Choosing Homebirth/Waterbirth..????

[babymakes4]

So I am really seriously considering birthing this baby at home. Waterbirth is very appealing to me, I just don't know much about it. I had both my boys in a hospital, and without going into too much detail I can say that my body has not really gotten a chance to labor on it's own without medical stimulation. Not for any medically necessary reason really, just that I fell into that "trap" and let the doctors control the situation.

This is my last baby. I want to be in control, I want to labor naturally without drugs. I want privacy (just me, dh, and a midwife) I want to bring my baby into this world under my own power, gently, and lovingly.

Sounds like a lot to ask to me, because I have never had a "natural" labor or birth. I want to be free of wires, and drugs, and strangers.

I know what I want, Im just not sure how to get it. I am thinking of having this baby at home, in the water.

So, Please, if you had your baby in a place other than a hospital, would you mind telling me about it? Why did you choose the birth that you did? Are you happy with your choice?

I would really enjoy hearing about successful homebirths and waterbirths. I would also love any websites or links that anyone has with information. I go to visit my midwife middle of next week and I want to have questions and conversation ready in my head. I know it's early to be thinking about birth, but I feel as though I need to have a plan . It's important to me now more than ever that I get the birth experience I want.

[Sashahomeschoolmama]

I would start by reading some birth stories at the Mothering.com message boards. Many of those are homebirth stories with pictures and are very inspiring. Then I would read Ina May Gaskin's books--Spiritual Midwifery and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.

I just finished reading Heart and Hands, which is actually a book for midwives but had a ton of information. Unassisted Childbirth was good, as was another one that I think was called Natural Birth Stories.

I agree with you and I don't think that you're asking too much. In fact, I think that it's a sorry state when women are conditioned to feel that by asking to retain control during labor that they are being overly demanding. At this point I would only transfer to a hospital if my midwife told me that it would simply be unsafe to stay at home.

Good luck in making the birth choices that are right for *you*, not what is the routine childbirth experience.

[2much2luv]

With my first daughter I was induced with pit, had an epidural, episiotomy . . . the whole nine yards in the hospital. My second daughter's birth was a calm lovely home waterbirth. Definitely look into it seriously.

[Wolverine]

I gave birth to both of my dds free of drugs, but in the hospital (mostly due to dh's apprehension of birth at home, but also due to cost).

I have to say that when things got serious, there was nothing "gentle" about either birth. They were everything that I wanted at the time and I wouldn't change anything. I just wouldn't call them gentle (or quiet).

[Meredith]

I gave birth in a freestanding birth center. I would have loved to give birth at home, but having had a C/S with my first birth, I felt more comfortable being at the birth center since it's only a couple minutes from the hospital. I wanted to be near the hospital in case of uterine rupture, which is more likely with a VBAC.

I *loved* my experience there. It was much like the homebirths that I had read about and seen in videos. The birth center was converted from a big, old house, so it had a very homey feel to it.

I had planned a waterbirth, but my contractions were so short, my midwife was afraid that getting in the tub could stall my labor, so we stayed on the bed in the room. If we decide to have another baby, I'll see if we can plan for a waterbirth again. Of course, if things go the same way, I'll be open to a "land" birth.

[madelsmama]

I delivered my second baby in a birth center after delivering the first one in a hospital, med free.

It was wonderful. We did the majority of our laboring walking at a nearby mall, lol, but were back in the birthing room for the last 2 hours. It was very home-y environment, very comfortable, and we enjoyed being on our own until the last few contractions. It's an amazing experience to be in an enviroment where everyone treats your labor/delivery as a normal happening, instead of viewing it as a huge medical disaster waiting to happen.

I didn't end up getting into the tub. I sat on the birth ball for the bulk of my labor (with DH doing double hip squeezes with every contraction) and didn't want to mess up a good thing.

Our beautiful birth room:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e249/cg6549/IMG_1008.jpg

[LiquidLove]

Would you mind telling me about it?
I have had 3 home waterbirths.

Link to Lily's Home Waterbirth story:
http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/waterlily0

Link to Felicity's Unplanned Unassisted Home Waterbirth story:
http://www.angelfire.com/emo2/felicity

Link to Jackson's Home Waterbirth Slideshow and Birth Story:
http://www.everybabyhasastory.org/View.aspx?ProfileID=5044

Why did you choose the birth that you did? Are you happy with your choice?
I had an unmedicated hospital birth with my first, Grace, in 1999. I used the Bradley birthing method, and things went pretty well. I didnt like the restrictions in the hospital I delivered (no food during labor [I was freaking RAVENOUS for most of my labor!], confined to room/bed, no rooming in unless one parent was awake), and the nursery was terrible, there were a LOT of pro Babywise nurses in there that talked to new moms about how it was the best thing ever..

For my second birth, I was interested in our local birth center. Having had a tour, it didnt seem much different in feel from a hospital except that it had four poster beds. It was all very sterile looking except that, and it didn't appeal to me at all. So we began investigating homebirth.

I met my midwife at my own church, where she was a member. We had just relocated. We developed a rapport really quickly and became friends. She was so genuine and honest and had a LOT of information to back up the safety and any questions we had about homebirth. I chose waterbirth because I ended up being in the water when the pushing stage came and I didn't want to get out.

My feelings about each of the births at home are in the above birth stories. But if you have specific questions, let me know.