Thinking of Having a Home Birth

Hi K.

I have not had a home birth myself but my sister-in-law has had two. She has had great experiences both times. Personally I would love to do it but my husband is very uncomfortable with it. If he was for it I would certainly have a home birth.

Hi K. O

My name is E. and I live in the Bedford area. There will be a one time only screening of Ricky Lakes documentary "the business of being born" at Solon Commons this SUnday (2/10/08) at 6 pm. This documentary deals with the home birth that Ricky Lake had and the advantages of having a home birth vs. hospital birth. I am planning on attending with my 3 month old son (since nursing moms are allowed to bring their babies). Tickets are $8.50 and all proceeds go to the Ohio Midwives Alliance. For more info go to: www.The BusinessofBeingBorn.com

Hope this helps!

I had a homebirth with my 3rd child and would NEVER do it any other way. I had my two other boys there, my husband caught the baby, my oldest cut the cord and the younger told us what the sex was. I don't know how far you live from Louisville, Kentucky but there is a group you that gives referrals to midwifes and doulas etc. it is www.Birthcarenetwork.com . You will need some extra hands on deck for the two older kids, but we gave our kids each a camera and they enjoyed taking pictures, they got some good shots. The best part was crawing into bed afterwards and having room for the rest of the family to crawl in too. We have it on video even!

Hi K.,
I had a hybrid birth: we planned to have it at home and did up until the very end when we had to transfer to a hospital and have a C-Section. So, I have a lot of feelings about this that are a little hard to sum up.
I want to say that the home experience was really pleasant, and I don't regret it, but since things got a little complicated at the end, it was sort of hard having all those associations around me at home all the time afterwards. Every time I got into the bathtub, I would play out events from my labor in my mind, about the stress of feeling like I needed to go to the hospital but not feeling that I had the energy to get ready to go and out the door in the midst of the pushing contractions (I did not go until I had been pushing for many hours). I would constantly replay the labor events because there were so many reminders everywhere.
Also, because of the surprise outcome of having to go to the hospital, things did not get cleaned up at home very well. Someone shoved all the bedding into the washer and it was stopped up when we got home from the hospital. The floors were all sticky from God knows what, and so forth. When I got home, totally sore and exhausted, I really missed all the help and care I had at the hospital!
Homebirth can be a great option. Make sure you think through all the details and figure out if you are comfortable with a lay midwife or would want a certified nurse midwife and what the laws and hospital procedures are regarding each. Make sure that in the event you should need to transfer, that your midwife would accompany you with records of what had transpired. (If she is in legal jeopardy by exposing herself so, she may not.) Also keep in mind that getting a birth certificate and going to see the pediatrician for early well baby visits can be much more difficult with a homebirth. Make sure you have plenty of help on hand, especially in the hours and days after birth. Also make sure you are well prepared to have a natural birth, of course. I did the Bradley Method with my husband, and I swear that the contractions were not painful. I was able to really relax and reserve my energy.
Feel free to contact me if you'd like to bounce anything off of me based on my experience.

Take Care,
R.

Home birth is a wonderful option but check what state you are some actually it is against the law for certified or direct or lay midwives to practice. If you need more help or info email me directly. ____@____.com.

I had a great homebirth also and will never plan another one in the hospital. I birthed in the water and had such a wonderful experience that I have started renting birthing tubs as well. I also chose to take a Hypnobirth class and that contributed to the experience tremendously, and would highly recommend it, no matter what kid you are on (it was #3 when I found an instructor). I had no pain, just some discomfort. I have great midwives as well if you want to pm me.

I am a homebirth midwife, so I'm a little biased, but I've also already had three at home and planning a fourth in September. I think home birth is a wonderful option for low risk women. It really allows you to be in control of your birth. You can also choose to have a waterbirth, which is not possible in the hospitals in the area. Midwives do very thorough care and education at prenatals. Many of them will come to your home for prenatals, but some have their own offices. Make sure to interview more than one midwife and choose the one you feel most comfortable having attend your birth.

If you had no complications with your first 2 children, I see no reason why a home birth is not a viable option for you. I've been told that it's more relaxing for the woman when she's in familiar surroundings anyways. (I wouldn't know, lol, both of my pregnancies had complications and eded up C-section, but meh) Just as with hospitials and OB's...do your research and go with what feels right for you.