homebirths for 2nd child

Nicky - posted on 06/13/2011

Congratulations Laura!!
I am from New Zealand, and had a homebirth in April 2010, and preparing for another this October.
Good on you for getting out there and researching homebirths, some reading I recommend is anything written by Ina May Gaskin, this will certainly help you make a decision, she is an amazing midwife and woman in general!
or checking out http://www.homebirth.org.nz/ my suggestion is read birth stories by the gazillion, there are great videos on youtube too.
Getting the right midwife is also crucial for homebirth, well any birth actually!
I had a birthing pool set up in our lounge, it was an amazing experience, everything was down to baby, and I let my body do what it is meant to do. I truly believe that if I been in hospital, I wouldn't have been able to relax enough to let this happen.
I didnt tear at all thanks to the birthing pool (i think) and couldnt recommend homebirth enough.
Its not for everyone, but if your partner is supporting you, then thats the first stage passed!
Check out some birthing units as well, this was what made me tick the homebirth box, after checking out the birthing unit I asked what the difference was (this could be different in your country) and there was literally none, the choice was easy.
I wish you the best of luck with your decision and birth

Charlotte - posted on 06/09/2011

bonny, it appears you know very little about homebirths. homebirths are about the baby being born into a calm enviroment in which the mother feels incontrol and relaxed. birthing is not an easy expreince but it also does not have to be traumtic. people go to hospital becuase they are ill... birthing mothers are not ill. these complications you speak of, which you have already said your self are rare, become even more rare with a homebirth. homebirths are safer than hospitals, please do your research and you wiill also realise this. as a nurse you should be aware of the importance of a calm birth.

i find it odd that you say the baby did not ask for any of this... surly if that is your veiw point then you would agree a baby shouldnt be pumped full of drugs becuase they havent asked for it? statistics show that alot of the time drugs don' event work for many mothers and if fact make birth harder becuase they have to rely on a midwife/dr to tell them when to push..

i shan't sit here and reel pf a lost of facts and figure at you but if you are interested in learning about it, which you really should if you are going to advice anyone on how to birth their child i suggest you do some research..

Jane - posted on 06/06/2011

My ex-SIL had her first birth in the hospital, but both of her next two kids were born at home. She discovered that giving birth was easy for her (her labor on baby number one was just three hours), which helped her make the decision. She is also an RN and was aware of the risks.

In our area a midwife is much cheaper than an OB/Gyn. Each birth at home cost $400. The birth in the hospital cost $2500, but only because she brought her own pain killers, and did not spend any time actually in the hospital. Her water broke, she went in, three hours later her baby was born, and two hours after that, my ex-SIL went home. The baby spent the night because of possible jaundice.

In some areas there are midwives and doulas who work with patients in the hospital. Folks I know who have gone that route have been quite pleased. The doula in particular is helpful because she is there for the mother and baby's sake solely and keeps the hospital staff on track with the birth plan. In essence a doula works to keep mom and baby unstressed and thus minimize complications.

Bonny - posted on 06/06/2011

While midwives are trained in neonatal resuscitation, and I have NO doubts about one's abilities (assuming they are certified and such, not just calling themself one, not that many do, just check) but any person, doctor, midwife, l&d nurse, emt, spouse, WHOEVER delivers a baby, can only save one life at a time, things can go so bad so fast it would scare me. But, if you can find someone you trust and feel comfortable with doing it, especially if there is backup easily available, do what you feel comfortable with. I have watched the documentaries and things can be done safely (check with insurance if money may be a cost, like I've said, they may not cover the expense or those that come from a complication). L&D nurses work with midwives (where do you think a certified nurse midwife comes from?) so they can see and know how people can react or what can happen, but no one knows how anyone will react until it happens. Healthy mom, healthy baby is always the goal, keep in mind the baby didn't ask for this, don't put it at risk for your happpiness over a couple of days, while that is important, this is your experience, you still want what is best for your baby, who wouldn't go to the ends of the earth for their child, including suffering so they are ok, is this that different? But if your pregnancy until delivery is "low risk", follow your heart and if you still feel safe, go for it. Anyone who is licensed (and cares about that) won't risk their license to make anyone happy, they won't take that chance if they feel it could be dangerous, and better to have someone who does know what they are doing there than do it on your own without that knowlege. Like how people used to try to give themselves abortions, better to do it safely at home with help than without, hospital or not. People say "women used to just squat in the woods, have a baby and keep going" but how many women used to die in childbirth, or soon after back then...?

Jennifer - posted on 06/06/2011

Also, insurance companies do cover homebirth...midwives are usually out of network. And a homebirth is cheaper than a hospital birth. When you go to the hospital, you pay your private doctor as well as the hospital, but with a homebirth, you only pay the midwife (which cost about the same as the private doctor.) In my area an OB's global fee is around $2500 -$3000...and midwives charge the same amount. (The midwife also spends much more time with you than an OB). So you don't pay the additional hospital fee unless you were to transfer for some reason and then your charges would be the same that they were if you had planned a hospital birth with an OB.

Jennifer - posted on 06/06/2011

A midwife is trained to assess the baby after he/she is born. A doctor does not have to see the baby immediately. Most midwives are also certified in neonatal resuscitation. You really should meet with and interview midwives to find out how they deal with complications. While an L&D nurse can tell you what complications "may" arise, she is probably not completely aware of how midwives handle these situations (I also could not tell you how every midwife would handle various complications). When planning a homebirth, you are taking responsibility for your birth and you have to be comfortable with your decisions.
I had a similar experience that you did. My first birth in the hospital was horrible and we planned a homebirth for our second. During my pushing stage, a complication did arise, our midwives handled it and baby and I are great. And according to most hospitals all that matters is a healthy baby, right?

Bonny - posted on 05/22/2011

As a mom of two and a nurse in a hospital in mother-baby and L&D, I've seen a lot of problems come up from things that could have been easily prevented. If you are GBS positive, having IV antibiotics is important in pre-delivery treatment for the baby, if your water breaks and the cord prolapses (comes out before the baby) you have to have an emergency c-section or literally risk your baby's life if pressure is on the cord (as it would be during delivery) and in the meantime, someone holds the baby's head in off the cord, a lot harder at home. And I'm not trying to be the bearer of bad news, that's worst case type stuff and doesn't happen all the time, but is just labor, you would still need a pediatrician that can see the baby right away to make sure the baby isn't jaundiced or showing signs of sepsis. But I would say find a midwife or doctor, that is supportive of what you want or don't want during labor and hospital experience, or longer laboring at home with frequent contact with them, or a birth center with less interventions. And IF you decide you want an epidural, or IV narcotics for pain, etc, you can't get it at home and that's not the time to try to get to a hospital. And check with insurance, I've been told they don't cover a home birth (for a reason I imagine) which could get expensive.

Sherry - posted on 04/07/2011

Watch the documentary "The Business of Being Born" After watching this it was easy for me to decide where. Good luck!! : )

Charlotte - posted on 04/05/2011

i had a homebirth with my daughter (my first... we are currently ttc no.2!) ands it was lovely! honestly, it was just great. i had two midwives with me the whole time, i was stitched up minutes after i delivered the afterbirth, and my midwive didnt leave un til eloises temp was where it shhould be and sgewas certain everything was okay. i can nit highly recommend a homebirth enough. there is research that shows it is actually SAFER than a hospital birth. mum is calmer which means a calmer birth and baby. i also had a waterbirth, my daughter was bornin the water and i was the first person to touch her and i actually grabbed her myself! its got nothing to do with my having an easy birth compared to others or being lucky...i still pushed out a 7lb 5 melon lol but being in the comfort of my own homr, having who ever i wanted there, beingable to sleep in my own bed etcetcetc made my birth wondeful. i do also recommed a waterbirth! i honestly cant recomend it enough! ive only ever heard bad stories of women who birth in hospital. yet most women have postive stories who do it at home!