So what are your plans?

[MamanFrancaise]

Homebirth?
Birth center?
Hospital?

And why?

We're planning a homebirth, hopefully a water birth. I had my first DD (who just turned 3) in a hospital - I *hated* it. I had the IV, the epidural (which did not work one bit, I felt every stretch, tear and cramp) the monitors strapped around my belly. I was cold all the time, they stuck my baby with needles without my consent, and with me being a SUPER nervous first time mom the sound of this helpless infant screaming was so hard to deal with.

I want a homebirth because the picture of it - which I fantasize about daily) is simply perfect. I dream that I birth my baby in a pool right on my living room floor with the lights dimmed and surrounded by my husband, sister and mother. Then I can get up whenever I want, take a shower and lay on my couch, nurse and watch TV if i want. I can eat whatever I want, labor in any position I want, walk if I want. Who WOULDN'T want this??

[momamuseskim]

i am planning on an unassisted home birth

i feel most comfortable in my bedroom, on my big king size bed, with my wonderful loving husband, just the two of us having our next child together

why i am going unassisted this time? the first birth we had, started as a homebirth with a midwife. labor stalled and she wanted to transfer. i ended up with a c-section.

as i have been researching unassisted birth, i discovered that if i had known then, what i know now, i could have just stayed at home and had our daughter.

i have come to realize and know with certainty that childbirth is the most normal and natural thing that a woman can do.

a child is conceived with love, in the privacy of one's own home and should be born that way as well.

the birth will be silent, unrushed, with only my husband. when my baby is ready to be born, he will come right out into his father's hands.

i have always liked baths, and a water birth would be wonderful, but i will just have to see what happens during labor and what my body needs to do in order to birth our child.

but definately, a private home birth

[mesecina]

Had a birth center birth last time, which was great. Trying to decide between doing the same, and a homebirth. Factors include: We moved a little farther from the birth center (~25 min instead of 5 min), we were only at the birth center for 45 min before delivering the first time, and I hear that second labors usually go faster - yikes!, and we'll have our 3 year old. On the other hand, It was a great experience, so I will at least talk to the midwives there.

[Marielena]

Had a hospital birth last time, which actually went really well. I know that puts me in the minority, but I had no IV, no drugs at all and a very supportive dh and hospital staff. They let me walk around and labor in whatever position I wanted (ok, I had to get out of the bath when I was ready to push, but I wanted to anyway...)

Of course, that was in Michigan and now we are in New Mexico. Right now we are still planning a hospital, but I'm also going to talk to a few midwives.

I'm actually mostly worried about my dd who is currently 20 months and is nursing a lot still. The hospital would only let her be there during the day, so if I went into labor at night she wouldn't be able to come which she wouldn't like and if I gave birth during the day, I'd have to stay at the hospital all night by myself (dh would go home to be with dd) and I wouldn't like that. So....we're still undecided.

[DesireeH]

I am planning a homebirth with a midwife. Possibly a waterbirth, she'll provide the tub rental, but we'll see if I like being in water in labor. The midwife is coming on the 19th for our first meeting. I am excited!

I had a hospital birth last time and I am never doing that again.

[Selissa]

another unnassisted homebirth here. though we will be having shadow care to satisfy the nervous. We are also planning a waterbirth..thoughi want to be more active thatn i was last time...so there will be a birth ball there this time...and i hope to do a lot of walking.

[LuvMy2Kidz]

unassisted hb here too my first was in the hospital and a horrible experience(every intervention but a c-sec, although I had a 4th degree episiotomy)

My second was a HB with a CPM, great expereince, but I really want to do it alone with JUST my husband.
We've finally found a MW in the area we're moving, and she's agreed to be totally hands off and just sit in the living room with my mom "just in case" My mom's a total freak and would be a nervous wreck if we didn't have a MW there :LOL so we'll have her there to keep my mom quiet and besides...she'll do the clean-up :LOL

[ccohenou]

We are planning a homebirth with DEM/CPM. I had a sad sad c/s for breech last time, so it'll be a HBAC. Looking forward to it. In water or out, we'll see when we get there. I don't want to go back to hospital ever unless I really, really have to. I don't want to have to fight for a good birth, and I really believe the "care" they give is dangerous, especially so for VBACs.

[zoebugsmom]

I'll be having a hospital birth, hopefully a water birth. There aren't any birth centers around here and our house is too crazy for me to be willing to try a homebirth.

[nfpmom]

HBAC here!

We are planning an HBAC for this one... Had a CS with DS for posterior/ failure to wait on the part of the Dr... I feel like the system was unfair last time and will definitely not give me a fair shake as a VBAC mom this time.
The HB MW we have picked out is a 3HBAC mom herself...

Looking forward to it so much!

take care

[leosmama20]

I am having a hospital birth. The hospital I am going to has wonderful birthing suites with real beds and big jacuzzi tubs and such (except I don't like the water lol so no water birth stuff for me). I have CNM who I will see throughout my pg and either her, or her partner, will deliver. With my first I had a disappointing hospital birth as well as 4th degree tearing. I guess I am nervous about tearing again at my original tear site. Also, I am not a homebirth type of person. I had a very difficult first pg and I don't really see pregnancy as a such a natural phenomena. I would have died with my first without hospital intervention and care. But, I have also had very bad hospital experiences, so I totally understand the desire to stay out of a hospital.

[SunnyBabyIn2005]

We plan on an unassisted homebirth with a CPM doing prenatal care & back up. If I am able to get on Medicaid, I also plan to see the CNM that I went to after my daughter was born, just in case.

It is a very long story as to why we are choosing this route, but it stems from having an awful cesarean birth & an incopetent midwife for my daughter's birth, afterwards, I became a labor assistant & childbirth educator, became educated, and feel that this is the best choice for us.

[BinahYeteirah]

bs"d

We plan to go unassisted here as well.

I had a wonderful HB with a midwife with my first, so that really confirmed my feelings that birth is not a medical event. I may find a midwife to act as a "consultant", but have no intention of having prenatal checks, etc.

[Gabesgrrrl]

Planning a home birth with MW. Had both my other babies with MW in hospital, unmedicated...longest labor? 3 hours! ONe in South Africa, and one in NJ, and this one? IN Canada! (I'm trying to cover all my continents )

[Mer]

I'm planning on a midwife in a hospital, in a tub with as few interventions as possible. I'm hoping to labor at home for much longer this time. I think the hospital contributed to my anxiety level with DS which didn't help my labor. That's my theory anyway. Just not comfortable with the possibility of being transported to the hospital in the event of a problem with a home birth. Plus I love my midwives and feel very comfortable with thier care.

[Hey Mama!]

I'll be doing a hospital birth : Dh will not agree to a homebirth. Plus, we are military and you have to jump through alot of hoops to get them to pay for it. I don't know if I'll use the midwife group again though. I wasn't really happy with the care I got last time. I hate seeing a new person each time. There was some confusion amoungst them if my condition warranted real concern or not. I had an irritable uterus, and contractions from 22 weeks on whenever I would do too much. Even grocery shopping would trigger them. Anyway, I hear that you only see one person throughout if you use an OB. I have to pick at my appt, so I'll be asking alot of questions.

[Valerie.Qc]

Would love a homebirth but DH is not confortable with this idea... so we will attend a meeting next week at a birth center and see if we want to birth there with a midwife. Other option is hospital birth... blah...

My first was a cesarean, my second was a VBAC with a generalist but I didn't like the OB who was in the hospital the day I gave birth and who kept coming in my room to put pressure on me (let's see if you'll give birth before the other woman : )

[Max's Mami]

I am having a hospital birth with my OB and a doula.

When I got pregnant last time (before the m/c) I talked to my OB about wanting to deliver at the birth center. He cant deliver there unless he is on call and all of the midwives cant make it so chances are slim. But he encouraged me to go there and check it out and do what I was comfortable with. (I him!). Shortly after I miscarried.

Now I just feel better staying with him. He delivered Maxi and I had a wonderful experience with him and a great birth. Even though it was at the hospital they listened to me and we had a very private, quiet birth. I wish he could go to the BC but since he cant I am ok with the hospital again. Its very small, no NICU - they never took Maxi to the nursery and they let me do everything my way. My OB was totally supportive of my entire birth plan including the alternative stuff and I know he will be the same this time. The hospital has also be completely remodeled with all new room and big tubs in each room so I can water birth if I want and will have a private post pardum room (I had a private L/D/R room last time but had to share a PPD room).

After going through such a horrible experience with the m/c and seeing how wonderful he was, so compassionate and made me feel so comfortable, really took his time with me (this is how he always has been but even more so at that time) I just want to stay with him.

I will have a doula this time because while I have a wonderful and supportive DH he had no idea how to help me last time. He was lost.

And honestly DH was not really comfortable with the BC idea. He would do it if I wanted but I want him to be 100% comfortable and on board too. He just really has a connection with my OB as well. I am really uncomfortable with HB - I know its great for lots of people but I wouldnt want to do it.

[mmgarda]

MW in a hospital-attached birth center

My first was born in the hospital and it went great. We loved our OB and labor nurse. Everything went so fast (I had precipitous labor) that there wasn't time for drugs or anything, which was totally fine with me.

Now that we're farther away from that hospital and don't have insurance that will cover our old doctor, we're staying with Kaiser. It's an all-inclusive facility (doctor's offices, labs, hospital, birth center, pharmacies, etc.) and all births are MW assisted, unless there is a condition that warrants medical attention.

The crappy part is that you see whomever is on duty when you go into labor. There's no way to guarantee who you'll get and so there's no point to make the prenatal appointments with any one person (though you can request it). However, since I'm pretty comfortable with it and I have a few friends who've delivered there with great results, I'm not too worried.

I would much prefer a home birth, but most CA insurance won't cover it (none of our options will), so this is the only way I can have a non-medical birth. Plus, I only have to stay for 24 hours, as opposed to 48 at a hospital.

Whatever, I'm just psyched to DO it!

[Skim]

Planning to have another homebirth with a midwife. But I would loooove to go it unassisted this time. DP is not ready for that.

My first was easy until the shoulder dystocia. But I am already aggressively managing my eating this time around, and since I wasn't put onto all fours with #1 I am thinking that it could have been prevented. Lots of questions, no answers yet about UC.

There's a great lay midwife in my area who unfortunately lives an hour away. I'm hoping to work with her this time around... Maybe it will be an UC by default!

Why homebirth? Even though we have no money (really, I'm not exaggerating for effect, we are on almost every kind of public assistance available to us right now) there's no way I could go to a hospital in the middle of labor. And deal with doctors and nurses and interventions and mindless use of pharaceuticals and horrible food and hospital policies - unless I really had to. I'm way too independent to handle that kind of situation well.