Would YOU ever have a homebirth?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Sorry if this topic has been done to death. I've been working since June in OB, focusing mainly on L&D. I have two children of my own, the first one was a fast and uneventful hospital birth, the second was a homebirth (acynclitic and OP, so labor was VERY long and difficult - if I had been in a hospital, I'm pretty sure I would have been sectioned, but all turned out well in the end).

I'm facing the prospect of perhaps having one more in a couple years. I had previously thought that any other children would also be born at home. But now that I've been working in L&D and getting a glimpse of all the potential emergencies and behind-the-scenes things that could go wrong, I'm seriously questioning the safety of homebirth. I guess you could say I'm having a crisis of faith that birth is a natural process that doesn't HAVE to be managed in order to have a good outcome.

Anyway, I was just wondering if other L&D nurses, knowing what they know, would ever opt for a homebirth for their own.

These last few posts have been very interesting to me.

I worked in a birth center in NC in the early '90's. Lay midwifery was illegal in NC at that time, but there was a very active "underground" network of lay midwives. About once a month, we would have a patient literally dropped on our doorstep by a lay midwife who would then vanish. The patient and her partner were understandably in shock over a birth experience gone awry, sudden transport to a medical facility, and the disappearance of their trusted caregiver, who was more concerned about legal issues than the continuing support of her client. We had no phone call alerting us to the incoming patient, and no access to records or even a verbal report from the midwife, so were forced to rely on the patient's description of events, which was sometimes difficult to interpret.

By the time they arrived, the moms were typically in crisis, with problems ranging from high fevers, B/Ps in excess of 200/100, and excessive blood loss. The patients and their partners were, for the most part, grateful for our care, but were also fiercely protective of the midwives, going to the extreme of refusing to contact them and ask them to call us to provide needed information. (We knew better than to ask for the midwives' names and numbers!)

Fortunately, these patients and their babies ended up "OK", but we were always fearful of a lay midwife waiting too long to transfer a patient, or failing to provide necessary information for us to provide safe emergency care. It left me with a bad taste toward lay midwives who practice without back-up.

Jolie, we had-- and still have-- the same problem you speak of. No OB's in this area will back up a midwife who wants to do home births. Hence,the "underground". And if something goes awry, we get an anxious couple and "the friend" or "the doula" who knows a lot about the labor. My most frustrating experience is with the ladies who have been pushing for 3 or 4 hours and come to the hospital, only to discover they are NOT complete and should'nt have been pushing in the first place. The "underground" just doesn't have verified, competent caregivers who have a resource to turn to when there is a problem. So the couple who wanted a home birth ends up with interventions that are intended to facilitate a safe birth... not necessarily what the couple wanted, or they would never have tried a home birth in the first place.

I pray for an enlightened OB who will back up some midwives and I do believe that we would see the safety of home births. Until then, there is reliance on

midwives who may know what they are doing, but can't always act in the best interest of the family because they have no support.

I said in a previous post that I met a CNM who had everything needed for emergencies in the back of her van. The only thing she could not do was a C-Section. I might consider a home birth with her!

and was her baby okay??

Yep, perfectly fine. Normal. No problems.

steph

Ok, I have to say it. Just as homebirths aren't crazy hippies chanting at the moon, trying to allign the mother's chakras, hospitalbirths aren't get them in, pit them, cut them, send them out.

Thanks for saying that.

My first hospital birth was a pit induction with a female OB and not a great experience. But my subsequent two deliveries were in a smaller hospital with male OB's and were great! My last was in a big city hospital and I had an emergency cesarean and I don't care that it wasn't all homey - I just wanted a safe delivery and a healthy child. To heck with "atmosphere".

steph

Specializes in Case Mgmt; Mat/Child, Critical Care.

I guess I will add my .02 cents....I personally, would not opt for homebirthing. I thought long and hard on the subject especially w/the last two. However, I realized ultimately, that the whole goal was to have a healthy baby, irregardless of my wants and desires. And, yes, the majority of the time homebirthing is successful, however there was just no way that I was going to take that risk. Not after doing L&D since 1990....seen too many poor outcomes from a variety of different causes.

Specializes in Case Mgmt; Mat/Child, Critical Care.
Ok, I have to say it. Just as homebirths aren't crazy hippies chanting at the moon, trying to allign the mother's chakras, hospitalbirths aren't get them in, pit them, cut them, send them out.

Yes, I absolutely applaud this statement. So true, so very true....

Sorry!!!!!!!!! When I have a child I want to be medicated to the point where I don't remember a thing.....wake me when it is over if possible.....why have pain if there are measures to prevent it. I haven't had the pleasure of giving birth yet, but I am actually even thinking of having a scheduled c section when it is my time, and yeah I know it is major ab, surgery (I am graduating nursing school in December) but the thought of regular labor scares the hell out of me, it always did and now that I have learned more than any regular person would ever want to know I am a million times more scared!!!!!!!! I would rather just have a scheduled time that I know I am going to have my child at this time, I will be fully medicated, blah, blah, blah......I think in the future we will be seeing a lot more of this.....any thoughts? Does anyone agree, disagree?

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
now that I have learned more than any regular person would ever want to know I am a million times more scared!!!!!!!! I would rather just have a scheduled time that I know I am going to have my child at this time, I will be fully medicated, blah, blah, blah......I think in the future we will be seeing a lot more of this.....any thoughts? Does anyone agree, disagree?

Hello, stefanitenzi,

I disagree about the future........

I had an OB physician that told me one time, "Siri, you know just enough about OB to be dangerous to yourself, personally."

Specializes in Public Health, DEI.
Sorry!!!!!!!!! When I have a child I want to be medicated to the point where I don't remember a thing.....wake me when it is over if possible.....why have pain if there are measures to prevent it. I haven't had the pleasure of giving birth yet, but I am actually even thinking of having a scheduled c section when it is my time, and yeah I know it is major ab, surgery (I am graduating nursing school in December) but the thought of regular labor scares the hell out of me, it always did and now that I have learned more than any regular person would ever want to know I am a million times more scared!!!!!!!! I would rather just have a scheduled time that I know I am going to have my child at this time, I will be fully medicated, blah, blah, blah......I think in the future we will be seeing a lot more of this.....any thoughts? Does anyone agree, disagree?

I am always opposed to major surgery that isn't necessary. lady partsl deliveries are very scary, yes, but millions of women before you have successfully delivered babies this way, and if they can do it, so can you. I had a planned C because my son was breech. He has autism, and till the day I die, I will wonder if the Pitocin, or the Percoset, were responsible. I do know that there are OBs out there who will schedule C-sections by request, but I don't think it's a good idea. And just so you know- the pain afterwards is brutal!

I am always opposed to major surgery that isn't necessary. lady partsl deliveries are very scary, yes, but millions of women before you have successfully delivered babies this way, and if they can do it, so can you. I had a planned C because my son was breech. He has autism, and till the day I die, I will wonder if the Pitocin, or the Percoset, were responsible. I do know that there are OBs out there who will schedule C-sections by request, but I don't think it's a good idea. And just so you know- the pain afterwards is brutal!

Isn't it amazing how you never realized the extent to which you used your abdominal muscles until they were cut? Even something so simple as clearing your throat is almost impossible because your abd muscles are cut!!!

steph

After seeing how many MD's want to control when the baby is delivered(ie. Pit-ing to death or vacuum etc) I can completely understand why someone would want to deliver at home. While, I wouldn't do it personally, (I want an epidural and now knowing more of the risks, it's one I won't take) I respect the choice. I have also seen a natural birth in the hospital who did it her way and everything worked out. The baby immediately went to breast....before it even cried.

-Cyber

(mom to two boys and TTC #3)

I have three children. The first was a hospital birth, the second was a homebirth with a midwife (and it was my husband's idea). After the first homebirth I was determined it would be my last, and with my third child I went to a hospital and had an epidural and that was fine and dandy.

Why anyone would want to do a homebirth vountarily is beyond me.

I think I would personally consider a home birth if I was low-risk. My husband isn't too keen on this and my MIL would throw an absolute fit - she had my SIL worried throughout her low-risk pregnancy constantly throwing in stuff that could go wrong. Stuff that has a 1:10,000 occurance.

But if I had the right midwife, convinced hubby it was OK, kept my MIL unaware :p, and was sure everything was OK, I would definitely consider a homebirth and encourage it for those who feel inclined. I definitely support that right.

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