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You have already gotten some great advice in this thread; I just wanted to throw my 2 cents worth in :)
I have birthed four babies. With the first two I had pethidine and gas at a birth centre, with the third and fourth I had home waterbirths. In my experience, warm water immersion runs rings around drugs. I found the pethidine and gas were mildly helpful in my first birth but did nothing but make me sick in my second. I am a bit more educated now and wonder if the breastfeeding issues I had with my first two babies were related to the pethidine I had in labour. I guess it's a case of "if I knew then what I know now".
When I had my last two babies at home, as soon as I kneeled into the pool of warm water the pain floated away... it was amazing!
Oh, and as far as cleaning up after a homebirth, no one expects a woman to clean up an hour after giving birth! I suppose it depends on the midwife but mine did loads of laundry, pegged them out, helped hubby cook breaky, helped empty and deflate the pool and move all the furniture back into place, etc. I lay on the lounge with bubs in arms and watched them toil!
My husband was initially not keen on the idea of homebirth. Like many people he thought it was dangerous. Once I showed him some studies and stats on it, and especially once he met the midwife, he was fine. He is now a VERY outspoken homebirth advocate; it is downright embarrassing at times!
And as far as pain tolerance goes... I am the world's biggest sook. My husband was amazed that I birthed a 4.1 kg baby in the loungeroom with no pain relief... but when I lay on the lounge afterwards he pulled a crocheted blanket over me and it caught on a hangnail on my big toe and I screamed and cried!
It sounds like you are very educated about your options - way more than I was when i had my first baby!
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It's not an unassisted homebirth we are talking about though is it, a homebirth with a midwife yeah? Because a midwife will have the skills necessary and if she thinks things are not looking good, she wont be a hero but as you to go in.
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I think what smylie might be reacting to is that Ryn said she feels like keeping her labour a secret and locking herself in the bathroom to birth her baby. I don't think she literally meant she would, but was just expressing how trapped she was feeling by her DH's unwillingness to support her in an (assisted) homebirth and drug-free labour. Am I right?
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Good luck Ryn with your wish for a drug free birth. I firmly believe in the woman's right to choose. I had the opposite problem when I had people bagging me for choosing pain relief saying I did not care for my daughter and what kind of mother do I think I am?????
Basically, when I am induced (can't get around it!!!) I will take it as it comes and make my decision at the time. My main problem first time aorund was I had a midwife pushing drugs on me and then I had a second midwife saying I didn't need them and to stop being so silly!!! WTF!!!
Whatever you decide, don't let ANYBODY talk you down or tell you otherwise!!
