“Our first child Finley, was born in hospital “
Our first child Finley, was born in hospital and without going into too much detail, and on reflection it appeared to us to be mostly unnecessary and an overwhelming complex way to achieve a “natural” birth. We therefore decided to strive for our second child, Isla, to be born at home.
In hindsight had we done the research and I had a bit more courage we would have done this with our first born also. After all medicalised births are a relatively new thing… doing the research will show you that unless there are good reasons to be at hospital, you should do what you believe is the best for you.
“Being at home was the best for us”
For us home birth brought all the benefits we believe in, such as a calm and familiar environment that was happy and relaxed and letting nature take its course.
Our hospital experience was quite the opposite and included being walked in on by a variety of health professionals (mid contraction) all boasting the benefits of a non-vaginal birth (their own opinion of course) and generally seeking to rush the process.
Being at home was the best for us as we were in control, we set the mood, we went with the flow and we were in comfortable surroundings. The pros over the cons are endless. We knew that we had to have a “Plan B” for any medical emergency, but we also knew that the risks of these were low – we based our decisions on our own research and not solely based on what the medical professionals tried to convince us of. For example, my wife had low iron levels but after she increased them was told by a consultant that if having a home birth she would be “at the mercy of the ambulance service”, this to me was like them grasping at straws when all else had been resolved.
There is no doubt that the “what ifs” can be scary, but far less so than being outside of your comfortable, safe and familiar surroundings. We still had a midwife present at our decision. However being at home, we could follow our own lead and not the deadline and demands of the medics, we were not on a schedule as would be dictated by the hospital.
“One thing I did not anticipate with a home birth was how much more I was able give my wife”
My wife needed one thing to make this perfect, a birthing pool, so we hired one. The setting up, the filling, the cleanup after was all still far easier than dealing with the the overbearing and (mostly) insensitive medical staff of a hospital who have a deadline for each part of labour and usually a horror story to go with it.
One thing I did not anticipate with a home birth was how much more I was able give my wife. An added plus was the level of euphoria at the arrival of our child is so much more intense.
There is mess and a degree of cleanup – as you would expect, but not anything close to epic proportions… It’s all manageable and after all it is only something you would expect. I would recommend any person expecting a “normal” delivery to think what a home birth can add to an amazing experience.