I am hoping to go for my 4th homebirth this time round! Anyone else planning on staying at home??

I would love a homebirth even though it's my first. But we don't live somewhere where it would be possible. I feel gutted that I'll be bringing my son into the world in a germ ridden hospital with all the interventions etc - maybe I'm just naive though! - and especially as my pregnancy has been going so well with no complications. I will definitely consider it for no. 2! How have your experiences been? xxx

I had a homebirth 6 mths ago today and all went very well. I don't think I would have felt as relaxed as I did in a hospital setting, not to mention my husband, who turned pale during a hospital tour a few months prior to my due date! That's really what made us decide on giving birth at home.
Even though birth centres do try their hardest now to give a 'homely' feel, you still have to go to hospital in the middle of your labour. As it were, we were having dinner together with a bottle of wine the same evening, and our little girl asleep in the moses basket on the dining table! (Rest assured that things did not continue that way. We soon found out what it really means to be parents!)

I'd like to think that I'd have my second child at home as well, but this depends on the age of our first one at that time. I would not want her to be around, seeing mum in pain. It might put her off having kids for life!

All I can say is: go for it!

I really hate hospitals. I am due to have my second in september after 1st baby being a 7hour labour with just gas and air I would love a home birth! my partner wants me to go to hospital (its his first) but I feel its me giving birth it should be what makes me feel most comfortable! We only live 5 minutes away from the hospital. Any thoughts? x

I would definitely give it a go - what have you got to lose? You can always transfer if you need to. The fact that your hospital is so close is a bonus as if there were any problems they could have theatre prepared and a team ready for you by the time you arrive.

My husband was the same with our 1st, but I was adament. I work in the hospital and didnt want to be seeing any of my collegues whilst in such a compromising position!!

I also felt that it was much easier to deal with the pain at home. You also have your own midwife and home comforts. Your partner will not be kicked out after the birth and you get to spend your first night with your baby together!

Our 1st and 2nd were born at home after 5 and 7 hour labours and our 3rd was born at my parents house on Xmas Day! I am planning on having this one at home again.

My girls were both at their brothers birth - they asked if they could be and they are planning on being at this one. I think that as long as you are prepared and are able to prepare them it is a wonderful experience for them. My girls were facinated and were only nearly 7 and 5yrs old at the time.

There are also the benefits of controlling visiting, not being at risk of hospital acquired infection and not spending your 1st night being woken up by other mums and their babies!

I would say go for it!!!
Good Luck x
Caz

we have the midwife coming over at the weekend to talk about a home birth. My husband was not too keen on the idea until we went on a tour of the hospital and now is 100% behind it!

im not pregnant yet we are going to stated to try after wedding in 2 weeks but we have already said it will be a home birth after i had my daughter in hospital 3 years ago and she wasnt breathing and the midwife was so cruel to me,thankfully she did start to breathe and she is a bonny little girl now but the midwife made me cry by telling me i was stupid for worrying ect and the hospital was not nice, the shower didnt even work and i was home less than 5 hours after having her anyway.
i just want to be able to be more relaxed,move around when i want to and snuggle up in my own bed with my husband and children afterwards

i just had my 4th baby at home (my 2nd hb) i would definatly recommend it, 2 lovely midwives all to myself and a decent cup of tea after :-)
i find i relax more at home so manage the pain better, also the older children can be more involved if they want to and get to know baby better (im just hoping my 16yr old daughter is put off enough,lol)
xx

I really want to have a home birth. It is my first baby and my partner was dubious at first but the more info I give him the less he is worried about the risk factor of it. We live right near the hospital anyway so if need be I can transfer but I hate hospitals and the idea of having to be left there afterwards and for him to have to go home alone fills us both with dread. I am trying to remain fairly open minded as I don't know how I will feel when in labour but hope my plan to be at home succeeds!

I'm the same as you, hellsbellz planning a home birth for my first in August, feeling a bit nervous about it but really hoping that I will be able to stay at home. A couple of my friends stayed in hospital overnight without their husbands before their babies were born, and I want my oh firmly within shouting distance!
Is anyone else planning to have a waterbirth at home?

I would love to have a home water birth this time around, but I am worried that our floorboards would not take the weight! (they are really not that great!) Also, I would have to pay out for the expensive heated pool @£300 as there is no way our water tank would cope with filling the pool! Gutted!

hi, i tried for a home waterbirth in november, as im scared of hospitals. it was great at home, 2 midwifes and i was totally relaxed. but everything did not go to plan when i stayed 8cm for 20 hours. i was taken to hospital which was only 5 mins away. after 30 hours my baby girl arrived but after every pain releif possible taken. had to stay in hospital overnight, but they were great.
after giving birth in hospital i now know its the best place as my daughter was not breathing and they had the right equipment. the staff were brill and next time i would not hesitate to go straight there. i dont regret trying in the birth pool, if everything goes to plan it would have been a wonderfull experience. x

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from our discussion with my midwife it seems that you can spend most of the labour in the bath or shower if you want to anyway if your at home, so even if you dont plan for a full water birth you can still get the benifits from spending lots of time in water

Yay! and save £300! Think how much chocolate I could buy for that!

chocolate and baby clothes!

Thanks for that tip lisajoy- I was kind of wondering whether it was possible to just take a really long bath, will be especially useful if it turns out that our floorboards can't take the strain!

I am definately going for the home birth option, we tried a home birth with our daughter Llola now 2 but she got a bit stuck so i had to transfer to the hospital, the ride in the ambulance over the speedbumps was enough to shift her as after 5 minutes in the hospital out she popped!

I do think that everyone should be given the option of a home birth as they totally relax you and I feel they have a calming effect on the baby too, good luck to all of you who decide on a homebirth.xx

Hi - I had a home birth with my 3rd baby as I labour very quickly so wouldn't of made it to the hospital. Luckily my midwives knew this so as soon as my waters went I rung them and they arrived 15mins later, and 15 mins after that my lo arrived, facing up with the cord round her neck 3 times!! My midwife was brilliant and left us alone quite quickly after the birth, she also tidied up which was a bonus!!

I would really recommend having a home birth if possible and also think that everyone should be given the option - good luck
Sam xx

hi. i had a homebirth with my 1st baby who was born may 11th 2007. i had a complication-free pregnancy and birth. i delivered him on my living room floor!! there was no mess at all and the midwives were excellent - they had suitcases full of equipment if i had needed it, which luckily i didnt. i also opted to labour without pain relief, as i didnt want anything to affect my son. i can honestly say i would do it all again, and i want another 2! but this time i would love a water birth!

kim & blake xxx

I am thinking about a homebirth, but I have not made my mind up, yet. My mother doesn't want me to have it a home, but I have decided, she doesn't need to know (she lives nowhere near us, so she won't find out until afterwards). My partner is a little bit wary about it as well, but we have a very good friend and she had all 3 of hers at home without any problems, so this makes him feel a little better.
But as I said, I haven't made my mind up, yet. We are going for the hospital tour some time soon and I think I will plan for a homebirth with the option of transfering, if I don't feel happy once I get there.

Good luck to everybody. xxx

Well I'm quite depressed at the moment.Have just had the midwife round to disscuss a home birth.Up until the visit I was very positive about the whole thing.After talking through the risks I felt she was trying to talk me out of a home birth.Like I was using it as an excuse for child care ( I have 3 older children aged 9,8 &6).After answering all her questions about what will happen with child care she still didn't seem to want to promote home births.So feel quite deflated.Still adament that I'll have baby No4 at home.Yet the m/w seemed more interested in telling me I could very well end up being induced and other intervention if I didn't follow their recommendations.I would never put my baby at risk and feel they (m/w's) do their best to put you off.Sorry just feel overwhelmed by such a negative attitude towards me xx