my planned unplanned event (Home Births)

Member Name: haydn96

Product:	Home Births
Date:	16/10/08 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: homely

Disadvantages: not the latest equipement availalbe

I had my first daughter Chelsea after a long labour in hospital. I hated it as I hate hospitals. I was in a dingy delivery room and then on a ward with six other ladies afterwards, One of the ladies was being induced for a still born birth which I thought was particularly upsetting. I know I felt bad having my new baby girl beside me, so I can only imagine how bad she felt knowing that she was going to have to go through labour with no baby to cuddle at the end of it. I almost felt guilty and could not believe how thoughtless it was that she be put on the same ward as us.

My second baby Rhianne was born 3 years later, and due to my absolute fear of hospitals I in my own head decided that I would have her at home. I discussed it with my partner but he was having none of it so just made up my mind myself. The night before I felt had the urge to clean everything that was already clean and then at four the following morning woke up with contractions. I lay in bed quietly so as not to wake the other half until it got too much and I snook off to the bathroom. As the contractions got closer he woke and guessed what was going on so phoned the ambulance, much to my dismay. I was stood at the bottom of the stairs in the hallway leaning on the stairs and could actually feel the babies head. I small push and the babies head was born, another push and she slithered onto the carpet in the hallway just as the ambulance man opened the front door. I was helped into the living room and lay on the sofa whilst he cut the chord etc and wrapped up the baby. As the babies temperature was low but not alarming it was decided that we should go to hospital just to get checked out. Later that morning we were allowed home and were both safe and well. The mess however was unbelievable, the carpet and the sofa were ruined and basically what I thought was going to be a good idea did not quite turn out to be one.

With my second home birth, my partner again disagreed with the idea, having had a cot death with his first wife. I decided that although I would go into hospital I wanted to come out quickly if everything was ok. I remember it well it was a Saturday afternoon and the contractions started and quickly became thick and fast. I knew there would be no time to get to the hospital so decided to avoid the mess and got into the bath, not with any water in just in an empty bath. My partner was downstairs unaware what was going on because it was so quick. Before I knew it I had my third baby girl Lauren. I wrapped her in the dressing gown which was hung behind the door and when the ambulance man arrived we were both sent to hospital for a check up and were allowed home early the next morning. Not because there was anything wrong but because it was not considered appropriate to let a new born out in the middle of the night!!

Haydn, my youngest was born 8 years after Lauren my youngest daughter, I still had a fear of hospitals from when I was a child having my tonsils out and being traumatised my words not theirs by my parents leaving me at the age of three. I can remember screaming as I saw them driving off in their little blue car!! anyway that's another story...but with Haydn I asked the midwife for a home birth but was advised against it. If anything goes wrong was the argument given, I gave into the pressure and agreed a domino birth where you go into hospital for the birth but are dealt with for want of a better word by your own midwife or one of a small team that you had met previously. I rang the midwife when my contractions started, she came to my house and checked me over. as I was already dilated to the recommended dilation, she followed us to the hospital in her car. She attended to me throughout the birth and when Haydn was born at a whopping 10lb she checked him over. The room for the domino birth was like an ensuite hotel room with a leather arm chair, TV and comfortable birthing bed, as well as all the necessary equipment.
After everything was over and everything was finished the midwife let us have a couple of hours with our new baby before coming back and discharging us. She or one of the team, a small group of 4 midwives, visited me afterwards at home as the normal midwives do.

The last birth was the nicest. I had the benefit of the care being available should I need it yet being back at home very soon after the birth. I would recommend a home birth as my daughters Rhianne and Lauren are both proud to say they were born at home, and just being in familiar surroundings is comforting. If you are going to go through with it at home I would advise planning it properly and not doing it my way!

Summary: can be dangerous if anything goes wrong but a beautiful experience otherwise