Home Birth?

Question

Planning my first home birth. Just looking for some opinions, experiences, and knowledge on home births. I know everyone and every Birth is different but I’m really nervous!
I had my son 2.5 years ago in Michigan. It was the most stressful thing ever. I was induced because of IGR supposedly but I didn’t think it was needed . The process took FOREVER, the doctors and nurses were terrible, petocin, stress, baby stress, it was terrible.
I had my daughter 1 year ago in Minnesota it was pretty good. It was very low stress until they said I HAD to get the epidural because I was at 8 and it was my last chance but I think I could have went with out it. The epidural HURT so bad! I had it with my son and it was fine hers bleed a lot and hurt so so bad I think it was botched and it cut out 10 minutes before pushing!!! The epidural hurt so bad it stressed me and baby right out. But other than that her birth was ok.
I’ve already consulted with a midwifery center about a home birth, they gathered my history and said I would be okay to have one so I’m not worried there. Also my epidural with my daughter works about 20 mins of contractions and that’s it so I’ve felt the pain and it was freaking hard but I did it. So I think maybe possibly I could do it? Lol
I really just need some experiences or knowledge about it. The hospital stresses me out so so much, but I’m scared the pain will be too much. I’m also scared that something will go wrong. I’m very nervous. Any tips? Things to consider? TIA

Answer

How early in your pregnancy to do you start services with a midwife?

Answer

I've never had an epidural but I could imagine how a failed one could be incredibly difficult. I felt like I was able to handle most of my contradictions fairly well by using breathing and hypnobirthing techniques, but if my contractions came too suddenly and I wasn't prepared for it I would lose focus for a minute and the pain would become unbearable and terrifying. I was able to build up and get confident with the techniques before I was in too much pain to focus. I felt like getting in a groove was the most important thing. If I had a failed epiduralal and was pushed back into the pain without expecting it I would be terrified. I feel like homebirth was the right choice for me because pain doesn't scare me so much as not knowing what to expect does. I liked that I was able to be in control and I was supported by people who respected and responded to what I wanted and felt like was right. I really believe that in most cases we should listen to our bodies and what we feel is right for ourselves.
I also think it's so important to have a midwife that has the right chemistry with you. I feel like I could have had the best midwife on the planet with the lowest transfer rate and if we didn't have a good connection and she wasn't able to understand how I felt and exactly what I needed then it wouldn't have been as amazing of an experience as I was able to have.
I also really appreciated having my Mom there. She was incredibly supportive and was an essential role in my birth. She has had 11 kids: 6 at the hospital (2 of which were twins and born prematurely at 24 weeks), and 5 born at home. I was able to be present for 3 of the 5 home births. She is just so experienced and was so relaxed that it really helped me stay calm during my birth.
Energy is SO important for labor in my opinion. If my mom was a nervous wreck then it would have only made me more nervous then I already was. My Husband as sweet and supportive as he is wasn't as confident as she was, and having her there for both me and him let us both feel more confident and relaxed, which made him able to support me better and she was able to help him see what I needed when I wasn't capable of telling him.
If you don't have someone there to play that role I would strongly recommend a doula. She would be there for the sole purpose of supporting you and could really help you feel more confident and in control.

Answer

I had a home water birth with my little boy and I couldn't be happier about it.
I had predromal labor so I had been experiencing intense labor like braxton hicks for the past few weeks. They would start every night around 12am and continue to become more intense and closer together until 4-5 when they would stop suddenly. So frustrating! I was glad to be home especially with that part cause even though I was nervous I could somewhat relax since I didn't have to go to the hospital. 
At 6am when the contractions were still going and getting stronger I called my midwife and let her know what was going on. She arrived around 7:30am, she checked me(I was only 1cm) and set everything up. Then she told me to try and get some sleep while I still could and she left. I dozed in and out until 9am when they became to strong and painful to sleep through. I called her and she said she would be back soon. 
Before she got there they became painful enough that I got in the tub. She checked me when she arrived at 10am and I was only at 3cm. Once in a while they would help me out of the pool to get me moving around to keep things progressing and let me tell you, I will never do a birth out of water if I can avoid it! All I could think about when I was out of the water was getting back in! Asking between each contraction "can I get back in yet??". 
When she checked me and I was at 10cm she said I would start to feel like pushing soon. She was a big believer in our bodies know what it needs to do and listening to what it tells you. Finally I got to the point where I felt like I was ready to push and within 30 minutes he was born at 4:38pm!
 I remember being so surprised when I felt them put him on my chest and I looked down and there he was! He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life. When I look back at pictures and he definitely looks like a swollen little alien. LOL. Still beautiful and absolutely adorable but a swollen little alien non the less. 
I am now 11 weeks pregnant with baby #2 and planning a home birth with this one as well. My first is turning one this month so they are gonna be 18 months apart. Still nervous and a little scared, but honestly labor is such an inpowering thing. I can't say it was painless and easy but it was so worth it! It made me feel like so strong. I couldn't believe I had done such an amazing wonderful thing all on my own. Well, obviously not completely on my own. My Husband, Mom, and Midwife were such a big part of my labor and I couldn't have done it without them. 
I am so blessed to have had the wonderful experience that I did and am crossing my fingers for a second successful home birth!

Answer

I love my home birth experience and we're planning another one. first of all I'm not having to get stuff together to go to the hospital took a lot of the stress off of me. I woke up, knew I was in labor, and was able to just sort of relax in my home as much as possible. When the midwife comes to your home make sure you go over The procedure in case something does go wrong. It made me nervous but it also made me feel a lot better that she told me what areas we needed to make sure we're clear and what she would do if there was an emergency situation.
also depending on where you're planning to labor I would get it set up as soon as possible when it starts. We did it on the bed and we're told to double make the bed with sheets so they could just take the dirty ones off and we had clean sheets underneath and that didn't happen until about 30 minutes before I actually gave birth to m son. If you have any specific questions feel free to message me

Home Birth?

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