so i went out side to get something out of the van
the side door is forzzen shut again
made me think of labor
or if i have to go whne baby comes
would you chagne you mine about homebirth if it get any colder?

[Treeof3]

I wouldn't change anything.... if you had a true emergency, you'd be calling for an ambulance anyhow and they won't be frozen. If the conditions are that bad, you won't want to be driving anyhow (even if you are fairly used to that weather).  The only thing I may do in really cold/wintery conditions is to call the m/w earlier than I ordinarily would to give her time to fight with her vehicle and navigate to my house.

[guitarmama80]

Nope!  It is cold here and it makes me not want to leave my house even more!

[rad]

Wouldn't change my mind at all. Infact, it just makes me glad I don't have to go anywhere. I know with my birth this Sunday and the near blizzard going on, I was so happy I was at home. Plus, it was so fast I probably would have given birth in the car in the middle of nowhere. The midwife didn't make it but it was better her in the car than me IMO.

[Skrimpy]

I would still plan your HB :)  We had blizzard conditions last weekend and on Monday a baby made the front page b/c he was born in the car many, many miles away from the hospital - they couldn't make it through.  An ambulance eventually got them to the hospital, but I would have just stayed home if I'd been that mama!

When labor is starting you could have your partner go out and get the car cleared/heated and perhaps do so every few hours if you're worried about needing it.  If you're worried about your drive being cleared, could you hire snow plowing services to keep it clear around your due date?

[turnquia]

We just homebirthed twins in the winter :)  Thankfully the road conditions were good but there is no way I'd want to be scared of driving conditions while in labor.  Or deliver on the side of the road or get into an accident mid labor. 

The only thing I could say is make sure you have things in the event power goes out from a snow storm and call midwife super early if you suspect anything. 

[lyndie]

Originally Posted by Skrimpy 

I would still plan your HB :)  We had blizzard conditions last weekend and on Monday a baby made the front page b/c he was born in the car many, many miles away from the hospital - they couldn't make it through.  An ambulance eventually got them to the hospital, but I would have just stayed home if I'd been that mama!

I saw this story on the weather channel, poor momma should've had a HB!