Why did you choose a homebirth?

[BellyBelly]

Hey everyone - just wanted to add some comments to an article I have - could you please share your thoughts on why you chose a homebirth? Thanks

[Cassius2]

Ok. First homebirth was following birth trauma in a private hospital. it left me with a PTSD that even 3 years later meant that i just couldnt safely enter a hospital, so the decision was made early on in the pregnancy to hire an IM and plan a homebirth.

Second homebirth....because once you have one homebirth you never ever want to go back to a hospital centred birth and care.

[Arcadia]

Because I was low risk and I wanted a midwife attending me for the whole pg and birth and I really, really wanted a normal physiological birth - I knew home was the only place for me. Now I've had two, I want another one because I love being in my own space, I love the fact Dh can just potter around while I'm labouring, that my children are close and safe, that my baby is born into my arms and sleeps in my bed from day zero. I love the first day when you introduce baby to the house and walk from room to room realizing the first impression your baby has of the world is the home you and your partner have created. It's so special.

[Catherine]

Necessity.


My first two births were quick, and the 30 minute drive was uncomfortable and concerning.
For number 3, we had moved and now lived 1.5 hrs from the birth centre (an hr from nearest hospital which did not accept me due to BMI). It seemed folly not to plan for an 'unassisted' birth. I did not invest in an IM, as i had continuity care with my birth centre midwife and did not think either of the two possible midwives would make it in time. I knew I needed to prepare for the very real possibility of an unassisted birth.

I was honest from the start about mypreparations, explained that given my fast birthing history, I needed a plan that allowed for this. I had no intention of transfering in labour if all was well. I was not going to risk a roadside birth. My main concern was labouring for over an hour in the car.

So for me : a planned 'unassisted' homebirth was the least risky option.

[Jennifer13]

Guess I started thinking about it after pondering the necessity of my c/s. I decided I wanted to avoid such medical management. Research and stats showed I would achieve a natural birth and better outcomes for me and bub at home.

The final clincher was hearing the standard procedures I would be expected to undergo in hospital (classified as a 'high risk' VBAC - which my research did not support) and the lack of individual consideration for me and my pg. I did not see myself as a 'high risk' at all, given my health, that of the baby, etc, etc.

This time around it's a no-brainer. The rightness of our homebirth with DD2 makes it the only option this time, unless something untoward comes up. Also, I'm expecting a quick birth, so not having to go anywhere is a plus.

The irony to me is that now I've had such a straightforward VBAC at home, I'm no longer considered 'high risk' at hospital. But if I'd gone to hospital, I only had around 6% chance of a VBAC in the first place!!

[RubyShoes]

For me it was a case of "why not?" because I didn't feel that, for a low risk pregnancy and birth, there was any reason I needed to enter a hospital. I was also drawn to consistent, dedicated one-on-one midwifery care because my biggest gripe for my first (birth centre transfer) birth was that I saw so many unfamiliar faces during the labour, birth and post natal days and this made me anxious.

I felt so secure in my homebirth team that I didn't feel the need to write a birth plan because I just knew everyone was on the same page. I also felt very much that the focus was on the right things - that the labour and birth was my job, and the midwives' job was to monitor and support me to do it. Sometimes I think birth is credited to the medical staff despite it being the woman doing all the work.

There's also nothing like labouring and birthing at home in your own comfort zone and without having to think about "when do we go to hospital?" It was just so normal and well...normal to stay at home and give birth.

[HotI]

I looked into having a homebirth for my first baby, but family were not supportive (for a first birth) and so i decided i would do the hospital thing and then consider homebirth if there was #2.

My first birth was horrendous, and i ended up with PTSD.

When i became pregnant again, i knew that there was no possibility that i would go to hospital. I briefly entertained the idea of a birth centre (largely for my family), but after a triggering appointment i left knowing it was not for me.

I was fortunate to find an amazing midwife who supported me when i was going through the complaint process after my first birth, and i called her when i got pregnant with #2. She met with my partner and i, and after the first meeting he was also supportive of my decision. In the hospital system i was "high risk", but none of the extra appointments or attention were of benefit to me. I just felt like i was there to educate them on my medical condition (to different people each appointment), but got no benefit from doing so. For my homebirth, my carers were interested in how my condition could affect or be affected by pregnancy, labour and birth but i was still just a woman going to have a baby. When i was unable to speak, they quickly worked out that i could still communicate. The value of the love and respect i was shown during my pregnancy and birth can not be understated. Plus of course, there is the awesomeness of labouring in your own environment and not having to work out when to leave or what to pack.

Once you go homebirth, you never go back.

[meow]

I attended the homebirth of my younger sister and always knew I would have homebirths. I desperately wanted to birth at home as it seemed so beautiful and peaceful (even with the yelling) and nothing like I had seen or heard birth to be like. First birth I didn't have at home because the cost scared me off.

I guess I saw how the hospital setting wasn't what I was looking for and I knew the money was worth it second time around.

[meow]

I love the first day when you introduce baby to the house and walk from room to room realizing the first impression your baby has of the world is the home you and your partner have created. It's so special.

I never can quite explain the magic of this. This was actually the most powerful part for me that I took from my sister's birth and what drove my desire to birth at home. It was like she was just *there*. Without any fuss or fanfare she had arrived in our home and our lives and somehow the transition between pregnancy to labour to birth all happening in the one long night in our home while I had intermittent naps in my own bed was just one of the most magical things I've ever experienced. It felt so right and like she had always been with us.

[HotI]

I guess I saw how the hospital setting wasn't what I was looking for and I knew the money was worth it second time around.

So true.

There was a bench in my backyard that i leaned on during contractions, while hanging out the washing , and whenever my DS sits on this bench it makes me smile. The arrival of a new brother was also easier on DD because it wasn't accompanied by an absence of her parents. i put her to bed and she woke in the night to a new baby, went back to sleep and then came to the family bed in the morning to check him out again.

[Beatrix]

The initial reason was due to myself labouring extremely fast and preferring to birth at home rather then in a car with the added bonus of being medically/mentally prepared instead of unplanned.

Now after home birthing unassisted (lol no planned unassisted) I couldn't imagine going back to a hospital. Was bliss to just shower and settle in our home after the birth. Now when I sit in my lounge room I tell my baby girl that she was born right there!!

[Cricket]

I first chose a home birth because of the reading and research I had done on it. I knew it was a good, safe option for me and my baby, and I really liked the idea of having my baby in my own home, recovering in my own bed, using my own shower and toilet, and running on my own schedule. I had two previous hospital births which had gone just fine, but I knew that the hospital wasn't necessary for a safe birth. Especially with my first baby, I was woken up all through the night at the hospital to have my blood pressure and temperature taken, and the nurses were constantly telling me that my baby wanted to eat. (She nursed NON-STOP for the first 24 hr, but every time I set her down, someone would come in and say "Oh, looks like she's rooting - better try feeding her....") I didn't like having to walk way down the hallway to the shared bathroom on the maternity floor, taking my baby with me in her little plastic cart, or having to use the shared showers. I know how dirty hospitals can be, and I much prefer my own home! DH was a little hesitant at first, but he trusted my judgment and supported my decision. I loved the care I got from my midwives all through the pregnancy, and the support during the delivery was great as well. Our home birth went beautifully, and DH and I both agreed that we would never want to return to the hospital unless it was truly necessary.