used to feel homebirth was best... but not anymore - Page 13

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by tireesix

So, if you are too chicken to birth at home, then I am too chicken to birth in hospital lol.

That's me. I'm facing a scheduled section with my next baby, and I'm absolutely terrified...and I'm not even pregnant yet! There are a lot of reasons for my choice to do it, but I still feel backed into a corner, and I don't know if I've got the guts to walk in that door again - it took everything I had and then some with ds2. However, in addition to everything else, I'm now getting to where accreta is a relatively likely complication for me...thanks to the hospital...

[applejuice]

Originally Posted by mytwogirls

... For me it was surrounded by nurses I trusted and my OB whom I trust and rely on. I am just so thankful I was in a hospital when I gave birth looking back on my situation though.

I am glad the choice is there for you; you made the best choice for yourself, and I am glad it all worked out.

For me, and many others here at MDC, home is where the heart is and where my babies were born, all four. I had complications with the first two that I know would have ended up as caesareans in the hospital. Why would I put myself at that risk, risking infection, scar tissue, anesthesia complications, hemmorhage, breastfeeding problems, and a protracted recovery postpartum period with the hospital routine, instead of having my own babies at home and saving the hospital confinement for those who need it?

I do not believe I needed the hospital and I made the right decision to stay home. I chose the best attendants for me, educated myself, and prepared my mind for the labor to come.

It worked out for me. One cannot argue with success.

[Greenmama2AJ]

I haven't read all of the thread. Just jumping in.

I know that feeling of "geez, I'm glad I was at hospital.". Third degree tears. Heaps of bleeding.
I arrived at hospital at 8cm. Had a great non-interventioned, natural, drug free, upright birth. But at that last moment, was so glad I had a surgeon stitching me up there and then.

I totally support homebirth though.
I think that the very rare chance of something going wrong at home can be preferrable to the very great chance of something going wrong at the hospital.

[The4OfUs]

Originally Posted by elfinbaby

Also, we have almost no touchstone in our society right now for women to become familiar with the natural process. Just look at the boards - ?'s about bleeding, cramping, baby's position, and just plain old fear that "I can't do this" or "Is this normal?". We come to the boards and run to the hcp b/c we can't go across the street and ask another mama or we've never seen a natural birth or, maybe, we've never even been around a newborn.

This is SO true. So sad, and so true.

[Sage.Naissance]

This situation seems to have been very well managed. The midwife spotted early signs of a problem and transferred, where the hemmoraging was dealt with quickly and efficiently. A hospital is a place you want to be when you have hemmoraging like that. That being said it is my believe that a) a midwife is intuitive and expert in birth, she was able to identify a problem and very appropriately you were transferred to a hospital. b) In hospitals women are not provided with enough one on one attention to spot problems early in labour quite often to the detriment of women. Nurses have too many patients and rely almost exclusively on Fetal heart monitors, which only tell a small part of the story. As a doula, many of my very experienced colleauges have been the first to spot problems in a labour and had to inform the medical staff, problems that could have been quite dangerous (this is why my doula training includes more in depth detail about problems in labour and how to read EFMs). This is my biggest argument FOR homebirth, women have the consistent medical attention require to diagnose any indications of problems in labour which is NOT the case in hospitals.
As far as I am concerned this story is an argument FOR homebirth rather than against.
I am sorry that you had a scary and life threatening experience but thank God you had a good midwife who saw the signs that your pain was an indication to trasfer.
I second the statement about being too chicken to give birth in a hospital! (and I see it all the time-all of my doula clients give birth in hospitals)

[UnassistedMomma]

I have to agree that this story is an argument in support of home birth, rather than against it.

An important premise of homebirth, whether attended or unassisted, is that a woman will intuitively listen to her body and answer the cues that she hears and respond appropriately.

What happened with OP is exactly what should have happened during a homebirth with complications. Your body told you that something wasn't right, and you responded appropriately! That's how it's supposed to work, and it did!

I hope you find healing in your situation.