Unassisted, Homebirth, Birth Center, or Hospital? And Why? « Back to Group Discussions

[BabyMae09]

Hello all! Please vote and reply in the comment if you'd like. Where do you want to birth, and why? Do you make your choice based largely on intuition? How does your partner feel about it?

[dayiscoming2006]

I'm planning a midwife assisted home birth this time. I had an unassisted birth last time and that was great, but it made me realize that I would rather have someone there to help in case I need it next time and to take care of all the annoying paperwork and newborn check, etc. 

I had 2 hospital births and they sucked. I would only do a hospital birth again if I had a *real* high risk pregnancy.

[heyitskalista]

If all goes well, this will be our third home birth! Our first was a natural hospital birth and after that, we both felt strongly that he birth was the right choice for us! So excited to do it again!!

[BabyMae09]

I am hoping for a homebirth with a midwife. My first labor was managed (massaging my cervix, breaking my waters), so it was about 5 hours long, 3 of which was transition. UGH!
 

My second labor I was at home until 45 minutes before DD was born, and was about 8 hours from actual contractions that were more than twinges until birth. She was born with a 'midwife' at the hospital.

This time I'm not going anywhere near a hospital unless there is an emergency. I'm hoping this labor will be short ~ 4-5 hours would be nice!

[yallcomeback]

We are planning a home birth with a midwife. My first 2 children were c-sections, the second being a home birth transfer. This time is going to be different!!

[BabyMae09]

Wow, not one hospital birther so far huh?

I guess Midwifery has caught on a lot in the past four years since I was last pregnant?
 

[lolliegee]

All my births have been in the hospital (due to being high risk), midwife attended. I have had some beautiful all natural births, but water birth was unavailable to me. I am determined to have a water birth this time since I know it will be my last. So, I'm hoping to have a home birth or at least a midwife who can help me have a water birth in a hospital. As I said in my intro, I'll do it unattended if I have to and just go to the hospital afterwards. I know the risks associated with my "high risk" status and as far as the birth itself goes, there's not much. Mostly it's concern about the baby's blood sugar after birth.

[CountryMommy]

My first 2 births have been natural births at the same hospital. They were very positive experiences, no one pushed drugs or epi or forced me to stay in the bed. I was encouraged to walk around if I felt like it, labour in the shower, try different positions to turn my posterior baby, baby was placed on my chest immediately after birth, etc. It really was great. Unfortunately birthing at the same hospital is not an option this time as we are moving out of province. Previously the drive to the hospital was an easy 35 minute hwy ride into a small city. Which still sucked when I was in active labour. This time, it looks like the drive will be well over an hour on country roads then into a major city where we may or may not be battling rush hour traffic....can't say I am excited about that part but I do feel like I want another hospital birth.

[InLove2009]

My husband and I want a hospital birth. My husband is so scared for me all the time, I think he would pass out if I was not surrounded by a fully trained medical team. We also live right across the street from the hospital, and I went to school for nursing for a while. I just never considered home birth. Maybe with the next 5 :)

[talldarkeyes]

My hospital birth with my daughter was traumatic for my whole family and I still cannot step into a L&D without feeling something akin to PTSD so we are hoping for a homebirth. I have a feeling at this point that it won't happen though, not because I will miscarry but possibly because of high risk. DH really wants a homebirth so if I am high risk I may ask a midwife friend if she will be our "doula" for a hospital birth to ensure we are well informed and can make good choices and/or be our voice if necessary.

[ashleybrook]

we are planning our second home birth with midwife assistance.  my midwife was very hands off and we will use her again. i already had a dream that we had her in the bathroom like i've been saying i wanted to do since our last birth--which was in our spare bedroom. i felt very good in shower/bathroom by myself and want to repeat that. this is also how i miscarried previously and felt very able to work with my own body. i need privacy!!! and hot water! i did not like having the birthing pool and will not have it this next time. it felt overwhelming and unproductive.

even though i'd say we had an amazing last birth i also felt my woman parts felt very abused by the birth process... i'd like to feel differently after this next birth. :) that will be my prebirth work.

[talldarkeyes]

Originally Posted by ashleybrook 

we are planning our second home birth with midwife assistance.  my midwife was very hands off and we will use her again. i already had a dream that we had her in the bathroom like i've been saying i wanted to do since our last birth--which was in our spare bedroom. i felt very good in shower/bathroom by myself and want to repeat that. this is also how i miscarried previously and felt very able to work with my own body. i need privacy!!! and hot water! i did not like having the birthing pool and will not have it this next time. it felt overwhelming and unproductive.

even though i'd say we had an amazing last birth i also felt my woman parts felt very abused by the birth process... i'd like to feel differently after this next birth. :) that will be my prebirth work.

I think it is interesting that you say that you didn't like the birthing pool. While it has never really appealed to me in a strong way I have been told that you can't do a homebirth without one. Did you just stand in the shower?

[dayiscoming2006]

I actually have always hated the thought of being in water during the birth. I think each woman is different. I had a unassisted homebirth last night - no water. I think the shower I took was kind of nice, but I didn't take any longer than usual because I had a water heater and I got sick of being in the water anyway.

[heyitskalista]

Originally Posted by talldarkeyes 

I think it is interesting that you say that you didn't like the birthing pool. While it has never really appealed to me in a strong way I have been told that you can't do a homebirth without one. Did you just stand in the shower?

Really??  I've had 2 home births with no water!  How funny!

I do want a water birth this time though.  I think it sounds wonderful!

[MonkeyPrincess]

My first three were born in the hospital, and my last two were born at home. I had planned each time for a midwife to be there, but wound up unassisted both times.

This time I am pregnant with twins, and honestly, I am not sure how I feel about homebirth. 

At this point, I have decided to make a plan for all options and see how I feel about the actual circumstances when the time comes. I do know I definitely want prenatal care with a midwife, though. And ultimately, even if I planned a hospital birth (based on my history), I could labor too quickly to get there anyway. BUT it is twins, and a different set of genetics involved...so my history might not even be a factor!

[ashleybrook]

Originally Posted by talldarkeyes 

I think it is interesting that you say that you didn't like the birthing pool. While it has never really appealed to me in a strong way I have been told that you can't do a homebirth without one. Did you just stand in the shower?

i actually had a birthing pool and got it and out of it many times....as well as the shower. i actually loved being in the shower, i think standing/squatting  & generally swaying hips in it was part of it. but in the birthing pool, it just felt too big and i felt i couldn't find a comfortable way to be. i tried laying, kneeling...sitting. i just didn't like it. i did love shower water. but then again, when i have a headache or don't feel well, i love to stand under a hot shower! also, by the end of labor when i was ready to push i just got frustrated with the pool and got out myself. i stood beside it and held onto it while i got down into a squat to push and came up in between pushing/contractions. i ended up birth on dry ground half way leaning back on my dh and catching babe with one hand. i love the idea of a water birth...but that's not what worked best for me.

i decided after that birth if i wanted to be in the tub for the next one i'd just fill up our bath tub as the pool felt too big. but my idea is to stick with the shower and small space. :) yes, i will run out of hot water so i can just heat the bathroom and work around that. 

[SunnyMuffin]

Oh gosh I just found out this morning and I'm sure I'll change my mind 100 times, but I will most likely end up giving birth at home with a midwife.
I had a hospital birth with a midwife with my first child.  

[kolszewski]

I hope to have another home waterbirth with this baby. I have had all types of births: csection, hospital midwife VBAC with epidural, and home midwife assisted waterbirth. My favorite and easiest so far was the home h2o birth. Of course, it will all depend on finding the right midwife, cost, and the baby!

[cynthiamoon]

I feel lucky because the birth center near us here in Denver is also a 3 minute drive away from a hospital with which they have a strong relationship. Going there feels like getting the best of both worlds since if there is an inevitable complication, I have a backup plan that's easy to execute. I would consider homebirth with a second child if this one goes well. As it is, I feel too inexperienced and lacking in a support network for full-on homebirth. Plus, I like that I don't have to turn my living room into a birth room and deal with all those logistics. The birth center has ALL SORTS of facilities that would be too time-consuming to set up at home. 

[simplypure]

I had all four of my children with a midwife in a birthing centre.  They all were very positive experiences...but I have always longed to have my baby at home,  my husband has never felt comfortable with it though.   We just moved and live on one of the gulf islands,  the midwife I am seeing doesn't feel comfortable with us birthing at home either so I think the only option is the hospital........I am not terribly excited about that part!