But is homebirth safe if it's your first ...

[Laranna]

That's ideal timing for a VBAC - rock up to hospital fully dilated and feeling ready to push. One way you can help figure out the timing is feel your own cervix when you're at home (as long as your waters have not broken prior to active labour starting.) You're just observing for changes. You'll find you can tell when your cervix is starting to open, when it's about half open and when it's hard to feel any cervix left at all ... but hey what's that furry walnut feel?? Izzat my baby's head??? Or you might feel something like a balloon in front of the hardness of your baby's head, which would be the forewaters. OK so NOW you're ready to go to hospital!

There's a good link here on doing your own vaginal checks called "It's Not Rocket Science"

Thanks Julie!!! I would never have considered checking my cervix whilst in labour. All this new info has got me excited! And more confident that I'll get my VBAC

[Talia*L]

Yes I am planning a home birth for my first That article / statistics are great - not for me (I have done my research and know that HB is the only way for me!) but for people who ask me about it. I am putting together a document with common Q&As for family and friends, I will include some of that information.

Personally, I do NOT understand the 'fear of the unknown' for HB at all!? MAN i know my own home and body so well, so there is nothing unknown about that! The thing I do NOT know well? A hospital, and a staff of midwives / doctors / nurses with whom I have no relationship!! The hospital is the 'unknown' to me!

And I have done probably over 200 hours of reading and research, watched youtube home births, educated myself as much as possible. I will also be engaging the services of a highly experienced HB midwife, and a doula with experience in HB too! So I know that I have nothing at all to fear. I look forward to the birth wholeheartedly.

[Julie Doula]

Hi Talia! *waves*

[Talia*L]

*Grin* Hi Julie!

Btw Julie - my 7 week scan showed a 5 week sac, however they think I'm not as far along as suspected! So I am going back in a couple of weeks, fingers crossed... So hopefully I will call you after that!

[Tegam]

*Grin* Hi Julie!

Btw Julie - my 7 week scan showed a 5 week sac, however they think I'm not as far along as suspected! So I am going back in a couple of weeks, fingers crossed... So hopefully I will call you after that!

Hope all goes well with your scan and enjoy your HB! Clever woman!

[paradise lost]

How about you? Did you have your first at home? How did it go? How did you handle the pain, effort or intensity with no pharmaceutical pain relief available? If there were any complications, how did you and/or your midwife handle it?

I had my first at home. It went fine i guess, though i had midwives i didn't know (had only met one of them once before) so it could have been better, next time around we're hiring an IM to eliminate that problem. My labour was 15 hours from waters breaking to birth, but under 4 "active" stage. I used entonox (gas and air) for the last hour as i'd been told not to push (they thought my pushing urge was premature as i'd not been close to being in labour when they did my first VE - DD 's head was half out at my second VE) and it was very difficult to resist the urge. I had a second degree tear (probably because my first and last push of the entire labour delivered her ears to toes VERY fast) but i chose not to have it stitched (not an option in hospital i was told) and it healed fine without intervention.

If i'd been in hospital having that labour i know i would have potentially faced:

Having her at home anyway (i would have been sent home after the intial VE as i was 2-3 and 50% effaced, and i hit transition about an hour after that and literally couldn't move position without about 8minutes warning, no WAY could i have gotten back in a car after that stage).

Getting an epidural (the words "don't push" do NOT tell you how to resist the ejection reflex or the urges it brings, and was totally panicking for much of the last hour's contractions because the urge was so big i felt hopeless trying to resist it - i was told off for using the entonox wrong as i had to roar during the contractions to stop myself pushing so i was using it in between contractions to knock myself out so i couldn't think about the next one as it scared me so much - pretty sad! i know in hospital i'd have said "this is hopeless, numb me up so i won't push" - probably about an hour before DD was born so goodness knows the problems that'd have caused).

Been forced to be stitched (the MW told me that the obs don't leave 2nd degree tears, no matter their location or severity or the feelings of mum).

Had DD taken to NICU for the first night (after being born her apgars were 9, 7 and 10. When she hit 7 they suctioned her and gave her some oxygen - the wait on my perineum while i was not pushing followed by the sudden flight into the world had shocked her and she'd swallowed some mec, in hospital all mec/suctioned babies go to nursery for the first night, no ifs, no buts).

That's not to mention all the standard stuff one faces in hospital. I'm really glad i stayed at home, but i'm still hoping for a better birth experience next time around. I think you can still suffer for your relative naivety from it being your first time even if you're at home, it's just the severity of the things you can suffer is much lower.