Anyone else planning a home birth? « Back to Group Discussions

[tropicana74]

I have been fascinated with homebirthing since I was like 8 (my moms friend had a home birth and I was hooked on the idea)! I have started my phone interviews with midwives and am doing my first official interview tomorrow with a midwife team!

My first 2 births were quick, natural hospital births with no interventions or complications. Since this will be my last birth I am determined that it will be a homebirth. And actually my last labor was 2 hours start to finish so I am a little concerned about even making it to a hospital this time anyway!

The last time I was pregnant I was in another DDC on a different website. There were about 17 of us due that month. Of the 17 I think 14 ended up with inductions (with MANY of them leading to c-sections) and of the other 3 who had vaginal births I was the only one with a natural birth (Oh yeah, and I went 13 days past my due date)! They just didn't "get" why I wouldn't induce!   I was so sad to watch their births become something so traumatic when it could have been so peaceful. 

 So, it is sooo nice to be on a forum this time with other mommas who get it!! 

[madis81]

We hope to homebirth! There are several CPM's in our area to choose from, as well as a school with a birth center that trains CPM's, so I'm excited to interview and meet different midwives. I'm hoping to find one I really connect with... before I found out I was pregnant I was making plans to attend school to become a midwife and I'm half-way hoping to learn more from the midwife we hire.

Anyway, before we officially start planning a homebirth I need to get cleared from an OB to make sure I'm not high risk. I have a history of "possible" TIA's. No neurologist can agree on what's actually happening when my body gets tingly. It's frustrating...

[wannaBmom_NICU_RN]

Yep, We're planning one!  I had a homebirth with my first and wouldn't do it any other way.  I actually work with a midwife as a birth assistant, so it should work out pretty good to use her for this one.  Can't wait!

[heyitskalista]

This will be our 3rd home birth!  I absolutely loved giving birth at home and can not imagine doing it any other way!

[LittleGriff]

I'm so sad. My current insurance does not cover home birth. We are seeing if we can get that changed in time for the birth but I'm not counting on it. My first was a difficult but successful homebirth. Second was a quick, easy hospital birth. (Was living in an area where finding a homebirth provider was just too hard.) And I was hoping to do it at home again. Greatly preferred it! Good luck and enjoy. I'm envious. (Maybe we'll just pay out of pocket ... sigh.)

[Eandko]

I am hoping for a homebirth this time around. With my son I made it to full dilation at home with just my husband. J was born 30 min after arriving at the hospital and we went home 3 hrs later. The trip to the hospital was totally pointless and I look forward to staying comfortable in my home this time.

[tropicana74]

LittleGriff, our insurance doesn't cover it either. Actually I would have had a homebirth with my last but since we had good medical coverage I figured it didn't make sense to pay out of pocket for a midwife. And then after the birth when all the bills starting trickling in and we paid our portion to the hospital, OB, pediatrician we ended up spending what we would have spent on a homebirth with a midwife! I was so bummed. So this time we are definitely doing out of pocket!
By the way, I LOVE your avatar. I love Rosie the Riveter (I use her for a lot of my profile pictures) but to see her holding a baby....it is perfect!!

[SweetTea]

I've been passionate about natural childbirth since watching House of Babies and a Baby Story (back when natural births were a bit more frequent to see than they are these days) on TLC. I've always hoped to have a chance at giving birth in water.

Up until today, DH and I had been tentatively planning on a home birth. It took me a few years, but he is now very supportive of my desire to avoid hospitals unless we need it, and since this town no longer has a free-standing birth center, our only other option for the water birth that I'm hoping for was to give birth at home.

BUT, today we just learned that we are moving -- DH just got offered a great new job on the East coast that will put us back to living very close to our home towns AND a new free-standing birth center that I'd been keeping my eye on since it opened a couple years ago. I'm am so excited about it.  So now, home birth is my second choice, and the free-standing birth center is the first. Should that change, I do know the midwives at the center can do birth center or home births -- they leave it up to the parents to decide -- so we still have the home birth option if we decide we want it.

Edited:  Re: insurance -- I'm pretty sure we're going to be stuck paying a lot (if not all) out of pocket, which is a little disheartening, but I've always assumed that would be the case.  I've yet to live in a state that is really supportive of births outside of hospitals. I've got my fingers crossed that something might work out with the birth center if we go that route, but if not, I'm glad DH has had time to get his head around paying a few thousand to give birth outside of a hospital versus it pretty much being free if we were to do it the other way around.

[travelmumma]

I was just about to post this!!!!!
Yay for having such a large group of us planning and supporting home births!!!
This is our first and I am ridiculously excited to start calling midwives tomorrow!!!
Pretty sure our insurance just laughs at home births so we are paying out of pocket...
Just for the midwife it's about 4000 but of course have to pay for her back up etc and getting house ready.
But I would much rather struggle to pay that then even walk past the local hospital nowadays ... Shudder
Yay for home birth mummas!!!!

[kaliki_kila]

I am strongly leaning towards home birth but I still have a lot of research to do on what is available in my area in terms of midwives and birth centers.

[wiggles06]

Yup, we are planning our second homebirth just not sure yet if it's going to be midwife assisted...might go for UC my first was super fast, midwife got there 30 mins before my daughter was born. If we do decide too do UC it will be after lots of research and preparation. Looking for good info, books, personal stories, etc.

[Bugglette]

I am planning a homebirth...and am very excited about it!  I really wanted a home birth with DS, I just HATED our home (an ugly, uncomfortable rental).  So I opted for a birth center instead, but the center closed a few month before my due date (insert eye roll here), so I ended up with a hospital birth, overseen by a birth center midwife.

This time, it's a homebirth all the way...which is actually better for us financially.  The price of our son's hospital birth, WITH insurance, was about twice the price of an out of pocket homebirth, lol.

[louis]

How exciting that so many of are doing or considering home births! I dont remember there being so many in my last DDC. We had a home birth with DD and definitely plan to have one with this sesame seed. I am not comfortable in a hospital even when I am not the Patient so birth there is kind of my nightmare. I need to move and eat and avoid needles throughout my birth.
Not sure if we will use the same midwife again. Actually in writing that sentence I think I just decided that we will. She was the only CPM in my area last time around and my only complaints were that she was a little scatterbrained and also not very warm. However, she is a mother of four and handled my birth so calmly despite having having another client in labor who ended up delivering a 13lb baby with severe shoulder dystocia shortly after assisting with dd's birth. She never once let on that there was anywhere else for her to be and I am so thankful for that. My doula and DH gave me all the love I needed at birth and my MW did some great stitching after a 2nd degree tear.
Sorry for my long winded post, but wow that was kind of cathartic.

[chewynotcrunchy]

We had a fabulous home birth with our first and are planning on using the same midwife for our second. So excited!!

[LittleGriff]

Originally Posted by tropicana74 

LittleGriff, our insurance doesn't cover it either. Actually I would have had a homebirth with my last but since we had good medical coverage I figured it didn't make sense to pay out of pocket for a midwife. And then after the birth when all the bills starting trickling in and we paid our portion to the hospital, OB, pediatrician we ended up spending what we would have spent on a homebirth with a midwife! I was so bummed. So this time we are definitely doing out of pocket!
By the way, I LOVE your avatar. I love Rosie the Riveter (I use her for a lot of my profile pictures) but to see her holding a baby....it is perfect!!

Hmmm. That's a very good point. I don't remember what the hospital birth ended up costing us but I was surprised by the continuous flow of bills. I should check. Yay! Glad you mentioned.

Avatar - thanks! Rosie has a very special place in my heart. Just looking at her, in all her incarnations, cheers me up.

[purposefuldoula]

This baby will be born at home, being my 2nd homebirth.  My last homebirth was awesome but in IL. Now we are in KS and I've got a great "birthy" community. Anytime I'm with any friends here, we end up talking about placentas or something else birth related. I imagine my friends here will set up camp in the living room, knit, and hang out while I have this baby :)  My midwife and I actually went to yoga together last week  (We were friends before I found out about this LO.)  I'm pretty stoked to be giving birth here. I know I've got amazing support! 

Also, yay for homebirth! DD1 was born in a hospital with every intervention minus cesarean given to us, then dd2 was born peacefully at home on the bedroom floor. After her birth, I knew if we ever had another child it would be born at home as well. This time I'm hoping to have a water birth. With dd2, I was in the water for hours, but got out about 20 minutes before she was born. I kept falling asleep through transition so my m/w thought it was time to get out! 

[OSUvet]

Yes I will be trying a second time for a homebirth. Labored at home the entire time with DS which was wonderful and my midwife was wonderful but after 4 hours of pushing and just being unable to quite get him to crown even with an episiotomy (which my midwife almost never has to do!), we ended up transfering for forceps assistance. Which was traumatic for me and baby. Definitely hoping for a better ending this time!

[mamacolleen]

Definitely trying for a home birth this time around.

The plan was home birth with DD and I ended up with a c-section (long story). So, this will be an HBAC for us. I have 3 (!) midwives already lined up. One primary and 2 back-ups (I've been told the back-up is experienced with VBACS). Luckily DH is very much on board.

Anyone else planning an HBAC?

[BumkinsMum]

This will make # 4 home/water birth for us.  There really is no better option for our family :)

I have a back-up  Dr. whom I trust, that has been on board with my previous home births 'just in case'.  I get to the 35 week mark then he says "Ok you're home free now!" LOL.

I send him pics of my babies since he's never delivered any other them :)

[tropicana74]

Originally Posted by Katri'smama 

I have a back-up  Dr. whom I trust, that has been on board with my previous home births 'just in case'.  I get to the 35 week mark then he says "Ok you're home free now!" LOL.

I send him pics of my babies since he's never delivered any other them :)

You are very lucky! The birthing "climate" around here IMO is terrible. I am new to the area and am dreading even starting to see an OB. I feel like I need to have a back up for just in case but I am hoping to see him MINIMALLY during this pregnancy. I am still not sure if I am going to tell him that I am doing a home birth. I really feel like they are so close minded around here that he could do something crazy like turn me in for medical neglect or something.  But, hopefully that is just me being paranoid...