Chat Thread for those Mummies that have HAD or want to HAVE a HOME BIRTH

[Atsaukina1]

finally contacted a mw i think i'm going to go with. 3000 +500 for traveling fees since she's 1.5 hours away and i don't want to drive out there everytime for prenatals. haven't set up an appt yet but soon.

[Atsaukina1]

aroundtheworld- def. keep us posted on your twin homebirth Now I'm going to have to tell my mw to do some extra feeling around and extra listening lol. what did your mw say when you told her it was twins?? lol. I wonder around what week would they be big enough for them to feel 2? I'm going to ask my mw all these funs questions. gender surprises are nice but that lil surprise might be too much were you using doppler for hb or waiting to use fetoscope?

how is everyone else liking their mw and homebirth journey?
my appt. is now set for next week just a meet and greet but I already know her

[aroundtheworld]

aroundtheworld- def. keep us posted on your twin homebirth Now I'm going to have to tell my mw to do some extra feeling around and extra listening lol. what did your mw say when you told her it was twins?? lol. I wonder around what week would they be big enough for them to feel 2? I'm going to ask my mw all these funs questions. gender surprises are nice but that lil surprise might be too much were you using doppler for hb or waiting to use fetoscope?

We've used a doppler the whole time, however I suppose when one heartbeat was found my MW was satisfied! lol

I called my MW immediately upon leaving the sonogram office. We were still in the parking lot. She was surprised for sure! She did tell me that this would change things for me/my birth somewhat. Because it is technically illegal in my state for licensed midwives to deliver a client's twins at home, we have to skirt our way around the law. There is an unlicensed MW in the area that sometimes works with my regular MW and now I'll be seeing her half the time and my regular MW half the time for prenatals. For the birth, it won't be at MY home, but about 20-25 minutes away at my MW's "office" (which is a little house close to the hospital with two separate birthing suites). Both midwives will be in attendance, however my regular, licensed MW will not be able to technically assist in the birth- that job will be for the unlicensed MW. But they will still be able to work together on most things. I'm totally fine with this; as long as I can stay out of the hospital and not be forced to see an OB regularly.

[Atsaukina1]

that's great she is still going to stay by your side I would imagine you would sign the birth info and wouldn't put her name as attendants like reg. hb. Can't stand the limits they put on some states. There is also a southern state that makes you have ob visit before you can see a mw. My state my mw's do breech and twins(pretty sure it is legal) but they can't carry or give rx's so no pitocin,or oxygen which mw's usually have natural remedies for situations that call for this but i don't know why doc's would want to make it harder on them and the mother. but it wass one of the ways they settled to certified mw's in this state. I am glad I have multiple choices.
My mw appt. was canceled today because of snow and it was just a visit not a birth lol so here's hoping for next week.
Not sure if I will have a listen w/ doppler but if i do I'll tell her to keep looking jic lol

[Atsaukina1]

dp-

[thehappypixi]

I love reading birth stories, gets me all excited for my next adventure!
My first was born at hospital, very straight forward with a bit of gas which did very little for me, but I liked biting he mouth piece!
My second was supposed to be at home, I was all set up and ready with the gear, but he came early and having only been moved into our new house a week, it wasn't ready, no curtains and full of decorating and building stuff! So we went to the snazzy new midwife led centre and had a lovely drug free hypnostylee water birth I honestly loved it and can't wait to do it again, will defo be a home next time ;D

[aroundtheworld]

that's great she is still going to stay by your side I would imagine you would sign the birth info and wouldn't put her name as attendants like reg. hb. Can't stand the limits they put on some states. There is also a southern state that makes you have ob visit before you can see a mw. My state my mw's do breech and twins(pretty sure it is legal) but they can't carry or give rx's so no pitocin,or oxygen which mw's usually have natural remedies for situations that call for this but i don't know why doc's would want to make it harder on them and the mother. but it wass one of the ways they settled to certified mw's in this state. I am glad I have multiple choices.
My mw appt. was canceled today because of snow and it was just a visit not a birth lol so here's hoping for next week.
Not sure if I will have a listen w/ doppler but if i do I'll tell her to keep looking jic lol

In my state I don't have to see an OB prior to seeing my MW, but I do have to have two risk assessments done by an OB during my pregnancy. It's really not a big deal though- basically just going in for a prenatal with an OB twice in the 40 weeks. Midwives here do carry oxygen and pitocin to births. Which, honestly, is a great thing IMO. You never know when a mom or baby might need either of those things following a birth and it's good to have on hand.

[Atsaukina1]

yes i def. agree w/ you all mw's should be allowed to carry those things, don't know why they would let them be certified here and then put in that stipulation rrrr
there are interesting articles on room air/vs oxygen
also herbs and things they use vs pit
but I have not been in either of those situations and I would hate to have to go to hossy if those 2 things would have prevented it.
i see you are a doula so do you have a doula at your birth like i always wonder do mw's go unassisted because they are a mw lol. my dh has always been my "doula"

mom23boys- how are you doing w/ hb? do you have appt. in your home? like to hear hb stories from other countries

[Atsaukina1]

I just contacted the Doula I used in 2009 for ds3 homebirth but she is now a midwife and no longer offers her doula service - am gutted as we had a great relationship.

can you use her as mw?

[Bigwish]

Hi!

I'm from the Netherlands and around 25% of births take place at home here.
My ds2 is born at home and i will def would like to experience that at least ten times more! It was the most peaceful, easiest, although painful, birth i could imagine.

My ds1 was born in hospital. My water broke at 10 am, contactions starting at 1.30 pm, at 3 pm the midwife came and and at 4.30 am she measured 2 cm dilatation. Contractions were really really painful. At 8 pm she still measured 2 cm and she strongly advised me to go to hospital for pain relief. But it was almost christmas and all the hospitals i preferred were overcrowded. Finally at 0.00 hours we went to hospital where i got remifentanil at 1.30 am (patient controlled analgesia). At 2.45 am i felt i needed to push but i didn't get contractions, the midwife in the hospital told me to push, and push, push. At 4.20 am my ds1 was born with the help of a vaccuum.

Ds2. My water broke at 10 am (same duration in pregnancy also!). At 6 pm contraction started, big time. The midwife came instantly, did not measure my dilatation, went home at 8 pm and would be back at 10.30 pm. At 9 pm i had to throw up and thought i was having only 4 cm then. At 9.10 i felt i needed to push and urged my dh to call the midwife. She was there at 9.30 and told me to push gently if i needed to. She was clearly waiting for help of some, how do you call them, nurses? At 10 pm i shouted i was starting to push but i was afraid i had only 3 cm, hahaha, lol. Midwife told me to go ahead. She hardly needed to say anything, i did exactly know what i was doing and at 10.19 my ds2 was there! He layed with me for two hours skin to skin, drank 4 breasts and after that i showered in my own douche. The nurses came exactly 5 min after ds2 was born, made pictures and changed the sheets.

If you're a low risk pregnant woman and could arrange the necessary care around you i would def recommend a homebirth, except not for the first child though.

I'm thankful that in my country we have a choice (when at low risk). I'm planning to study midwifery in Belgium some day (it's a parttime study plus a lot cheaper than in nl). It's however merely focused on clinical midwifery, but with care changing in the nl (homebirths are the black sheep causing relatively high numbers of perinatal death, although the numbers aren't that conclusive)i don't think that's a disadvantage.... Full time studying for four years in the nl, we can't afford....