Why would u consider home births

tryinghard

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 2:37 pm

gold21 wrote:

I wouldn't homebirth because

1. There's no epidural Tongue Out

2. I don't see labor and delivery as an "experience", I see it as a means to an end

3. I'm a very cautious type of person and feel safer in a hospital

This. But it sounds like this is not the side that OP was looking to hear about Very Happy

amother

Black

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 2:41 pm

Soooo....

The original question was: "Why would you consider home births?"

The answer is: Because home birthing appeals to me for some reason or because hospital birth turns me off for some reason.

And: "Why would you CHOOSE home births?"

The answer is: Because in my circumstances they are approximately as safe as, or safer than, a hospital birth.

amother

Chartreuse

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 3:05 pm

momofqts wrote:

There are sometimes pink flags before red ones, but nit always. Homebirth is ok 95%of the time. But is it really worth being at home if u end being part of that 5%?. Just a few things to think about, after birth hemorrhage, babys heart rate dropping during pushing, cord around the babys neck multiple times. These are scenarios that cannot be predicted but can have dire consequences chv! Im not out to convince anyone, let each person do as they see fit but its really hard for me to understand. And no, I do not appreciate being woken up to take my blood pressure, lack of comfortable bed, shower etc... but I also cant imagine taking all the risks at home.

Exactly. Unf., one of my babies was niftar after 2 days.... some virus they said I had (felt ok...) and he was early. If it was a home birth I'd still be blaming myselff!. BH I have a few healthy ones before and after that. But I wouldn't risk a home birth, sorry

amother

Black

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 3:08 pm

amother wrote:

No need to defend yourself! Those who choose home birth choose it because it is right for THEM. Not because it is across the board the only good decision.

I'm very sorry for your loss, and sorry that you would even consider blaming yourself for something that was obviously unpreventable.

(BTW, no midwife will deliver at home before full term.)

amother

Blue

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 3:22 pm

Maybe wrote:

http://jennifermargulis.net/blog/2014/09/why-doctors-nurses-and-other-medical-professionals-are-choosing-to-birth-at-home/

http://idahomidwives.org/bmj-s.....birth

http://www.bmj.com/content/330.....ehom=

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12......html

Here's a more recent NYT article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05......html

"In contrast, home birth in the United States is dangerous. The best data on the practice comes from Oregon, which in 2012 started requiring that birth and death certificates include information on where the birth occurred and who attended it. The state’s figures show that that year, the death rate for babies in planned home births with a midwife was about seven times that of births at a hospital.

"Many studies of American home birth show that planned home birth with a midwife has a perinatal death rate at least triple that of a comparable hospital birth."

Very informative article. Essentially, most home birth in the US are performed by CPMs.

CPM's have no required standardized training, do not take pharmacology courses or any advanced schooling, do not have licenses or hospital privileges, and are an unregulated industry. It is illegal for them to deliver babies (they don't even like to use the word "deliver" bec. they know it's illegal, they say "catch") in all but 28 states.

NOT to be confused with CNMs who are well trained, licensed and regulated, but in short supply in the US.

ETA. I completely understand not wanting to give birth in a hospital! Just please, if you use a midwife, ask about qualifications and make sure she is a CNM (an equivalent of nursing degree plus additional midwifery training) and NOT a CPM

petiteruchy

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 3:45 pm

I planned a home birth with my first. When I went into labour 5 weeks early, my midwife came to my house to check me and escorted me to the hospital. She's a CNM with admitting privileges so she delivered my baby, and cared for us the rest the night. When the baby was admitted nicu the next morning (was checked immediately by a neonatologist but struggled to keep her temps), she was there with me and helped me navigate the terrifying world of neonatal care. The nurses, by the way, although great with babies, were less than respectful or helpful with me and the other postpartum moms.

My next birth I planned a home birth again. This time I went term and I had a really wonderful experience at home.

Reasons to consider home birth with a CNM:

Continuity of care - midwives don't operate on shifts and only take care of one patient at a time.

Longer prenatal visits and at home post natal visits. You only switch to the pediatrician at two weeks or one month. My midwife came to my house once to fix the stitches they gave me at the hospital, and in the middle of the night, one week postpartum, for unexplained uterine pain.

Comfort and cleanliness and relaxation of home. Our midwives delivered our birthing kit, cleaned up everything after the birth, tucked me into bed with a snack and came to check on me early the next morning.

For moms with normal, healthily progressing pregnancies, midwives are a great option. And it's true, it's much cheaper for publicly funded health systems to have healthy babies born at home. That means there's more room and staff available for emergent and high risk pregnancies at the hospital, which makes for a safer and quicker process.

amother

Cyan

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 5:02 pm

Jeanette wrote:

No, not everyone has terrible hospital experiences. But for those who do, homebirth is an option. And homebirths are not for everyone just as hospital births are not for everyone. Seems that there are people who can't get past the mindset that we ALL need to make the same choices.

What I am saying is that there are choices you can make (midwife vs doctor, which hospital, etc) which are more mother and baby friendly. There are not only two choices.

amother

Cyan

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 5:10 pm

petiteruchy wrote:

Reasons to consider home birth with a CNM:

Continuity of care - midwives don't operate on shifts and only take care of one patient at a time.

Longer prenatal visits and at home post natal visits. You only switch to the pediatrician at two weeks or one month. My midwife came to my house once to fix the stitches they gave me at the hospital, and in the middle of the night, one week postpartum, for unexplained uterine pain.

Comfort and cleanliness and relaxation of home. Our midwives delivered our birthing kit, cleaned up everything after the birth, tucked me into bed with a snack and came to check on me early the next morning.

For moms with normal, healthily progressing pregnancies, midwives are a great option. And it's true, it's much cheaper for publicly funded health systems to have healthy babies born at home. That means there's more room and staff available for emergent and high risk pregnancies at the hospital, which makes for a safer and quicker process.

I'll forgo being tucked into bed, for the safety of having any possibly needed equipment nearby, though it shouldn't ever be needed. I'll tuck myself in.

petiteruchy

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 5:17 pm

The midwives do have the necessary emergency equipment and are extremely cautious, both in accepting home birth candidates and with transferring patients. I'm in Canada, home birth midwives are organized and paid for by provincial health care and our safety ratings are excellent - on par with hospitals. So on top of equivalent safety, there are other positives, but I'm not allowed to mention them?

amother

Taupe

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 6:19 pm

petiteruchy wrote:

They have some sort of emergency equipment (oxygen, etc) but they can't do an emergency c section. Being through a very scary experience with my first resulting in an emergency c section I would never risk being far from an OR.

amother

Black

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 6:32 pm

I don't know where you live, but where I live there is not a staffed OR at all hours. The local hospital would need to assemble a team from on-call doctors. As soon as the transport is initiated, they could start getting the team together, same as if someone was actually in the LD unit. In most hospitals, there is about a 30-minute "decision to incision" time.

The word "emergency" as regards a C-section means "unplanned."

There are true emergency C-sections, including those where they can't wait for anesthesia to take effect, but they are rare.

It is also very rare for a true emergency situation to crop up entirely out of the blue, with no prior warning whatsoever. For some of these, like a uterine rupture, they also can take place during early labor, when someone would not likely have gone to the hospital yet.

Could it still happen? Yes. But car accidents can also happen on the way to the hospital, and a doctor's well-meaning interference can cause an emergency or worse. The risks may not be 100% equal, but for a low-risk pregnancy with a trained and equipped provider, the risks of home birth are comparable.

(BTW, if you are really looking for the safest option, avoid the USA altogether - we have one of the highest maternal and fetal morbidity rates of all developed countries. See here)

Jeanette

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 7:10 pm

amother wrote:

I'll forgo being tucked into bed, for the safety of having any possibly needed equipment nearby, though it shouldn't ever be needed. I'll tuck myself in.

I respect the right of every woman to give birth in the setting where she feels safest and most comfortable.

Still, it's precisely this dismissal of a woman's comfort and dignity during labor that led me to choose homebirth. the two are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to keep mother and baby safe during labor and delivery without demanding that mom give up her comfort and dignity. Some hospitals do try to find that balance, but many, especially big city hospitals catering to a low-income population, don't seem to care.

The machines and monitors all around you in a hospital might give the illusion of safety but they are only as good as the humans who are supposed to be monitoring them. When the human touch is gone, there goes your safety.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 8:18 pm

FTR, I chose a midwife model for my first birth, at a hospital. It's nothing like the homebirth model, and I was using the same CNM!! Even with a midwife, there is NO autonomy in a hospital. So one can't say it's the best of both worlds. They're not really comparable. I'd definitely choose a hospital birth with a midwife than an OB if those were my only 2 options though.

cozyblanket

Mon, Sep 05 2016, 9:14 pm

I agree with all the complaints about hospital births. My first birth was like that. But, please keep reading!

However, I have been back to the hospital 5 more times and I have to say that the staff was much nicer all those times. I switched docs after my first and that made all the difference. If you have a doctor that respects you and is pro natural birth - and hypnobirthing, in my case - it really helps. If you make it politely clear what you intend to do (be natural!), I find that staff at worst backs off and leaves you be or at best are super supportive and really helpful. Once I started hypnobirthing with my second, I have had good hospital experiences. But I would definately recommend a doula in a hospital!

I am VBAC and also recently had a (second trimester) stillborn, so I would never consider a home birth for myself.

If you choose a hospital, work hard on finding a great doc or midwife, get a doula and daven for awesome nurses! And know what you want before you go - as in, tell them at the desk you want a room with a tub. When you meet your nurse, tell her you want a ball, room to move around, not much checking....etc....

B'sha tova!

Mama Bear

Tue, Sep 06 2016, 1:10 am

Putting aside all the risks vs non risks, my house is the last place I want to be in to give birth or to recuperate! The clutter, the stressors, etc. that are part of being in a house are not what I want to see/think about when I'm in labor. My bed? I'm not that farchalisht to be back in my bed instantly. Hospital beds are quite comfortable. I loved moving my bed up in the morning to the highest point and looking out on Central Park. I loved being able to send my baby to the nursery overnight; I loved being able to get motrin, ice water, etc with the push of a button. I loved taking a shower in a room that I didn't have to clean before or after; I'd have to have a cleaning lady in my house every single day in my ninth month so I wouldn't be embarrassed to let the midwife team in! For me, putting aside the medical stuff, giving birth and recovering in a hospital is actually a good thing. As a matter of fact I even went to a kimpeturin home for 11 days each time. The minute I get back home, the realities, stressors, clutter, and to-do lists come right back in my face. The 2 weeks I'm not home after a baby are a real break from life and a chance to bond with the baby without any outside stressors...

amother

Burgundy

Tue, Sep 06 2016, 1:22 am

amother wrote:

I understand wanting to have a natural birth, I don't understand why someone would risk an at home birth, even if they had a low risk pregnancy. Things can go very wrong very fast at the last minute and the equipment needed to help is not in ur home.
I'm not bashing home births- I really don't understand why someone would do it and would like it explained as I personally have not done much research on it.

I agree with you 100%. I'm a pretty natural minded person. I like to avoid doctors and hospitals as much as possible. To be honest, unfortunately homebirth was not even a possibility. I needed c-sections. But even if it had been an option, while I on one hand find it very appealing to be in a comfortable space away from pushy doctors and nurses and the rules and regulations of limitations of being in a hospital environment, I think I would have been too scared. I know there are so many successful stories. But I also have a few friends who had scary outcomes and it would be enough to scare me into the hospital.

Tue, Sep 06 2016, 5:49 am

I've had 7 births, my last one being at home unplanned, but with an equipped midwife to deliver the baby. I must say it was a great birth. No doctors, procedures, pressure, interventions. I did go to the hospital afterwards as I'm not anti hospital in general. I'm not sure if I would do it again as I live about 40 minutes away from the nearest hospital and there is definitely a risk involved.
My only other birth that was better was the one where I gave birth 15 minutes after I arrived in the hospital with no chance for any interventions. I should just add that all my births were without epidural or any medical pain relief and without any other interventions, (just attempted ones which I refused)