Question?

[steff]

i know some of you homebirth.. While I had my children in the hospital. I would have love to homebirth but the option was never presented to me and I have no Idea if we have any midwives around.

So I did have them in the hospital but with no drugs. No epi. or nothing.

When you say advantage of homebirth and why it is so good is this one of the reasons and what are the others?

Steff

[nikirj]

I have had two hospital births, both unmedicated. Here is why I am planning a homebirth this time:

1 - I hate the fetal monitor. I am allergic to the gel (or something like that) and nobody believes me - I get huge welts two days later over wherever they put the monitor. And I hate it squeezing me.

2 - I hate having my blood pressure taken. It is especially annoying in transition, and doubly so when they keep trying because 'they need a reading but can't get one during a contraction' and um, this is obviously impossible because the contractions are coming so fast...

3 - I don't want my mom to have to fight with the nurses about what position I "can" push in.

4 - I don't want to have to fight to avoid drugs, episiotomies, tugging on the cord, etc (managed to avoid all of this both times, but it was a fight).

5 - Once the baby is born, I don't want to move to another room. I don't want him/her removed and weighed. I don't want him/her cleaned. I don't want him/her medicated, eyedropped, temperature-taken, slapped, checked-out, or anything. I want to hold my baby - NOW and I don't want my mom to have to grab the baby from the doctor to get that!

6 - I want my daughter and son to be able to choose between playing in their room/with their nana/whatever and watching the birth.

7 - I don't want to wake up every hour on the hour all night to get my blood pressure and temperature taken.

8 - I don't want to fight nurses over how they bathe my baby. I don't want their advice on how to care for my baby (for the most part).

9 - I want to sleep well our first night together. I don't want to be in a strange place, freezing my butt off, with DH in a separate bed, with nurses waking us every hour, sleeping if I'm exhausted (which I wasn't with my second).

That's all I can think of for now but there are a million reasons.

[pamamidwife]

Different provinces in Canada have various restrictions or availability on midwives. What province are you in?

[stafl]

Yes, the routine interventions at a hospital birth are the number one reason I chose not to go to the hospital for my second child's birth.
Those interventions the first time around snowballed and ended up with my baby being delivered surgically. I chose homebirth because I knew it was my best chance at having a successful vbac.

[QueeTheBean]

I had my first in a hospital & the 2nd at a birth center (I went home 4 hours after he was born).

All I can add to the above, which was great, is that I was SO IN LABOR at home & I was totally annoyed that I had to leave my house & go out into the cold & drive somewhere to deliver my baby, when I knew I could have just gotten onto my bed & pushed him out in like 5 mintues! :LOL--well, that's how it felt to me at the time! I LOVED LOVED LOVED going home at 4 hours with #2 DS. I couldn't imagine such a thing with DS1 & my family thought I was nuts, but it felt SO GOOD to be in my own bed & have my other son with me, near me. I hate those high hospital beds, though it was nice to have people bringing me food (I didn't get such great care at home, but that's another story!)

If I were to have a 3rd, I'd want it at home, but HB is basically illegal in my state, for all intents and purposes. (I've been told there are ways around it, however).

Yeah for you for looking into it, anyway!

[2+twins]

I've had both my babies at home. For me it was important to labor & give birth in an environment that I was most comfortable in. You know when you just feel sick and want to be home in YOUR bed??? It's kind of like that for me. I wanted to be someplace secure and intimate. No place better for me than home. I wanted to call the shots (my midwifes wouldn't have it any other way). Also, I didn't like the idea of strangers (doctors & nurses) coming in & out of the room, disrupting me and my progress, making me feel self-conscious & possibly judging or interferring with how I'm laboring or giving birth. I knew I didn't want to use drugs or have any medically unnecessary interventions. Homebirthing with the right midwifes was my best chance at that. Some people make comments like how strong I must be to give birth without drugs, but sometimes I think just the opposite. If I were in the room where the drugs were and still didn't take them, well that would be strong. I chose to make it a non-option. I also wanted my baby to be born in her own environment, where it would be safest for her. I could curl up in my bed next to my little one and sleep peacefully. Nobody coming in & out of the room to check on me, no strange beeping sounds, no laboring mothers screaming, no other babies crying. Just me, dh, and our new baby. I could go on & on, but these are some of the reasons why it was good for me.

[steff]

I live in Ontario.

See After My second in the Hospital I left almost right away. No arguments from them. I see what you are all saying. I would love to experience it at home. The hospital I had my babies in will not give epi. so that option is not available. And I guess the nurses are pretty good because I held all my babies for a while before they did the whole weight thing and stuff. Except for my last she was taken from me after about two minutes. And I kept asking what was wrong? Nothing was, but it felt like it. So I didn't like that. Plus I wanted to breastfeed as soon as possible.

I just never heard of anyone around here having a home birth. Watching that video This is so beautiful really made me want to do this if I have another. Do you know what video I am talking about?


Steff

[Mom2baldie]

At first, the only reason I wanted to have a homebirth was because there are no hospitals around here that allow VBACs without continuous fetal monitoring, IV and confinement to the hospital bed. Some even require you to have an epidural. There are a few hospitals in my area that do not allow VBACs at all.

After I learned more about homebirth - watched videos, talked to midwives & other moms, read birth stories, I realized that even if I was given a decent chance to have a baby in the hospital it wouldnt be what I really wanted, which is a private event only attended by people that know and care about me. I wouldnt be given a chance to birth without other peoples hands on me, catch my own baby, have a waterbirth (NO hospitals around here offer that either).

I just want more for myself than what I would recieve in the hospital - even if I had a doula and a very understanding, "natural" OB or CNM.

[2+twins]

Originally Posted by Mom2baldie

Some even require you to have an epidural.

They can require an epidural?!?! I guess that must be so you're ready for surgery just in case??? I know our local hospital doesn't allow VBACs. It's just so crappy (plus they only have about a 1% NCB rate). I hate how they uniformily make decisions for people like that, and so many women don't even consider that they have other options (like try another hospital at least!).

[Mom2baldie]

Yes, there is a hospital where the OBs require an epidural in case of emergencies. If you do not consent to an epidural, the option of VBAC is taken away. Showing up while pushing is an option, but its def. not one of the best. I have my own little story about that.

Anyways, most VBACs do occur at hospitals, most women do have epidurals, so it stands to reason that there are many women who dont mind being told they MUST have an epidural.

[ebethmom]

We just made our decision several weeks ago to homebirth this baby. I had my ds in a hospital - I did have preeclampsia, so a hospital birth was necessary with him.

With this baby, I don't want to fight for the birth I want. I don't want any nurses rolling their eyes at the freaky woman down the hall who won't take the drugs.

With ds, I had a cytotec/pitocin induced labor, complete with catheter, IV, constant blood pressure cuff that squeezed during EVERY contraction, and those %^#%'d internal fetal monitors. And the PUSH PUSH cheerleaders. And the bossy staff member who sternly told me to "quit making all that noise and use your energy to push your baby out." And the doc who had me push so hard at the end that I had 2nd degree tears.

I had to have a magnesium sulfate IV for 22 hours after ds's birth. So I couldn't have him alone in the room. He spent most of our 2 1/2 day hospital stay in the nursery. I felt like I hardly knew him when we went home.

So those are all of the negative aspects of my hospital birth that factored into our homebirth decision.

On the more positive side, I want ds to be close by during and after his sister's birth. I want to have this baby girl close to me for as long as I need! Without anyone whisking her away for observation in a nursery. (Whoops, there was a negative again!)

I want to eat what I feel like, when I feel like it. And labor in a birth tub. And sleep in my own bed. And wear my own comfy cloth pads. And not have to wait for dh to bring me something edible while the hospital food slithers off on its own. (Whoops! I just can't help myself!)

I feel so fortunate to have found a midwife who will deliver my baby at home. I live in a state where direct entry midwifery is illegal. Our midwife is driving almost 2 hours to see me. (She does have an assistant who is only 30 minutes from here.)

[pamamidwife]

Ok, here are some referrals to homebirth providers in Ontario: http://www.birthsource.com/referals_...l#anchor243744 - This might be a good place to start!


edited to add: just realized that link has only doulas and childbirth educators...here is a link for Ontario midwives: http://www.motherstuff.com/html/2mid...ghome1.htm#AOM

[steff]

Well Toronto is not that far but too far for a midwife. Its about 4 hrs away.

You know I don't know anyone that has done this. My sister and I talked about it and both would have done it.

Steff

[pamamidwife]

I'd definitely contact the email address for the Ontario Midwives Association. I'm under the impression that it may be illegal or tightly regulated there and you may have to find an underground midwife.

[annakiss]

I have one more positive about homebirth to add - no going back home! You don't have to put a teeny tiny little baby in a car seat and drive home. You'd already be there, so you can just hold them in your arms! YAY!

[Laurapartera]

I have a friend in Waterloo, ONT who had a homebirth with midwives who work legally there. Homebirth is rarely "presented" as an option, no one gets rich from homebirths, you have to pursue it. I wouldn't have a baby anywhere else.