Top 10 reasons to homebirth?

[MotherDuck]

I was trying to explain to my mohter why I want to HB next time. I gave about 3 good reasons off the top of my head, but I thought that it would be better to have more "at the ready".

And I thought it would be interesting to hear other mothers' reasons - although there is bound to be some overlap, it will be instructive to read reasons that I hadn't come across before.

So here are some of my reasons and please let me know yours:

1. I'm more comfortable and relaxed at home, rather than in a hospital.
2. At home there is no risk of baby picking up hospital bugs.
3. Travelling while in labour is horrible.
4. I can have a water birth at home if I want - and I can labour in the birthing pool - not options at the hospital.
5. At home, I am not "on the clock" like in hospitals.
6. Staying home is the best way to avoid starting the cascade of interventions.
7. Research show that for low-risk pregnancies, homebirth is at least as safe, if not safer than hospital birth.

That's all I can think of right now.

[Belle]

8.You can be sure of having caregivers you've met before, not whoever is on duty at the time.
9. You can eat whenever and whatever you want.
10. No annoying policies that you have to follow.

[srlpenny]

Your baby immediately comes into your family. You don't have to disappear from your children's' lives and then magically reappear with an interloper a few days later ;-)
You'll get more rest and be able to recover without the constant poking and proding.
The real question should be, if I'm low risk and with a midwife trained to handle emergencies, why would I go to the hospital?

[mommathea]

Being in a relaxed atmosphere had been proven to allow you to be relaxed therefor haveing quicker, easier labors, with less interventions to be on someone elses timetable.

[BensMom]

no warming tables, well baby nurseries or any other reasons to be separated from my baby

less issues with childcare, since she was born while they were asleep and no one had to come stay with them

no one to tell me what to do

no battles re: monitoring, iv, eating, drinking, getting in water, etc

chances of picking up MRSA are pretty much nil

no one will feed my baby anything w/o me knowing

no bags to pack

[sweeetpea]

Yes to all of the above, plus:

Absolutely no worry/anxiety about "is it time to go to the hospital? Too early? Too Late???" Just labor in peace.

[Kitten]

Why worry about giving your mother ten reasons to homebirth? You don't need to ask permission, you are a grown woman.

[Fyrestorm]

Avoiding birth rape by hospital personnel.

Baby won't be taken away from you for no good reason.

Preservation of your human rights.

[sunnymw]

Let her give you 10 reasons to birth in the hospital. And then go through 1 by 1 and disprove them with research. Should only take about 30 seconds per reason

[barefootpoetry]

Ditto to all of the above, plus I am a VBAC so staying home will, barring any medical catastrophes, help ensure that I don't get sliced again.

[aprilsfools]

Originally Posted by Kitten

Why worry about giving your mother ten reasons to homebirth? You don't need to ask permission, you are a grown woman.

I agree. When I told my Mom she was very nervous (she is a nervous nelly by nature), so I sent her a couple of articles and suggested she watch the Business of Being Born because I love her and want her to feel at ease.

However, even though I did these things to make her more comfortable and was happy to answer her questions, I was also perfectly clear that I was not trying to gain her permission, nor would I be considering hearing any negativity about our plans.

[slave2myprincess]

i told my mom and she acted all for it but i could hear it in her voice that she has some concerns. Honestly i think she thinks i won't go through with this. Almost like i'm just saying i'm considering but not actually putting anything into motion. I decided that i won't bring up anything else about it. And when she calls after i deliver the baby and ask when i'm getting out of the hospital i'd say "actually i'm home now" lol. She'll be so shocked lol

[Roriesmama]

I want a homebirth because I had to fight to have my baby stay with me, fight to not have her vaxed, fight to not have a c section. Giving birth should not be a fight.

[sapphire_chan]

Read a birth plan. Read a dozen birth plans. See all the stuff that's on every birth plan? That comes standard without asking in a homebirth but it's not guaranteed in the hospital even if you beg.

[janasmama]

if your baby does need oxygen or anything else that a MW can handle, you get to hold your baby while they do it which is said to be much better for the baby and can actually help recovery.

FYI: I just want to say that I always felt so comfortable that homebirth kept my baby safe from bacteria and viruses. I just had a false sense of security and couldn't believe that after being born at home and never leaving the house or anyone touching him besides immediate family, my son contracted RSV (respiratory syncitial virus) at 3 days old and thus had to be flown to a children's hospital and stayed in the NICU for 11 days.

We did have another toddler which is how it came into our house and it was a bad RSV season....but being at home doesn't exempt us from nasty bugs.

[gemasita]

All developed countries that have better childbirth outcomes than the U.S. have a large percentage of women giving birth at home. Simply, it is safer.

[sarahn4639]

you can focus on your labor/birth and not have to worry about what someone might be trying to do

no stupid questions to annoy you while in labor (the check in process is rediculous!)

you can snuggle up in your own bed with your family when the baby arrives.

your other children can be present and participate

it's about you, not "them"

[MotherDuck]

Thanks for your replies - always good to learn more - keep 'em coming.

Saphhire Chan, I think a birth plan with a midwife can still be a good idea. It can cover whether or not you want internal exams, delayed or not-at-all cord clamping etc. But clearly, with a HB there is no need to try to get out of the hospital procedures.

Kitten, I wasn't asking my mother for permission and didn't say anything in my post that suggested that. I found your reply to be very patronising. My mother is a very nice woman who tries to understand other's points of view. The reason for starting this thread was to gather together lots of good reasons for homebirthing - then whenever the topic comes up with ANYONE, I'll have more reasons fresh in my mind to broaden their minds.

[aprilsfools]

I also want to add that I have found that people who are resistant to the concept of HB usually think I am being selfish and doing it only for my own comfort, so I usually play those reasons down and play up the reasons HB is best for our health, the well being of the baby, etc.

I don't think the PP meant anything by her post. I quoted her and certainly didn't mean anything by it. There are just a lot of folks on here who feel that they have to get permission from their parents to do what is best for their family and I am sure she was just offering you a different perspective.

GL

[wbg]

I think all the reasons why HB is awesome have already been posted. Each person has their own personal reasons to add. I think that when we meet people who are fearful of home birth, we should treat their concerns with as much respect as we would hope they would offer us. The only way we can hope to make the two worlds meet is with mutual respect. So I think being prepared with answers to peoples questions is a great way to start off what you hope will be a healthy discussion and the first steps towards opening up a person's view. I have encountered many people who are completely shut off and not prepared to listen to my feelings and I want to make sure that I don't do the same thing. At the end of the day if I have done my best to educate someone on the benefits of HB and they still feel safer in the hospital environment then I try to support and respect their choice.
I hope your Mum gains confidence in your choice through all your efforts to educate her so she can be a great support person. My best reason for home birth can be summed up by this quote by my eldest who is 7. Our friend was due for her 3rd scheduled c this week and he asked her if she was going to have a home birth. When she said no, he said: " Aw, thats too bad...home births are SO MUCH FUN!"