Any one else planning a Home Birth?

[Anonymous]

No. There is a big mess, I wouldn't want that mess at my house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. There is a big mess, I wouldn't want that mess at my house.

Haha...that is VERY true, though I'm sure midwives are good at taking care of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who gives a sh--. I would never have a home birth. If you want to, fine. Your baby.

You're simply not going to convince me that a home birth is safer; I'm not going to convince you that a hospital birth is safer. Agree to disagree and move on.

Well, you are the one who "gives a sh--" enough to come onto a thread entitled "anyone else planning a Home Birth" in order to try to debate the merits and safety. Didn't the title serve as a clue that OP doesn't give a shi-- about YOUR opinion? You're agreeing to disagree is a bit disingenious considering you're one of the ones who decided to debate the issue with people not asking for your opinion...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the PP, though fewer interventions does not always mean safer. I knew a high risk woman who refused to have a cesarean, and then they HAD too anyway, but it was too late. The baby went through too much stress and didn't survive. I also know of babies that got infections in hospitals...I don't think either way is perfect. Giving birth ALWAYS has risks, and you just have to weigh your options, your health status, and your preferences to determine what is right for you.

I don't think anyone would argue that some interventions -- any of them, including cesarean -- can, at some point, be completely necessary and lifesaving. I personally don't know of any homebirthers who would flat out refuse a truly necessary c/section to save the life of their baby!

The case you mentioned highlights (in my opinion) the need for a care provider you trust 100%. I can only assume that the woman refused to have the c/section because she was with a doctor who pushes surgery, and she probably thought that she needed to "stand up" to him, or try to defend her birth plan. Obviously this is pure speculation, but I have seen this before where women refuse things because they are with the wrong doctor who they fear will recommend any number of interventions that aren't truly necessary. Because there is such a total trust between homebirthers and their midwives, when the midwife says "we need this, NOW!" no one even stops to question or debate with her. They just go get the cesarean, or accept the pitocin, or whatever, right away. This has been my experience, anyway. It really makes the situation much safer when you know deep down that your care provider respects your birth plan and will work hard to help you have the birth you want.

I do agree with you that giving birth will always have risks, just the same that living every day of our lives has risk. Ultimately, life really only has one destination. Yes there are risks no matter where you have your baby, but women should be free to make their own decisions without the fearmongering of people who don't know anything about homebirth. Honestly, I think all most homebirthers want is for everyone to stop telling them how crazy or risky they are being. No one wants a great outcome for her baby more than the mother herself, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Giving birth in hospitals is NOT what causes the high infant/maternal mortality rate in the US. If that were the case then places Zambia and Afghanistan would have the lowest infant/maternal mortality rates in the world. I'm not saying you can't have a safe homebirth. (I was reading this thread out of the same curiosity as many of the pro-home births here) but that statement is crazy!

Well then, what is the cause? It's a pretty remarkable correlation, either way, don't you think?

And we have much better prenatal and pediatric care than under-developed countries like Zambia and Afghanistan, btw. You are SO much more likely to have/need interventions if you give birth in a hospital and are delivered by an OB. And as a PP noted, a lot of interventions can cause problems (and death) to the baby that wouldn't be an issue in a homebirth situation. For uncomplicated/non-high-risk pregnancies, there is just no reason to deliver in a hospital/with an OB, other than your own piece of mind if you believe that you and your baby are safer in a hospital setting.

FWIW, I'm delivering in a hospital, but with a midwife, and am making every effort NOT to have any interventions. This is my first and for subsequent babies I am hoping to birth at home.

Lack of universal health insurance and of other welfare programs means that for about all health statistics the US is lagging behind most developed countries (and even some developing countries as Cuba), it also has one of the highest rate of poverty among children among developed countries.

[Anonymous]

can you still get epidural if you have a homebirth??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:can you still get epidural if you have a homebirth??

Not unless you've made arrangements to have the homebirth attended by an anaesthesiologist, no. But most folks who choose to birth at home do so in part because they do not want interventions like the epidural and have instead practiced alternate coping mechanisms.

[Anonymous]

I have to chime in as a health policy professional here (prenatal and maternal and child health is one of my areas). Absolutely home births, birthing centers, and natural childbirth are great choices for some women.

But, we have two major epidemics happening in women of childbearing age in this country - and that is obesity and type 2 diabetes, or diabesity as it is sometimes called. The increased rates of women getting pregnant who have chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes already, or risk factors like obesity, mean that c-sections will continue to rise. These conditions up the risk for mom and baby - and doctors, midwives, and insurance companies will prefer that these women give birth in a hospital, and many of them will have c-sections.

So as some of the other posters have pointed out other reasons, it is really not appropriate to compare the US to other countries in this regard. And there are valid reasons some women will have c-sections, and valid reasons some of them should not have a home birth.

But for healthy pregnancies, sure, home birthing is a great option and one that will likely save the health care system money, which I love to hear!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. There is a big mess, I wouldn't want that mess at my house.

Haha...that is VERY true, though I'm sure midwives are good at taking care of that.

Having had a messy homebirth, I can speak to this.

TMI alert: I threw up all through labor, walked all over the place leaking all kinds of stuff, and tore and bled. I expected my house to be a Goddamned disaster afterwards. Not so. I wasn't really too aware of this while it was happening, but the midwife and her assistant were really quite spot on about doing things like lining the floor of the hallway I was walking in with chux pads, lining everything I sat on with chux pads, spraying things out of the carpet, and throwing sheets in the wash. After I was done sitting there all aglow with my baby, I peered around and realized that my house was still clean. It was amazing!

[Anonymous]

My first visit to this forum as I am finished having babies- but just want to chime in- I have had 4 homebirths with the Birthcare midwives and just cannot imagine planning for any other birth. I am a healthcare professional, and have attended hundreds of births and I felt very secure in our choices. The midwives give such great care- seriously much more detailed and complete than most doctors and nurses in hospital I have seen- that I truly believe our care was better at home than it would have been in hospital with most OBs. I know that they were constantly assessing whether or not we "risked out" of a homebirth option which made our care more comprehensive.
Anyway- I do not try to convince people to go with the choices I made, but I just want to give you support for your choice and tell you it was truly the most beautiful and empowering way to start, and add to, our family and I wish you the same experience!