Traditional Birth vs. Hospital Birth?

[Dusky Beauty]

This debate is fresh in my mind being that I am anticipating a birth of my own in June, but I thought it would be fun to discuss what you think of as the ideal birth?

Does your homespun attitude extend to home birth? or do you still think a hospital birth is best?

My feelings are that I feel both choices are perfectly valid options to choose--

My first pregnancy my prenatal from a medical doctor was barely adequate, the women running L&D in the hospital did more for me in my two day birthing process and made me more at ease than anything the doctor ever did.

My second pregnancy in a different state my prenatal care was much better, but the hospital itself fell short-- I was either rushed or ignored. I was supposed to have pain management but it was administered so poorly it ended up being natural childbirth against my wishes. (I was NOT prepared in any way for that). I don't believe my comfort was ever taken into account.

Both of these births, I feel like I would have been much better off under midwife care.

My third birth I had access to a much better and more caring obstetrician-- this is the first I've ever had that actually remembers me between appointments-- I'm seeing him again and he remembers details from my last pregnancy to compare to this one too.
The hospital also didn't leave any room for improvement, they did great from beginning of labor to my release.
While I am glad I am able to choose this doctor and this hospital, because THIS ONE is great... I know most mamas are not this lucky.

How about you? What do you prefer and why?

[lasergrl]

I had a medical midwife. So I had the caring attitude of the midwife, but was at a hospital. It was a great option. I had pain control (didnt work but thats a different story!) and having a midwife means less intervention like c sections and cutting unless very very needed.

[Ruralnurse]

I have 6 children (all the same daddy), worked as an OB nurse in a tiny hospital (and delivered babies before the doc showed up), and have been support for my daughter and other friends during child birth. I taught child birth classes and educated and encouraged expectant families to try to have the birth they want.

I believe birth at home can be safe and beautiful, as can hospital births. The biggest thing I believe is that what ever choice you make you have to live with that choice.

My first 5 children were all born naturally with no pain medications at all. I had some long labors and some short and they all turned out perfect (between 8 lbs 9 oz to 6lbs). My last one should have been a breeze. I was giving birth with a doctor that I knew and worked closely with and nurses that were my colleagues and friends as well as my family. We both (me and my son) had serious problems and I ended up wth an emergency c-section.

I don't believe in trying to scare women into choosing a specific birth plan. But I do think that a woman has to look at all possible situations and be willing to accept what happens. Women have been having babies alone without hospitals and doctors for thousands of years. I know that if I had been in the same situation 200 years go I and my son would not be here and my other children would not have me.

Good luck in what ever choice you make.

Ruralnurse

[primal1]

I just hate the idea that birth was ever mixed in with a place where sick people go. they should have a completely different facility for birth in general.. that said i'd recommend to my friends they go, if there were no problems foreseen.

[Oakshire_Farm]

I have had 4 hospital births... I have a FANTASTIC dr. so I stuck with her. Other wise I would have got a midwife. All of my births were great experiences! I chose not to be drugged and no one tried to force them on me. After 4 "easy" births, no stitches or complications of any sort. I also live 4 minutes from the hospital. I personally do not like the idea of a home birth. My sister, was with me for my first 3 deliveries. She saw how it all went and I think figured it would all go the same for her........ It could not have been more different!!! After 28 hours of hard labor, she was making no progress, they started talking c-section. But instead gave her once last chance with the help of the vacuum. The Dr pulled for another hour and delivered her son! But with that she hemorrhaged and lost more of her blood! That was the kind of situation that freaks me about about home births. With that being said. My girl friend had a home birth and I supported her decision and everything went perfect for her! But it is just not a situation I was comfortable with.

Congrats of your pregnancy.

[ErinP]

When my kids were born we lived too far from civilization to even consider a homebirth. If something had gone wrong, it was over an hour's drive to the hospital. Better to do that drive in the early stages of labor instead.

Baby number two was born in a small, rural hospital (the only baby born for about two weeks and actually I was one of two patients for the hospital).
In that particular area, my CNM was the preferred baby "doctor." It was the next best thing to a homebirth.

[jen74145]

I had a rotten first birth. Violating in ways I should haave litigated over. I stacked my deck as best I could, but such is life.

Homebirth will be my choice next go-round.

[Oat Bucket Farm]

All three of my hospital births were great. I live too far from a hospital to do a home birth and honestly, I don't even think there are any mid-wives out here.

[SageLady]

When I had my babies I considered homebirth, but decided the best thing for my babies was a hospital birth where we could have emergency care in an instant if needed.

Good thing too, because I almost lost my youngest. If not for a quick intervention by my doctor she wouldn't be here today.... I would have had to bury her if I had had a homebirth. It freaks me out everytime I think about it.

Do what is best for the baby, not what is best for you. It's not about you anymore when it's time to bring that baby into the world IMOHO....

[HOTW]

I had 3 very different L&D and would have gone homebirth if it was allowed where I lived. My Mum had 3 homebirths and 2 in Hospital(different countries). My DD just had her first baby and I truly beleive the hospital environment stifles a lot of women. Several times they did an internal exam and I swear her cervix closed up they were very painful and somehwat unnecessary IMO. I could tell somewhat where she wa sby her behavior but they would track her progress only by that one criteria!

THey also were very detached, had toyabber when they came ion, spent most of their time taking down observationson the computer- very clinical not at all nurturing. Plus there is no way you canmake a Hospital room cozy and thta slows up labour as well. She couldnt pee after a certain stageand they should have cathed her to give her some relief but it wasnt done til after the birth by several hours andno wonder she was having problems progressing near the end! She fileld th eentire bag!

I advocate for true birthing centers -removed from the clinicla environment of the hospital and using medical intervention when neccessary. No need to expose newborns to the diseases in a Hospital. Truly a good solution

[Grandmotherbear]

Antseptic resistant organisms thrive in hospitals and I had experience of 2 different supervisors who personally bottle fed babies that were supposed to e nursed because they felt that nursing babies was second best- even for the baby who had a sign and dr orders that Read NO FORMULA SEVERE ALLERGIES IN FAMILY...I had 2 home births, my dd had 2 home births. I had nurse midwives, she had a british trained midwife and a lay midwife. I was also chastised for not strapping the hands on a natural childirth patient and observed to many lapses amongst medical personnel- lapses in sterile technique and personal responsibility.
I rememb an old dr who had done homebirths during the 40s in a rural district being chastised for delivering a breech instead of calling in the head of OB and the head of anesthesia to do a CSec- the baby and mom had a wonderful outcome, and we didn't have ATC coverage and all I need to say is certain people were fond of the bottle and I'm sure that figured into the old doc's decision...that said many times women will have premonitions and I feel they should listen to them. Since no one will blame a parent if things go wrong in a hospital, even if they should not have gone bad, I feel only women who are very secure in the decision should do home birth.
In Virginia and Florida midwives doing home birth bring oxygen with them, so just in case of any concerns about whether or not you'll have access to oxygen, be reassured on that.

[cathleenc]

I chose a hospital birth with CNM (certified nurse midwife) for my first and it was a total disaster, much of it caused by the hospital and staff, resulting in an emergency c-section. Both baby and mom came out okay but it was scary! I was refused the right to have a homebirth with my second because all area hospitals refused to work with any MD that would support a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean) - which meant that if I went ahead and did a homebirth and needed medical attention I'd have to take any doc on call that night rather than have a choice. So I did a vbac at the hospital with a different CNM.

I really hate the medicalization of birth and would encourage homebirth for anyone who lives close enough to a hospital should help be needed.

[ladyrua]

I'm lucky enough to live just a couple of minutes from a midwife birth center. I had my first daughter there, despite a loooong labor (33 hours). My second is due in 9 weeks, she'll hopefully be born there too. Living in the city has one enormous benefit - very fast access to one of the largest and "best" maternity hospitals in the state. So I have the chance to deliver in a totally relaxed homey environment, but if something goes wrong, they'll transport me in 6 minutes. Win/win!

That said, I fully support homebirth, but I wouldn't do it without an experienced midwife present and a full transport plan in place.

[PistolPackinMom]

With my first, I did a lot of research, and felt that hospital births were not for me, so we selected a midwife, who strongly insisted upon her birth center, rather than at home. The birth went well, but it could have gone better if I'd done a better job selecting my birth team the first go round. (My midwife was competent and proficient, just not the most nurturing soul...)

My second birth (last month!) was at home, with a new midwife who was encouraging, supportive and allowed me to make my own decisions. For me, it was relaxing to have someone who only intervened when necessary, and empowering that she didn't try to control or influence my choices.

There was such a distinct difference in my two births; both were entirely natural (and in water), but the pain was SO much less with the second, because I was comfortable with my birth team and in a familiar, relaxed environment. I was able to listen to my body, and didn't fight contractions, which I think made a HUGE difference in the pain, and in the recovery time.

Truly, although I support home birth, the most important factor IMO, is having a supportive birth team you truly trust and feel comfortable with. Whether that is your doctor, your midwife, your husband, or your best friend. Do what YOU want, what feels comfortable to you, what YOUR instincts guide you towards.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by Dusky Beauty

Does your homespun attitude extend to home birth?

I would have chosen homebirth over and over if I had to do it again.

[Mattemma]

I had homebirths.One was UC and one with a MW.Unfortunately both babies were big(well to me) at over 9 pounds. I hate pain.Big old baby when it comes to pain. I was hoping to have 5 pound babies like my one friend,but alas they were huge!

Now if I got preggo I would probably do a hospital birth because I have high BP.I would never allow internals.Well maybe ONE TIME,no drugs for pain,and no pitocin. I would probbly want to be next to the bed too.Laying in bed on my back was the most painful position I tried. I have very little doubt the staff would hate me.

I always joke with dh that I am going backwards when most do hospital,mw,and then sometimes UC.

I agree that you need to do whatever is best for you and the baby.No matter where/how you birth you as the mother will feel responsible for what occurs. If you give birth outside a hospital(without an OB) people will blame you if anything goes wrong.

I got A LOT of pressure during my pregnancies to get an OB and have hospital births,but it just wasn't for me.Stinks,given that sometimes OB's and MW's make mistakes,but still people will say," You should have been in a hospital."And if you were in a hospital with an OB then the OB did all they could to ensure a healthy mom and baby despite negative outcomes.

I thank God my kids were born alive and healthy.Still wish they would have been just a wee bit smaller though.Gosh Dd will be 14 this weekend.I can still picture that birth.Ugh, I can still feel it too!

Best wishes whatever you decide.

[bluemoonluck]

A good friend of mine had 2 of her 4 children at home and was very happy with the homebirth experience. The hospital she had her first two in was not a very good one, and that led to her decision to home birth the next two. I think a lot has to do with how good your local hospital is - if it's a good hospital, that makes a big difference.

My personal opinion is that back when homebirth was the norm, many many women and infants died in the process. Go walk an old cemetery and you'll see too many headstones that read "died in childbirth" Childbirth is a very risky process, even thou it is "natural", and you have to be willing to accept a certain amount of that risk yourself if you choose to do it at home vs. in a hospital setting. Sometimes things go wrong very quickly, and a child who needs quick medical intervention can end up with birth trauma that could have been avoided if hospital staff had been available.

12 years ago my DD was delivered by an awesome midwife in a local hospital, and it was a wonderful experience. DD was born with her cord wrapped around her neck, and it took some very quick intervention to keep her alive. I was very thankful that we were in a hospital setting, because it could have ended very badly for her otherwise.

When I had my DS last year, he flipped breech at the last second, couldn't be moved back to head down, I was fully dilated and laboring hard, and so he had to be delivered via emergency C-Section. I was glad to be in a hospital that time too. He was trying to come out butt first, so he would have gotten stuck and put us both thru a great deal of distress (and possibly killed him) if I hadn't had the option to immediately get rolled down the hall into surgery.

I will say that I labor FAST - from first contraction to delivery is right around 3 hours - so if something goes wrong it happens very quickly. I wouldn't have had time to make it from my home to the hospital for either of my bio children if I had attempted a home birth.

Because a midwife isn't possible for this pregnancy, I chose a DO over an MD, and so far I'm very happy with the experience. Unfortunately because this baby will be born only 16 months after I had my DS via C-Section, and they are concerned for various reason about uterine rupture, I HAVE to have a repeat C-Section.... I went to a practice that strongly supports VBAC and they have sent me to a high-risk OB specialist, and they all concur that due to the risks a second C-sec is in my future. So of course no option for me to have a Midwife do the delivery this time around either.

If you want to do a home delivery, I think that's great. But I do also think you need to do a great deal of research on the process so you can recognize danger signs and know when you need to hightail it to the local hospital, or so that you know how to solve common complications that are fixable outside of a hospital setting. Think of all the posts we see here on the various forums about birthing complications with livestock, and how experience often makes the difference between a goat/foal living or dying, and you'll know where I'm coming from.

[chickenista]

I say be open...
you can plan for a home birth, but be willing to see intervention if needed and work with a midwife that is also open.
One of my best friends is a midwife. Kinda cool friend to have ")

I cannot home birth. In fact, I cannot birth at all.
I can carry like a super woman, but (my friend guesses this is the problem, but cannot tell without xrays) my pelvis has a tilt that doesn't allow it to open for birth. My babies never, ever drop. Ever. I carry above my hip bones and they are delivered via c-section.
If it were 100 years ago I would have died. No question. No doubt.
But to look at me, to be my OB it would seem fine. My OBs thought it was fine, but after long labor there was absolutely no dilation. None. Baby cannot drop down to put pressure on the cervix.
So... non-medical, non-surgery childbirth would be a death sentence for me...

[LittleRedHen]

I have given birth 7 times. First 5 times were in the hospital (4 were induced) the 5th birth my husband caught our daughter because the nurse wouldn't listen. I didn't have horrible experiences but over time my mindset about doctors and hospitals changed. I noticed they created situations in order to have more to do. Hospitals and doctors truly are set up for emergencies, not the gentle easy birth. They love intervention. #6 was born at home with just my husband and I. Perfect, easy birth. #7 attempted homebirth but we ended up transferring because I could tell he was being hung up by his cord and I was correct. I am only 11 miles from the hospital and it worked out well for us. Ambulances are only 4 miles away. So I am very comfortable with homebirths. However, i cannot afford 2 grand out of my pocket for a midwife which my insurance will not cover any of. So we do it ourselves without any regrets. Next baby? plan will be another unassisted homebirth. It isn't a decision to be taken lightly. I research and study on birth very regularly... as well as my husband

ETA: If you look up birth statistics. More mothers die in birth at hospitals (or soon post natally) than those who homebirth. The risk of hemmoraging is MUCh higher in a hospital setting than homebirth. This is greatly due to inventions, inductions and the fact that most women lay in bed in labor at hospitals instead of working with their bodies (i.e. gravity) HOspitals do not allow a woman to eat in labor and it is no wonder why they are so weak when it comes time to push. Thus increasing her odds of a csection. Homebirths generally allow a woman to do what she wants and when she wants to do it. Squat, walk, eat etc to give her ultimate relaxation which speeds up the labor process.

I knew a woman who was going in to be induced because she hit 40 wks with her first baby. She was 3 cms. I told her to be careful and whatever she does, don't get an epidural before well into labor. Getting an epidural can hinder labor... and the longer you labor your uterus does get tired too. I have been induced 4 times out of 7 and those are the only times I bled extra. Anyways, she gets to the hospital and brags that she got her epidural within a hour of them starting to induce her. I knew her fate... Sure enough 18 hours later the doctor said "csection time, failure to progress" when in recovery she started bleeding to death and almost had no blood pressure at all. It was by luck someone came in and saw her very low blood pressure and they quickly cut out her uterus and cauterized everything and got her blood pressure back up. Now she can not have any more babies. Would this have happened to her if she had waited to naturally go into labor? not likely at all! inductions are hard on the uterus. Epidurals have affects. Stadol can have affects. Foreceps.. etc all of that can have consequences. I know that emergencies happen in births but in women who have no pain meds and no induction, the rate at which someone says "I almost died" is low. Everyone I know personally who has said that, had interventions that likely led to it. Some women do have difficulty in giving birth so I don't think a homebirth is for everyone. But in anyone who has had smooth uneventful births previously, the hospital can have more problems than home..

[Michael W. Smith]

Originally Posted by bluemoonluck

My personal opinion is that back when homebirth was the norm, many many women and infants died in the process. Go walk an old cemetery and you'll see too many headstones that read "died in childbirth" Childbirth is a very risky process, even thou it is "natural", and you have to be willing to accept a certain amount of that risk yourself if you choose to do it at home vs. in a hospital setting. Sometimes things go wrong very quickly, and a child who needs quick medical intervention can end up with birth trauma that could have been avoided if hospital staff had been available.

I too think you should have a choice between home-birth and hospital birth - just realize that problems can develop in an instant, and if you aren't in a hospital setting with monitors and such - your child's life (and yours) could be gone.

My wife and I chose a certified Midwife in the hospital. Prenatal care was great as was the actual birth. My wife had high blood pressure and was being monitored closely.

If something goes wrong with a home-birth, how quickly could you get to the hospital? Could you walk on your own to a vehicle or would an ambulance have to be called? First stop would be the emergency room while they determine what is wrong which could eat up precious time.

I know even in a hospital setting, things can go terribly wrong. But I have to wonder - if you chose a home-birth and something went wrong where you lost the baby - could you live with yourself for choosing a home-birth when if you had done a hospital birth, things could have turned out completely different?