KGH Course: Home Birth

I completed her online course and after home being the last place I wanted to give birth, I’d definitely consider it for a future birth! Not this one unfortunately, but loved the course

Hey! 38 weeks and been planning (hoping) for a Homebirth since we found out at 4 weeks pregnant!

Our reasoning’s for having a Homebirth - with my first I was induced due to being ‘overdue’. This caused all sorts of interventions and ended in quite a traumatic birth… if I’d have known then what I know now I would have declined my induction and opted for extra monitoring instead.

From the moment you have a sweep, that’s classed as an induction and most often leads to a cascade of intervention.

Due to my previous birth ending in a PPH I am classed as ‘more risky’ for that to that to happen again but looking back at it and the statistics it was actually because my body and baby wasn’t ready for labour and the induction forced us into that process. Of course these things can still happen however between myself and the midwives we have multiple plans in place such as having the injection to release the placenta and monitoring blood loss with an ambulance on standby incase a transfer…

Is needed…

Also a fact and another reason I choose to homebirth! In your own home and environment, you are used to your homes germs, in a hospital you are not leading more risk to mum and baby (potentially- this isn’t to scare or worry anyone having a hospital birth)

Purely due to having a fantastic supportive homebirth midwifery team within our trust we have gone for the midwifes through the NHS as opposed to independent.

I’d highly recommend joining the home birth support group UK on Facebook! Plenty of positive stories, facts and statistics on there about them!! Feel free to PM me for a chat or any questions! Xxx

I am a midwife that now works in sexual health but used to work as a home birth midwife. This is my first pregnancy and planning for a homebirth to give me options. As long as my pregnancy is progressing normal and I go into labour naturally it gives me the options that if I'm comfortable at home I don't need to leave to have my baby. I have attended some of the most beautiful home births and would love that for myself and have been involved in transfers for lots of different reasons and usually it is women's choice or smaller concerns rather then major emergencies. I have never worked at my local hospital and will be cared for by my local NHS Midwives. If I could have afforded an independent I probably would have just so I would know the person attending me in labour.

I'm a FTM and we are planning a home birth. We wanted to keep all our options open and after reading the research, with me being low risk we felt preparing for a home birth was the right option.
I would like to ideally have an intervention free birth and staying at home reduces the chances of interventions, you also get a dedicated midwife with a 2nd one arriving for the birth, whereas in hospital 1 midwife could be seeing to multiple women at once.
For us, we only live a couple minutes drive to the hospital so we understand nearly 1 in 2 FTM will get transferred but that statistic includes after birth as well.
From our hypnobirthing practice we understand that labour progresses when you stay calm and relaxed and I feel that will be easier at home compared to the hospital.
We have a great home birth midwife team from our local hospital and feel confident in their support. You can plan a home birth but change your mind and still go into the hospital that felt like we have all options open to us.

Thank you everyone - this is so helpful

Is the only pain relief option at home gas and air?

Who performs the initial baby checks?

I didn’t realise the statistics of being transferred from a home birth to hospital was 1 in 2 for FTM - that is quite high!

For pain relief we have arranged gas and air on standby, different birthing positions to make me more comfortable and a comb to squeeze. I know you can ask your Dr for a pethidine prescription for the midwives to administer however they don’t like the birthing person being in the pool for 4 hours after administering for this.

They will stay for an hour or 2 after birth for the initial monitoring of you and baby, weigh baby take temp etc. Then you see the paediatrician day 1 or 2 of baby being born. Hope this helps! However, it may vary from trust to trust! Xxx

many thanks Sasha - that is super helpful

I think the FTM transfer rate is 45% but that includes after birth which could mean, you need some stitches which the midwives would rather be done at hospital (eg 3rd or 4th degree tears, although by planning a home birth you reduce your risk of those). Or your baby might need a few checks, and that still counts towards the FTM transfer rate, even if you get to have the birth at home. The midwife explained to us they are rarely emergency transfers as they are more risk adverse when at home so they will transfer you in if they aren't happy, whereas in the hospital environment they may wait longer before deciding to act.

that’s interesting - thank you

This is what my mum is worried about - as we live in east London and the ambulances take a long time to come!

For us it may be safer to do a hole birth for the second baby - as we have a little bit more of an idea of how it all works then!

I had a home birth in 2022 following a hospital birth in 2020 and it was like chalk and cheese. Not having the worry of when was the right time to go in, the discomfort of the journey in the car, the overall hospital environment which for me is so far from relaxing, all of the home comforts (my food, my sofa, my pillows, by birth pool) plus having the midwives come to us, was incredible. And this used to be normality. I didn’t want a hospital birth first time around, but the birth centre was closed and at that point people weren’t really having home births, but if I had my time again I’d love to have had my first at home too. If we have a third I’ll plan for a home birth for sure.
If not a home birth, I’d suggest looking for a birth centre for a more home from home, hands off experience.

many thanks Sarah

I think for a second birth it’s great - not sure if I’m brave enough for my first to do a home birth as birth and delivery and how I react to it is still unknown!!

I think the important thing to consider is your reactions are often driven by environmental factors. Do you feel comfortable where you and who you are with. A birth centre can be a great middle ground as they’re often within hospital setting, have a far nicer environment for labour and birth, plus often a double bed for afterwards rather than a hospital bed (because birthing people generally aren’t ill patients 😊).
You’re statistically more likely to have more serious issues in a hospital setting than a birth centre or at home, which is crazy, but sadly true. So if you’re looking for a vaginal birth with your partner, with as little intervention as possible and pain relief excluding epidural, then birth centre or home are brilliant options. Plus you can still start off a home or birth centre birth and change your mind if you want to and go to delivery suite instead ☺️ I think it’s braver to go to delivery suite these days than BC or home.