What is the difference between homebirth and hospital birth in natural way? I heard one thing that if we choose hospital birth even though we already planned to have natural childbirth, nurses or even midwives wouldn't be so patient. they want us to progress as soon as possible, otherwise we would end up c-section? Does this happen a lot? If so, I would rather just plan to have a natural homebirth. Please let me know your thought. Thanks :shy

Whole different world.

Both of my births were at home. Both would have likely been sections in the hospital.

Both would have *definitely*, without a doubt, been huge ugly battles in the hospital.

-Angela

I've had both--a "natural" birth at a hospital and two UCs. I have to say that there was very little that was "natural" about my drug-free birth in the hospital. Unless you think forced directed pushing, people yelling and carrying on for you to PUUUUSSSSSHHHHHH, a huge episiotomy, panic, fetal monitor leads all over you, IVs shoved in your veins, lying flat on your back, having bright lights trained on your most intimate spots and a grumpy doctor cutting your baby's cord and immediately slapping your baby's foot repeatedly after birth are normal. And I was only in the hospital for the last 40 minutes of my labor!!

I would definitely prefer to have a homebirth, especially a UC. It is a totally different experience. Most care providers are not able to be patient with your labor and birth choices because hospital policies are often inflexible. They have to live by their rules, but at a home birth you don't have that issue.

they want us to progress as soon as possible, otherwise we would end up c-section? Does this happen a lot?

Yes it does happen a lot.


Both of my births were at home. Both would have likely been sections in the hospital.

Do you have your birth stories anywhere? In a former MDC incarnation I was on the ancient judgment thread, and loved reading your words (still do, though I forgot log in, email, and password for my old life).

well you may have to fight for a natural birth at a hospital. they like to give you an iv "just to stay hydrated" and put things in it. my friend said NO pit and they gave her that and tried to say the neon sticker on it that i pointed out didnt say pitocin. yeah.
then didnt tell her, nor was it on the consent form that being paralyzed was a possibility from an epidural. wth? and no, im not lying, or going on hearsay, i was there and read it. along with the brochure for circ being bunch of lies, but thats not really about birthing there, more about lies of hospitals..oh and though she was a former narcotic user, loaded her up on morphine for no reason as well..another neon sticker they said didnt say what it did after they turned it around hoping neither of us would notice. more "youre dehydrated and its going to get worse, this is just electrolytes to help you out. you know, like pedialyte" for the pit and then said nothing for the morphine. just attached it and left.

i was repeatedly hounded to get an epi. i said no and they set it up while i was in the bathroom, kept laughing at me, saying hold on a sec theyd get my moms consent and go find the anesthesiologist back (he laughed at me and said i was lying when i said my pain was a 2 maybe when i was 8 hours into a pit induction) (this was 2 days after i turned 18. apparently she couldnt see my bday had past cause that nurse said i was a minor and she had to consent. i was like "BUT I DIDNT CONSENT so i dont care if she says i can. youre still not getting it, im not knocked out and its not life saving something or other that the next of kin needs to be asked about!" sheesh..!!)

she broke my water when i said no.

i was screamed at, the door was beat on and i was dragged out of the bathroom and put back on the bed because i had locked myself in the bathroom. apparently the doctor saying i was taking too long and then taking too long to push ( this was after two but i had SEVEN pushed total. thats too long? wth? ) shoving the vacuum cup enclosed in her hand inside of me to threaten me was more important than my comfort, or not wanting to be stuck on my back and having nothing to push against, no people or stirrups or anything and i had to lay semi (very semi) reclined, almost flat. ugh.

they turned the pit back up after he was born. i said my body would take care of that nursing and i got looked at like a nut and they did it anyway.

was i SURE i wanted to nurse?

when i was trying to sleep, i had him snuggled up nursing with me. this one nurse kept coming in and waking us up and pinching my nipple and boob and scratching me to take him and put him in the stupid bassinet thing and i "had better feel lucky she didnt take him to the nursery"

in this rather large university hospital, everyone who worked there who came by was SHOCKED i refused an epidural. a few extra people came by just to ask because they didnt believe the story.
i got absolute shocked faces when i confirmed it, and wow, you must be crazy as well.

theres a lot more, believe me.

any one of these would be enough for me to never birth in a hospital if at all possible, imo. why would you want bright lights, strange people looking at and shoving whatever they want inside of you and touching all over and poking and prodding your kid and strangers being the first people who hold the baby and the baby sees if its not needed?

Please, please do your research, far more than reading random stories on the internet. Besides looking into the local homebirth community and interviewing midwives and women who have had homebirths, choose your care provider carefully, research the hospital(s) you might use, and talk to mothers who have had natural births in the hospital. Hopefully, you will make an educated decision based on facts and what you decide is right for you and your family. Good luck to you whatever you decide!

I agree with the above posters. In a hospital, you have to fight tooth and nail for your natural birth and that means dealing with a lot of fear and anger - two emotions that you should never have to feel during childbirth and which can keep you from being able to have your baby naturally at all. Fear is one of the worst "birth complications" in my opinion. No laboring creature, human or otherwise, should have to fight during childbirth. It's a time when you really need to allow yourself to relax to the fullest and allow your body to work while your mind goes to a very very far away place.

Trying to have a baby naturally in a hospital is (in my opinion) like trying to stay aroused during sex while lying naked in the middle of a New York street during rush hour traffic.

If you are going for a natural hospital birth, it's very important to talk at length with many care providers and find out what they think about your choices and whether or not they will work with you.

Like many women, I found that I reached a point during transition where if I was in a hospital, I would have asked for drugs. I was out of my mind. Being at home was peaceful, quiet, and dark. I was able to focus on the birth, not beeping machines, a tube in my arm, and what a million strangers were doing going in and out of my room and ordering me around, threatening me, or asking me questions.

Having a home birth was, for me, pure bliss. No one told me what to do. I did what I wanted and went where I liked. I was able to move around to help with the pain. There were no needles stuck in me and no drugs put into my body through my IV without my consent. It was dark and quiet. I caught my own baby! :joy: I've never felt power like that in my life!

No one took my baby away. No one poked her or put medicine in her eyes. No one hurt her or lay her on a cold metal table or dried her vigorously off with a rough towel (I always cry when I see them do that in hospital birth videos). There were no bright lights. No one suctioned her. All she knew when she came into this world was that it was soft and warm and gentle and smelled like Momma's sweet warm milk. :love

I chose home four times and I am glad.

A woman is the queen in her home; she has the home court advantage.

At the hospital, a woman is on an assembly line. On one of these many threads, a mother was reminded by a doctor that "you are not the only person having a baby today, you know!"

I so agree with these other posters.

I add that there is nothing the least bit natural about going to a hospital for childbirth: hospitals are where sick and injured people go to be 'fixed'. Bit birth is a *normal process* (in reasonably healthy people, anyway). So, the minute you start planning a hospital birth, you have already lost some measure of your 'natural' birth. And the minute you step foot into the hospital when you go into labor, you have lost quite another and larger measure of a natural birth...even if you ultimately have an unmedicated birth.

Women 'should' give birth where they feel safest--that is your best aid to a normal birth, feeling safe. Due to lifelong brainwashing that misleads our understanding of birth (and of hospitals/doctors), some women do feel safer in the hospital--so, these women may well have 'better' or 'more normal' births in the hospital than at home. But there is simply very very extremely little chance of having a truly natural, normal, unhindered birth in the hospital.

And that is because birth was designed to be something that women DO, not something that 'happens to them'. And the minute you invite medical 'help', you have shifted the focus from birth being a normal process that you were born able to DO, into something that happens to you apart from natural design and apart from your own actions/control--something that requires at least 'med supervision' and often, 'med help'.

I so agree with these other posters.

I add that there is nothing the least bit natural about going to a hospital for childbirth: hospitals are where sick and injured people go to be 'fixed'. Bit birth is a *normal process* (in reasonably healthy people, anyway). So, the minute you start planning a hospital birth, you have already lost some measure of your 'natural' birth. And the minute you step foot into the hospital when you go into labor, you have lost quite another and larger measure of a natural birth...even if you ultimately have an unmedicated birth.

Women 'should' give birth where they feel safest--that is your best aid to a normal birth, feeling safe. Due to lifelong brainwashing that misleads our understanding of birth (and of hospitals/doctors), some women do feel safer in the hospital--so, these women may well have 'better' or 'more normal' births in the hospital than at home. But there is simply very very extremely little chance of having a truly natural, normal, unhindered birth in the hospital.

And that is because birth was designed to be something that women DO, not something that 'happens to them'. And the minute you invite medical 'help', you have shifted the focus from birth being a normal process that you were born able to DO, into something that happens to you apart from natural design and apart from your own actions/control--something that requires at least 'med supervision' and often, 'med help'.

:yeah:


Trying to have a baby naturally in a hospital is (in my opinion) like trying to stay aroused during sex while lying naked in the middle of a New York street during rush hour traffic.


I found this to be very applicable in all of my births except my UC. I felt like everyone was watching me like it was some kind of show and I had to perform for them. My UC was completely different.

But if you don't mind this factor, than my 'natural' births at the hospital were fine and everyone was nice and accomadating as far as hospital policy would allow them. My personal opinion is that it is so much nicer to not have to take a car ride in the middle of labor and then get up and go home afterwards. I like to stay in one place and avoid all of those discomforts if I can.

The important thing is choosing your HCP (if doing assisted birth in or out of the home) wisely. I hired homebirth midwives for 2 pregnancies and the experiances left me feeling less than impressed. In hindset, I employed people that were not a good fit at all.

With my youngest child, I used a traditional OB who I neither liked or disliked. The birth was awesome, though.

Now, with this pregnancy I am using a new OB practice that I adore. I am not comfortable having an unassisted pregnancy for a lot of reasons, and this group has made my pregnancy loss stress and peaceful. Our plan is to birth at home but its noce to know I have someone I trust if the need to transfer arises.

My point it, whatever you decide to do, make sure you are as informed as you can be.

The worst decision I have ever made was to go against my instinct and go to the hospital when I was in labor. Everything in my body screamed "LEAVE" when I got there, but I was too... afraid to go home. The nurse said if I didn't do what they said, I would be kicked out, and if I signed out against medical advice, even the ER wouldn't treat me... So I stayed.
That was 3 years ago, and not a day goes by without me thinking about it. And I was "lucky" because I didn't get a c-section. It was absolutely horrific.

I agree with everything that has been said. That being said, I also had 2 respectful, peaceful, wonderful natural births at hospitals, two different hospitals, same family practice doctor (who I love and trust). He protected me from all sorts of interventions the first time and let me labor for 58 hours, 19 in the hospital, drug free, no episiotomy, no AROM, no pit and even suggested nipple stim when the contractions slowed down. 10 years later, new hospital, same doc. Supportive of my hypnobabies practice, had a great nurse who wanted to experience a natural hypnobabies birth. Had an absolutely beautiful birth, no yelling, no "coaching", birthed with a squat bar, but an absolutely horrific tear which required muscle repair and over an hour of stitching. I was happy to be with my trusted doctor as he stitched me up. I never had an IV and I nursed the baby right away and while they stitched me up. Our nurse was so impressed with me that she brought all the nurses in to meet me over the next two days. They treated me like a queen, NEVER took the baby away from me and didn't argue when I refused all medical tests and procedures for DS (except the hearing test)

At the same time, I did everything I could to make sure that I would have a good experience. I didn't do the hospital classes or tours and asked for a private tour instead saying I was a bit social phobic. I asked that the tour be with a nurse that was NCB friendly and I "stopped by" labor and delivery several times and at different times of day in my last month of pregnancy to say hello, introduce myself, crack some jokes and express my desire for NCB. I also wrote a detailed birth plan and didn't show up at the hospital until I was 6 cm dilated.

Even given the good experiences that I had, I still feel bad that I gave into DH and had hospital births. I would have preferred to UC and since I am not having any more children, I missed my chance.

I had an excellent, drug-free natural childbirth in the hospital, but if I could've done what I wanted I would have stayed home. DH was not comfortable with it, so we went to the hospital very late (in transition). I'm too chicken to UC, but I would've stayed home. I didn't have ppl breathing down my neck like some pp's have, but if you really want to avoid intervention, do a homebirth.
I would read Henci Goer's Thinking Woman's Guide to Childbirth. It will answer a lot of your questions.

Haven't read other's responses yet.....it totally depends on your care provider! 100%. I had two home births, then two AMAZING and pretty perfect (other than that stinking DRIVE) hospital births (yes there are a FEW great CNM's left), and one UC. my hospital births were pretty good! actually great. other than you are WAY too focused on if you are clicking or not with whomever the nurse is (are) and 'what are they going to do to me next' 'when's shift change?' birthing is mental more than physical. when you are most comfy and with the people that you love, then your body will perform more efficiently. you must focus on the job at hand.

not to even bring up the fact that if you don't progress @ X speed, then Y happens to you.....I didn't have that cuz my CNM was my advocate and she wouldn't let an OB near me. Awesome as she is there is still protocol she is required to follow. in order to avoid that, just wait until late labor (transition UGH!) and go to hospital....NOT! then why not just stay home. laboring women were not meant to be moving quickly upon the earth.

Welcome to MDC! I recommend reading Jennifer Block's book Pushed. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

It's hard to find a care provider with hospital privledges who will support you through a natural birth. Some will say they do, but are not being honest with you. Be wary. I stayed home because I didn't want to fight to have a natural birth in the hospital. You shouldn't have to worry about refusing drugs and interventions or a c-section during your birth experience.

It'd be easier to tell you what's the same about hospital v. homebirth. It's entirely different in almost every way. A baby comes out in the end, and that's about all they have in common IMO.

THere are alot of differences between home and hosp. But ALOT depends on your care provider AND the hospital. My first delivery was in a hospital that had several mw that delivered there and they were VERY mother baby friendly. I had absolutely NO interventions, but I did walk into the hosp ready to push. I was never hassled about the baby having no shots or wanting to give the baby a bath myself and the baby staying with us always, plus I went home about 6 hours after delivery with no problems.

My second delivery was at a different hosp, but I had called and talked with everyone I could. Nursey director, L&D director, Director of Women and Childrens services - everyone said no problem. And once again it wasn't. Besides having to sign me and LO out AMA, which wasn't a big deal to anyone, there were no issues what so ever.

Fast forward 2 years, delivery number 3 in same hosp, same mw but different management people - what a nightmare!! I walked in again ready to push and basically UCed in the hospital because no one would listen to me and call my mw. DH and I fought with everyone from the minute I walked in to the minute I walked out. I will NEVER deliver in a hosp again. I have wanted to have a homebirth from the beginning but DH was never completely comfy with the idea and we had had great experience with mw at the hosp so it was no big deal. But not this time! Even DH said (after he and I delivered DS#3 in the hosp) "we could have done this at home":eyesroll I wanted to say "No s**t!" but I just smiled and said "from now on we will" So, from where I am now, I would say HOMEBIRTH!!! But if you or DP feels the need for hosp birth, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE call everyone you can before hand and make sure they know you are coming, what you want, and if they can't provide that for you tell them you will find another place to birth!!!

have you seen the business of being born? it's a great movie to show the differences and "politics" of hospital birth vs. homebirth. You can get it on netflix....http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/

Now that I have both a hospital birth and a homebirth under my belt, I can confidently say that there's absolutely no comparison. I wish I had had the courage to homebirth with my first child, it very likely would not have ended in C-section.

This is a decision that only you can make, but I strongly agree with all the other posts on this thread. Do lots of research. Read everything you can get your hands on (and I mean books, not just stories on the internet). Watch The Business Of Being Born. Seek out homebirth midwives in your area and talk to them. Talk to clients they've served before. Having a baby is a huge undertaking, and the choice between hospital and home can drastically affect the overall experience and outcome.

Moving this out of UC to Birth and Beyond. :)

I have had two hospital births and two homebirths. The first hospital birth was horrid! The second was unmedicated, and for a hospital birth, great. The first homebirth was about as perfect as you can get. The second homebirth was the hardest of my four, but I am SO glad it was at home.

Yes, it is possible to have a good birth in a hospital. The problems with my good hospital birth were that I was not in my own home, so less comfortable. The hospital staff did not treat me or more importantly my baby with the respect we deserved. At home my child was treated like *gasp* a human being. I did have some things pushed on me at the hospital. With my last birth, I think that even if I had had the support people and midwife that I had at my second birth - I still would have ended up with interventions. The thing for me with the homebirth is that I was the architect of what happened. I wanted to get in the pool - I got in the pool. I didn't want my midwife to check me - she didn't check me. I wanted to be really noisy - not a dang person dared to shush me. I wanted to hold my baby right away - he and she did not leave my side until I was ready. All four of my children needed a bit of help after being born - two needed suctioning and two needed oxygen. At the hospital, my daughter was immediately taken away from me (cord cut of course) and vigorously suctioned (roughly - she was traumatized from it and so was I). At home, my second daughter was very gently suctioned while I held her in my arms. She showed absolutely no signs of trauma. At the hospital, my son needed oxygen and his cord was cut and he was taken away from me and put in the warmer and given oxygen. At home, my other son was placed in my arms and he was given oxygen. It's just a whole different world at the hospital - the environment is different and you just don't know who you are going to get.

there are some people (including me) that woudl argue there is NO such thing as a "natural" birth in a hospital. You can have low-intervention, you can deliver vaginally without medication, you can have all your wishes respected, you can have a pleasant, positive birth in a hospital..but "natural"??? NO. Simply going to a foreign place and having people you don't know looking at your wazoo makes the entire experience completely UN natural.
Can you have a GOOD hospital birth?...sure. Lots of moms on here have had them.

IF you want a compeltely low-intervention birth, is it going to be easier to achieve that at home..nearly always.

Do you have your birth stories anywhere? In a former MDC incarnation I was on the ancient judgment thread, and loved reading your words (still do, though I forgot log in, email, and password for my old life).

I don't- for assorted reasons...

Pm me if you're interested and I'll give the brief version :thumb


-Angela

there are some people (including me) that woudl argue there is NO such thing as a "natural" birth in a hospital. You can have low-intervention, you can deliver vaginally without medication, you can have all your wishes respected, you can have a pleasant, positive birth in a hospital..but "natural"??? NO. Simply going to a foreign place and having people you don't know looking at your wazoo makes the entire experience completely UN natural.
Can you have a GOOD hospital birth?...sure. Lots of moms on here have had them.

IF you want a compeltely low-intervention birth, is it going to be easier to achieve that at home..nearly always.


Well, thank heavens I don't need to rely on your definition. I had a completely low intervention hospital birth that was not good, but fantastic. It is absolutely possible and attainable if a mom is informed and makes wise choices concerning HCP.

I also wanted to add that hiring amidwife does not always mean your wishesd are going to be respected. No one is perfect. A midwife (such as my first) could be a perfectly lovely, competant practioner, and still do things that you don't care for. Your wishes will not be automatically respected b/c its a homebirth. Mine weren't.

I had my first two natural at the hospital. They nurses drove me crazy and thought for sure I wouldn't be able to do natural. One doctor wanted me to be laying down and strapped up the whole time:eyesroll I was looked at like the weird one. I had to fight every step of the way to get what I wanted.

Last one was born at home. Ah, peaceful. I did what I wanted when I wanted. Labored in the water. No exams. No fussing with cords and refusing IV's. My water was allowed to break on its own. My dh and I delivered our baby. The cord wasn't cut until I wanted it to be cut. Everything was about me. Sounds snotty but isn't that what birth is suppose to be. Supporting the mother. I got to keep the placenta which the hospital wouldn't let you, it was considered hazardous waste:eyesroll

I can't stress to you how happy I was at my home birth. Oh I forgot that with my other births I had to fight to have my parents in the room with me. They were freaked out that I wanted my dad in there the whole time. Whatever. At home I had my WHOLE support system. Meant the world to me.

DD1's birth was unmedicated in a hosptial. It wasn't too bad as far as hospital births go. But it was a whole different animal then my homebirth.

I was really lucky that I had supportive nurses who didn't push the issue when I declined the IV. My nurses suggested I get into the tub and I made excellent progress there. However when I reached 9cm they made me get out. (In retrospect it might have been the doctor making them do this) When the doctor got there she was really pushy about me getting an IV. I signed an AMA form. My labor stalled when she got there. I had people asking me routine questions during my contractions. One lady was asking me if I had any tattoos while I was groaning and sitting on a birth ball completely buck naked. The Dr. ended up breaking my water, and manually dilating my cervical lip. When I started pushing I couldn't push how I wanted to. They did the inane counting to ten while I was pushing and I started seeing stars because I wasn't getting enough oxygen. So instead of permitting me to breathe when I needed to, they made me get flat on my back and gave me an oxygen mask to use in between contractions. I was yelled at for grunting while pushing. It was really hard to stop and made my pushes less effective when I was worrying about not making noise. I was also told to push through the "ring of fire" I didn't realize until after my homebirth that the ring of fire was me tearing. I got an IV two pushes before she was born that I got after they scared me. I was in total terror when I pushed her out because they scared me so much. Also I was stitched up with an inadequate local. It was a violent athletic event.

My homebirth was the complete opposite. My water broke 36 hours before labor began and I know they would have freaked out about that in the hospital. I could move around as I pleased and nobody forced or coerced me to do anything. My only vaginal exam was the only really painful moment. There was no fear, no "I can't do this" There were no annoying people. I was encouraged to breathe and push as I saw fit. My dh didn't even realize I was pushing until one of my midwives said something like "push how you need to" When I hit the "ring of fire" I stopped pushing on my own and breathed my baby out. I had no more ring of fire when I stopped pushing. I did not tear. My baby wasn't whisked away because she didn't breathe right away. She was still getting oxygen from her cord. My oldest daughter saw her sister being born and it was a beautiful moment. It was not a moment of terrror.

I had a natural hospital birth. It was great! My first was epidural, but my 2nd was natural and fantastic. My midwife and a backup midwife were there, and I had no IV no anything, I was free to move and be however I wanted, and delivered on my hands and knees where I was most comfortable. There was no rushing, no pressure and the L&D nurses were so wonderful. Completely peaceful experience, and my midwife respected every one of my wishes and I was only checked at 7 cm when I asked to be. I completely disagree with this stream of thought:

"Originally Posted by bobandjess99
there are some people (including me) that woudl argue there is NO such thing as a "natural" birth in a hospital. You can have low-intervention, you can deliver vaginally without medication, you can have all your wishes respected, you can have a pleasant, positive birth in a hospital..but "natural"??? NO. Simply going to a foreign place and having people you don't know looking at your wazoo makes the entire experience completely UN natural.
Can you have a GOOD hospital birth?...sure. Lots of moms on here have had them. "

There was no one I didnt know looking at my "wazoo" and the place was not foreign, I had been there for my previous birth and many other occasions. The entire experience was NOT completely un natural, for me it was the best choice.

I had a natural hospital birth. I'm going to have another in January. In retrospect, I had an amazing birth (though I'm feeling scared and overwhelmed and all kinds of other things right now, but that's another thread.).

My doula was amazing. My midwife was beyond wonderful. I was allowed to birth in the shower, squatting.

My birth plan was on file and followed to perfection. I was able to labor as I wished, which included many hours in a hot shower, and a couple hours rocking in a rocking chair, leaning into the bed.

My suggestion is to tour the hospital you would give birth at if you choose to at a hospital. Ask questions. Find other women who've given birth there and listen to their experiences. Then decide, is this what I want? Or would I be more comfortable birthing in my own home?

I believe it is 100% possible to have the birth you want in a hospital. You just have to go to the right hospital, make sure they know your choices and know what you want and don't want.

I wish you the best of luck!

I believe it is 100% possible to have the birth you want in a hospital. You just have to go to the right hospital, make sure they know your choices and know what you want and don't want.


And I would add - make sure you have the right support people with you - people who will fight for you.

I must admit, it sure is nice to hear some positive stories about having a "natural" birth in a hospital. I did too - it didn't occur to me that I wouldn't
(was I just lucky?). My nurse even suggested that I take a shower while I was in recovery, and I did. I believe there are many more of us out there...

I must admit, it sure is nice to hear some positive stories about having a "natural" birth in a hospital. I did too - it didn't occur to me that I wouldn't
(was I just lucky?). My nurse even suggested that I take a shower while I was in recovery, and I did. I believe there are many more of us out there...

I am sure there are. Good for you. Nothing succeeds like success and no one can argue with success.

My only point on any of these threads is that a natural birth, if that is what the mother want, is easier at home. That is all.

Why go to a place to birth if one has to argue with the staff to get the service one wants, one knows this all ahead of time?

Any birth is a reason to celebrate. That is why we have birthdays for the rest of our lives - to celebrate the day we were born.

OP - I chime in that it all depends on the hospital and staff with you.

I see that your location is Philadelphia? My first 2 births were in Philly with the Midwives of Delaware County, who are CNMs that work at the Delaware County Hospital (in Lansdowne). I highly recommend that practice, and specifically Becca Choitz. My first birth with 34 hours long, and the midwives AND nursing staff were amazing - super supportive of natural birthing - NEVER brought up medication, induction/Pitocin, IV, internal fetal monitoring, etc. even though I had such a long labor. They had a tub, which though in basically a tiny room that was like a closet, but regardless was HEAVEN to me.

After reading so many other horrible hospital stories, I was very thankful that I went with that practice, as I can definitely imagine another practice being much more impatient.

Oh, and I have also heard good things about the Birth Center in Bryn Mawr, if that is closer to you.

I should say that my second birth was an unintended UC homebirth - I was on the phone with my midwife (from the same practice as #1) and suddenly realized I was pushing! Everything was wonderful with this as well, but I will still say that having lived out both situations, doing much research, I am still more comfortable with a natural childbirth in a hospital!

I wanted to chime in as well.

My first totally natural birth was in a hospital. Our midwives met us at the door and I didn't see people I didn't know. No pressure, no anything that I didn't want.

If all had gone well, I might have had my second at home. Unfortunately, for various reasons, I needed to be in the hospital for the second. I got kicked out of the birth center. However, even in a much more medicalized situation - and even with pitocin - I had nothing besides the pitocin (and monitoring) unless you count back massage.

My doula helped us pick both care providers and that was really critical. Doulas are in and out of all the practices. It can really help to find a knowledgeable outsider to give you advice. Maybe also check on Finding Your Tribe?

Welcome to MDC! I recommend reading Jennifer Block's book Pushed. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

have you seen the business of being born? it's a great movie to show the differences and "politics" of hospital birth vs. homebirth. You can get it on netflix....http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/

I second both of those recommendations.
I've never had a hospital birth, but what I've heard is that, if you want a natural birth in a hospital, you have to fight for it the whole way through. In my homebirth, I didn't have to fight to keep my environment safe. I could just focus on having a baby.

I had a great hospital birth. I didn't have to fight anyone, ever. I ate and drank during labor and never had an IV. No one ever even said anything in my presence alluding to the existence of pain meds. My birth plan was followed to the letter. I pushed my baby out on my hands and knees.

My providers were CNMs who had a strong pro-mother, natural-birth philosophy and - this is very important - who were not "supervised" by MDs or required to follow MD orders.

What is the difference between homebirth and hospital birth in natural way? I heard one thing that if we choose hospital birth even though we already planned to have natural childbirth, nurses or even midwives wouldn't be so patient. they want us to progress as soon as possible, otherwise we would end up c-section? Does this happen a lot? If so, I would rather just plan to have a natural homebirth. Please let me know your thought. Thanks :shy


It's a huge difference! #1 was a hospital birth, #s 2 & 3 were homebirths. Even though #3 was a difficult birth for me, it was so much easier being at home in my own environment. The hospitals in the Philly area are rather medical minded too - most of my doula clients who birth at hospitals have a lot of interventions OR a fight on their hands.

I labored wonderfully at home with my first, got to the hospital at 6cm, and my contractions disappeared entirely. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't get labor started naturally again. Our midwife was relatively patient- we waited for almost eight hours before doing anything (and then she offered to either break my waters or send us home). We did the break waters/pitocin/epidural route and had our son vaginally, but my body just would not labor on it's own in the hospital. Everyone was incredibly respectful and everything that happened was because of OUR choices; we weren't pressured or coerced (well, the OB tried but our CNM ran interference).

Our next son was born, very easily, at home. :)

I haven't read all fo the replies but I have been thinking the same thing lately. I had a natural birth in a hospital with Camryn and it was great. I think it comes down to your choice of care provider. I went with a FP who used to do homebirths and it well known for his natural approach. As such, I had a nurse who was stoked to support a natural mama and I wasn't coerced into anything at all. I was free to labor however I wanted, eat/drink, move around, and was completely "wireless" the whole time. The Epi didn't even come up once much less pitocin or AROM. However, I am the first to admit that my situation is not the norm. I am just a rare good example of a natural hospital birth.

All that being said, I am planning a homebirth for #2. Mostly because, while the birth itself was fine, the drive to the hospital was horrendous, the stay was too long, the postpartum nurses were a PITA and, frankly, the hospital didn't add anything to the situation that I couldn't have gotten at home... it probably took away from the experience more than anything. It was simply unnecessary. Not to mention that I recently found out that my FP doctor is no longer doing births and that just sealed the deal for me. I am not sure what baggage stopped me from considering a homebirth last time but I think I needed to have the confidence boost that came with my first birth in order to commit to a homebirth in the future.

I understand wanting to be in a hospital "just in case" but I liken it to a swimmer jumping into the water with a buoy and an oxygen tank "just in case" he drowns. While he might do just fine, it's bound to slow him down and he certainly won't be able to reach his fullest swimming potential. At least that's how the hospital felt to me... unnecessary and good enough but it could have been better at home.

Best of luck to you.

I had my first in the hospital with a FP attending. It was very calm and peaceful and "natural". I didn't even have a birth plan! I had the baby around midnight and we left the next afternoon. Didn't have to fight for anything or really even ask for anything. They would offer something and I could decline or accept. No pressure. My subsequent homebirths were wonderful also but no more special to me than my first at the hospital.

The hospital definition of a natural childbirth is: no pain medication. Depending on who you ask, all it means is a vaginal birth. Anything else can fit into that description.

A homebirth definition of "natural" is: letting the body do what it needs to in its own time, while watching respectfully for potential problems, and hopfully avoiding them. No pit, no wires in your vagina stuck to baby's head. No cutting. No pulling out the placenta. No needles except in a REAL emergency. No pressure to feed babe on a schedule.

Do I sound a little biased? It's because I've done both. First birth was traumatic. Second was a relatively good medical experience. #3 was as natural as it gets in the hospital. I thought that was a GREAT experience, until #4 was born at home. Short of something life threatening, I will NEVER give birth in a hospital again.

oh..and i completely forgot. homebirth you dont have to GO anywhere! ugh. i was induced the first time as he was almost 43 weeks and i felt like i was being led to have him out.. anyway my second i went into labor and i never in my entire life, EVER want to be in labor in a flipping car ever, ever again. i wasnt even in the worst pain of my life or anything but wow is that not fun. especially when ouve got a mom that for some unknown reason decides to use her cars gps thinggy and it takes the longest route ever to the bc over every historic brick road in the dang county.

My natural hospital birth included a heplock, constant fetal monitoring (forced, I objected) fetal scalp monitoring, one-hour of stitches (lots of drugs for that) a false diagnosis of hemorrhage (lots of drugs for that) and daddy having to travel with baby to the nursery at least four times for procedures and tests.

For me, this is nothing to do with loss of power, empowerment, feeling like a woman, any of those things. I was betrayed by the hospital machinery, not any one person. Honestly, I just want to do what is best for my family. And the above scenario is not it. We were poked, prodded, separated, treated like idiots, and the food? NOT ADEQUATE FOR A NURSING MOTHER!!!!

After baby was born, I had to fight really hard to get him back from everything his life had entailed so far. We had to work at reclaiming him as ours. I don't know if that makes sense to you, but it was almost a year before he felt like MY son. He wanted his Daddy (the one who had held and comforted him while the good folks at the hospital tended to the mess they had made of mommy) instead of me. We had a horrible time nursing. This is not natural.

Also, for us, the word "natural" doesn't necessarily mean "perfect, good, works right all the time." We think of "natural" childbirth as a commitment on our part and the part of our homebirth midwife to attempt using natural solutions rather than technical autocracy to solve any diffculties that could occur. This is because we look at the body (moms and babies) as "wonderfully made" and believe that the interplay of mom and baby during labor generally works.

Anyway, "natural" childbirth (as though it could even be thought of as "unnatural?") at home is beyond fantastic! I trust my midwife completely, she has excellent OB backup for the infinitessimal possibility of something going wrong, and I feel safe, happy, and my babies are protected from the great gods of medicine who don't know them nor care about them.

i agree with whomever said that having a good hospital birth experience not only depends on the hcp but also on the hospital and hospital personnel. your hcp might be great but that doesn't mean that the nurses at the hospital are going to be great. ds1 was a hospital birth, and even though i had a pretty good OB who respected most (but not all) of my wishes, i had problems with the nurses. also, once in the hospital, sometimes it can be hard to avoid the cascade of interventions that might follow. though ds1's birth was pretty decent as far as hospital births go, it was still very managed and things were done that were unnecessary. for ex: i wanted to wait to cut the cord until it was no longer pulsating, and told my OB as much. she had dh cut it about a minute after ds1 was born and they whisked him off to give him oxygen because he wasn't pinking up yet. ds2 was an unassisted home birth and didn't pink up right away, though he was breathing fine (as ds 1 was as well) and we left the cord attached. the cord continues working and giving the baby oxygen until they are getting enough on their own through breathing. so the cord continued working for perhaps 20-30 minutes after the birth. no stealing my baby away to give him unnecessary oxygen! they also refused to let me nurse ds1 after the birth until i had eaten first and they had done all of their stupid hospital routines to the baby. so i had to wait an hour to get to nurse him, by which time he was starving and frustrated and screaming. after that he wouldn't root anymore (he had been rooting that whole hour) he would just scream instead when he wanted to nurse. this made our breastfeeding relationship very difficult. OP: check out "Birth as an American Rite of Passage" by Robbie Davis-Floyd


The hospital definition of a natural childbirth is: no pain medication. Depending on who you ask, all it means is a vaginal birth. Anything else can fit into that description.


yeah, i have had people tell me that they had a natural hospital birth but they had medication, episiotomy, and vacuum extraction. to me this is not a natural birth, but everyone's definition is different.

Well, here are two of my birth stories: first is unmedicated hospital, and the other is homebirth. Both were good births, but I would never go back to the hospital without medical reason.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=367316&highlight=

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=424904&highlight=

I had a drug-free vaginal birth in hospital (with a family doctor) for my first, and a home birth with midwives for my second. The only thing that wasn't different was the discomfort of the contractions and crowning (yup, it still hurt...darn it!). We had a lovely nurse (trained as a midwife) at the hospital and a great doctor, but it still had the hospital feel of administration, paperwork, routines, etc. I still was coached through pushing, given vaginal exams, baby was taken away from the bed to be weighed, clots were manually removed from my uterus (ouch!) etc. It just wasn't as comfortable and safe-feeling as my own home with midwives who respect the process and weren't in such a frickin' hurry to get a bunch of tasks ticked off a checklist. And the hospital stay versus snuggling right into our own bed after the birth...no comparison.

That's just my experience. I thought everything was hunky dory with the hospital birth until I had the second one at home. Now I wouldn't like to go back to hospital births unless it's medically necessary.

ETA: LOL i jsut read the post previous to mine. Is there an echo in here??

What is the difference between homebirth and hospital birth in natural way? I heard one thing that if we choose hospital birth even though we already planned to have natural childbirth, nurses or even midwives wouldn't be so patient. they want us to progress as soon as possible, otherwise we would end up c-section? Does this happen a lot? If so, I would rather just plan to have a natural homebirth. Please let me know your thought. Thanks :shy


I think if you have a doctor who is really onboard about providing a natural and open birth in the hospital or even his/her office, then go for it.

My aunt has had all of her deliveries in the hospital with a doctor who is very pro-natural birth.

I personally have not clicked with a care provider enough to consider this route. I also have a paranoid view of hospitals in terms of germs.

I've had 3 births all at the same hospital - whose maternity ward is run just like a birth center (in fact they call in the "birth center" at Such-and-Such Hospital). The midwives greatly outnumber the OB's (4 midwives to 1 or 2 OB's). I labored, birthed and recovered in the same room. The staff couldn't have been more respectful and wonderful to me. They were very supportive of my natural births and breastfeeding and followed my birth plans to a "T".

My first baby was a failed epidural (I got it very late - they didn't realize how fast I had dialated after being in labor for quite some time). After that experience I started researching natural birth because I had NO idea that could happen and thought I needed to be prepared to birth naturally.

So, my 2 other births were completely natural. I did not have an IV of any sort, was allowed to eat and walk as I wanted. The only thing missing was the more "hands-on" support of labor management. Dh took a hypnobirthing class with me though and not only was prepared, but a very good labor helper for me.

I never had anyone say a peep about me not having drugs - they were not offered at any time nor were there any disparaging remarks. Only at my second birth did the nurse say she had never attended a midwife/natural birth before (she had just moved to this hospital after working at a large university hospital). She was actually very excited to participate.

My 3rd birth was very quick and I got to the hospital right before I started pushing. It was also the middle of the night so the midwife did stay with me the whole time (did take a few minutes to check in on another mom in labor). She let my dh catch the baby and my kids cut the cord. I should add though, that she did used to do homebirths.

Like pp's said, I think ultimately you experience depends on your care provider and the environment.

I have had two hospital births. Both were uncomplicated, relatively quick vaginal deliveries. With the first, I ended up with an epidural. With the second, I had a totally natural birth. I have moderately risky pregnancies and did not have the choice to be at home. Many moms are in this position. The decision is not "which is better" but rather "which is right for me and my baby."

I believe it is possible to have a good birth experience in a hospital with the right labor support. It probably depends on the hospital's policies too. I was at a hospital where I was free to eat and drink during labor, to turn off the lights and play music, to be in the tub during labor, to walk around, etc. and where they monitored the baby only 10 minutes out of the hour. They had balls, stools, bean bags, things for massage...in other words lots of tools to help moms who wanted a natural birth along.

I had a midwife in the hospital, which was the best of both worlds for me. With my first birth with an OB, I had to fight for what I wanted and did not have support for my decisions. With the midwife, she fought for what we wanted and we felt supported and relaxed.

I really think those of you who are praising the hospital environment should keep in mind that it was the homebirth movement and natural birth movement that demanded these changes in the hospitals.

That is why you no longer are required to have a useless enema, useless perineal shave, futile denial of nurishment and water by the mouth, useless confinement to bed, futile requirement of an IV, useless bladder catheterization, and continuous monitoring. These changes came about because plenty of women questioned their necessity and many of those women went on to have home births with subsequent children.

Yet the caesarean section rate still gallops ahead to 100%.

I really think those of you who are praising the hospital environment should keep in mind that it was the homebirth movement and natural birth movement that demanded these changes in the hospitals.

That is why you no longer are required to have a useless enema, useless perineal shave, futile denial of nurishment and water by the mouth, useless confinement to bed, futile requirement of an IV, useless bladder catheterization, and continuous monitoring. These changes came about because plenty of women questioned their necessity and many of those women went on to have home births with subsequent children.

Yet the caesarean section rate still gallops ahead to 100%.


Whoa. It is not putting homebirth down or making it somehow less to share our positive hospital experiances. I am very pleased at the changes women have fought for in regards to birth, in and out of the hospital.

When I had my first child, there were no free standing birth centers, no midwives (legally), and no alternative birthing centers. I had my baby at home. That was my choice. Having Fathers in there was still a novelty and not guaranteed.

Within ten years there was two free standing birth centers and a couple of ABC or LDR in the local medical centers, but no one used them - I never knew anyone who gave birth in them.

Changes are made because people demand them and the powers that be see an advantage in change for themselves. Usually $

I was induced due to Gestational Diabetes and had a relatively natural hospital birth. I was on Pitocin, however, no pain meds and my L&D nurse was great about keeping anyone but her and my OB out of the room, dimmed lights if she saw DH and I were in the midst of breathing through a contraction, she left us alone.

It was a long delivery but I went in Wed night and they let me labor till Friday night when my child was born. My OB only brought up C-section once and it was never in a threatening way.

I also had my birth plan hanging in about 3 spots. They knew I didn't want an epi so they only asked me once before the point of no return.

OB also massaged peri and let me tear vs. an episotomy.