Homebirths every time! (Home Birth Versus Hospital Birth)

Member Name: mumto3

Product:	Home Birth Versus Hospital Birth
Date:	20/10/08 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Personal, intimate, relaxed and stress free

Disadvantages: In hospital you are just another body!

All three of my children were born at home. This was my choice and exactly what I had wanted even with my first baby. I knew other people who had experienced a home birth and thought it sounded like the sort of birthing experience I would like. I did my
research so I knew what rights I had concerning a home birth. Everyone is entitled to deliver at home age and circumstances bear no significance but you may be advised to have a hospital birth depending on your personal circumstances. Also in some areas they may try and discourage you from having a home birth due to staffing issues.

My first pregnancy was almost a text book pregnancy and the day after my due date my waters broke at 7am. I had no contractions or pain all day until about 4pm and then I started to have regular twinges which got stronger until by 6.30pm they were two minutes apart. My midwife arrived at about 7pm and examined me and I was already 8cm dilated. The contraction continued to grow in intensity but I managed them only using a TENs machine. At 8.20pm a second midwife arrived but I didn't
notice as I was concentrating on pushing by then. My daughter was born at 8.27pm. The mood was calm and relaxed. The only light in the room was a small bedside light. The only people present were my husband and two midwifes one who I didn't even notice until after the birth. I had got to know my midwife very well during my pregnancy and it was like having a friend rather than a health professional in my home. After about one and a half hours after everything had been checked and my
daughter weighed and measured both midwives left and me and my husband were left alone in our own home in our own bed to get to know our baby. It was a wonderful experience and not once did I feel awkward or vulnerable or scared.

My second labour went a little differently. My son was four days late. My waters broke at 2am and as I had been told that this labour could be very different I sat on my birthing ball and watched a film while I waited for some contractions to start. By 4am nothing was happening apart from the odd twinge but nothing regular or too uncomfortable. I decided I would go back to bed and try and get some sleep because obviously nothing was imminent. I couldn't get comfortable at all and decided to go
back to the ball in the hope that it would speed things along. It was about 4.30 in the morning and as I sat up I had a massive contraction that took my breath away. The next thing another
huge contraction came and my legs buckled and I ended up on the floor. I was crying because the pain was so intense and had come on so quickly and then I felt an urge to push and I shouted at my husband to get the midwife. I heard him go downstairs and
once the contraction had passed I managed to get the plastic sheet and was trying to put in onto the bed as we had not prepared anything. After a few more contractions struggling with the sheet I finally managed to crawl up onto the bed. I was clutching the headboard and chanting "don't push don't push" like a mantra. I could feel that the babies head was well down and that he was almost crowning and I could hear my
husband making a cup of coffee in the kitchen! I was trying not to shout as my daughter was asleep in the room next door but eventually I just screamed at him to come upstairs because the head was coming out. Once he was with me I gave up
trying to fight the contractions and I just stood on the bed and let my body push and my son was born onto his fathers chest. He wasn't breathing at first and I was so scared I just burst into tears but after a few seconds he started to splutter and then cry.
Then the midwife arrived at about 5.25am. Even though it hadn't gone to plan and I had been so terrified it was still beautiful because it was just us. The midwife was excellent once she arrived and did all the checks. Then after undressing me and
helping me into the shower she changed the sheets and cleared up the bedroom.

My third home birth was another matter entirely. I was ten days overdue and had gone to the hospital to be observed to make sure everything was OK. I was determined not
to be induced despite having terrible pain in my pelvis that made any sort of movement agony. The midwife offered me a stretch and sweep (the midwife stretches the cervix digitally to encourage it to dilate) but warned me that nothing might happen
but that I may experience some niggling pains for the next 24 hours. That was at 9.30 in the morning and throughout the rest of the day. By 4pm the pains were getting a bit stronger but were not regular and my waters hadn't broken so I didn't
think this was it. At 4.15 my husband told me to get the midwife out to check me over just to make sure nothing was happening. By 4.45 the midwife had arrived and I was having regular contractions but I was still making tea and serving it to my children. I called my mother in law to take care of the children and she arrived at 5pm. I still felt fine and assumed that my midwife was just going to examine me. I went to the toilet once my mother in law had arrived and that's when my contractions kicked in. I was on my hands and knees in the bathroom when my husband came flying up the stairs. I managed to get up and made my way slowly to the bedroom. The second midwife never made it as my son was born at 5.25pm. He came out in his waters with both arms over his head. I tried to get comfortable but every movement caused a huge gush to come out of me. An ambulance was called and the ambulance staff were fantastic they introduced themselves and told me exactly what they were doing. I was taken straight to the delivery suite at my local hospital and that is where my problems started. I have never felt less like a human being in my life before. I had three different people trying to do different things to me all at once no one had introduced themselves or told me what they were doing. There was a guy trying to find a vein in both my arms by repeatedly digging a needle into my arms. There was a very pissed off doctor rummaging about inside me with what felt like a scourer and another woman was trying to hold me still because I kept trying to back away from the doctor. There were people coming in and out of the room and someone even bought my husband a cup of tea. I was crying because I was terrified and I kept telling the doctor that she was hurting me. She barked at me to stay still or she wouldn't be able to examine me. Eventually she turned away and demanded to know who had brought
me in because there was nothing wrong. My midwife explained that by her estimates I had lost about 2 litres of blood and my blood pressure was falling. My blood pressure was checked again the doctor told me to stay still so she could examine me again. I was moved onto a trolley and rushed into an operating
theatre and given an epidural. During this procedure I felt faint and tried to warn them but I was told to stay still and was held upright by a nurse. I was then arrange with my legs in stirrups so the doctor could get to work. I hadn't been put in to the stirrups properly and so was laying at a funny angle which was uncomfortable but I couldn't move. After the doctor had finished she explained that I had a tear in my cervix which had required 6 stitches. I was wheeled back to my room where my husband was still waiting with my midwife. The following morning I was visited by a different doctor who advised me that because I has lost a lot of blood I would need a transfusion. I would have one unit that morning which would take four hours and another in the
afternoon on the postnatal ward that would take a further four hours. I was advised to stay in overnight so that I could have a blood test the following morning and then further units of blood as required. I had the first unit of blood which was fine. I was
then moved to the post natal ward. I was rigged up to the drip for my second unit of blood at 2pm. The drip didn't seem to be working so I called someone to take a look. They said it was because I was moving and I need to keep my hand still! I was trying to meet the needs of a new-born baby! I waited a bit longer but nothing was going through so I called again and she waggled the drip needle and then adjusted the flow which caused a bit of pain in my hand. I didn't complain because at least the blood looked like it was going through now. The blood finally finished draining at 9pm and I was told that someone would come and remove the drip. I called again at 10pm and
was again told that someone would come along and remove the drip. At 11.45pm someone came and finally took the drip out. Next morning I was up at 6.30am eagerly awaiting the blood test to see if I could go home. I waited and waited and at 10am a
midwife came to see me to say that my midwife had rung to check on me and that they were a bit busy but someone would be along a bit later to take a blood test. At 12 noon I rang and asked for someone to come and take some blood but was again told they were too busy but would be back soon. At 2pm after calling again I was told that they were still too busy and then I sat and watched as the same midwife went and changed the nappy of another womans baby! I was absolutely livid by this time so I rang my husband and told him to come and get me and I started collecting my things together. At 5pm I was told that the shift was about to change and that I was top of the
list for the next midwife coming on duty. Finally at 7pm they took my blood and I just had to wait for the result. Even though my HB levels were still far too low I was discharged with some iron tablets and then I had to ask for the antibiotics that I should
have been taking since my operation on the day I'd arrived.

If I had another child would I still want a home birth? Yes! Definately without
question.
If I had another child would I voluntarily go into hospital to give birth? Not unless
mine or my childs life depended on it!

Summary: Despite everything I would choose another home birth