Homebirth General Discussion #23

[turtledove]

Freya - I still think getting out the door at all with a newborn is an achievement, let alone on time! Hats? Drink bottles? It's not like you live in a hot climate or anything

Cricket - congratulations! That's very exciting. Do I read your ticker right... Is this number 8? Wow, well done. We were just talking about my awe of big families. Easier said than done, but try not to worry about the lack of ms, and just enjoy this special time. When is your first mw appt?

Homebirth is very common in the UK. Most of the midwives on the CMP are from the UK, as that is just what they do over there. Still, good on Kate for wanting one! I hope it is a beautiful experience for her.

EssTee - from memory, the sonographer didn't ask me about birth choices, and I had to have 5 ultrasounds with DS. If they do, it's just small talk, so you can be vague if you want. Is it the negativity about homebirth or VBAC that concerns you most, or both? If it is just homebirth, you can talk about how you've found a fantastic midwife, or that you've chosen a IM to increase your chance of VBAC. If it is negativity toward VBAC, I don't have too much experience there. Just focus on the positive, and remain confident!

AFM - we are doing great! Bubby boy is now 11 weeks old, and I'm in denial that he'll ever get older than 3 months. If I could make time stand still, it would be right now, he's just so delicious! I went through a foggy patch thinking "if I knew it would be this hard, would I have been so keen to volunteer?" But that had all lifted now. He had his tongue & lip tie released a couple of weeks ago. Feeding so much better now! I'm using a SNS to compensate my low milk supply. Pumping 3-4 hourly. A lot of work, but so worth it. Makes me feel so good when he refuses the bottle and looks for me!

How are all of the other homebirth babies going?

[Cricket]

Freya - we don't make any commitments for the morning around here. Well done to get your crew out the door! It is tough! There's always a last minute feeding, or potty accident, or spill, or lost shoes, or something....

EssTee - I'm in Canada, not Aus, so things are a little different here. Home birth is not super common, but it is fully funded and regulated through our provincial health care. I have had some negative reactions when I've told people at the hospital that we're homebirthing, but generally, people have been very encouraging and supportive. I do book in at the hospital, to streamline things in case a transfer is necessary, but the booking people have always said "all the best, and we hope we don't see you back here!" I think you should feel free to tell people that you're planning to have your baby at home, and that you've done the research and feel that it's a very safe and reasonable option for you and your baby. If they persist with negativity, then you might have to come up with a firm but polite way of saying "I'm not discussing this further."

I've heard that home birth is more common in the UK, but I'm thinking that the royal baby's birth will certainly be global news, and hopefully raise awareness about the safety of home birth in other countries.

Yes, this is baby #8 for us. DH and I think this will likely be our last, but we'll see how things go. Big families are not so common these days, but I do know of a few others in our area, and TBH most people have been very positive about our family (at least to our faces!). I haven't had any of the terribly rude comments that other people seem to get... It surprises me a little how people think we must be "super parents" or something - 100+ years ago people were having larger families than ours without running water, washing machines, grocery stores, or even the medical care that we have now! We have it easy.

I'm feeling a little iffy today. With my last baby, I could barely stand up for about a month. Even sitting up was too much at times. I laid on the couch and was completely useless. It was awful. DH ran the house and did all the errands. He had to take time off work. When we discovered we were expecting again, the ms was my biggest worry, so I've been cleaning and preparing meals for the freezer like mad, but so far it hasn't been necessary. I'll see the midwife at the end of March - at almost 11 weeks.

Glad you and your little one are doing well Turtledove! It does go by so quickly!

[turtledove]

Yes, this is baby #8 for us. DH and I think this will likely be our last, but we'll see how things go. Big families are not so common these days, but I do know of a few others in our area, and TBH most people have been very positive about our family (at least to our faces!). I haven't had any of the terribly rude comments that other people seem to get... It surprises me a little how people think we must be "super parents" or something - 100+ years ago people were having larger families than ours without running water, washing machines, grocery stores, or even the medical care that we have now! We have it easy.

True. I also think they were more likely to have help -- whether family or hired. Reading the biography of Elizabeth Prentiss, 1800s, I was amazed how many maids, cooks, etc they had, and they weren't a wealthy family. Not discrediting, I'm sure they all worked hard, and a baby is a full time job no matter what era!

Glad the test was still positive, so you are able to relax and enjoy

[Cricket]

That is true too, Turtledove. At least for some families. They had someone to help with the washing, while I have a washing machine, etc. I have read some pioneer biographies though that leave me in total amazement - huge families in a one room cabin in the woods, no help, no near neighbours, and a husband gone trapping furs all winter... I can't even imagine.