anyone else planning a homebirth?

Woohoo Kellz, congrats!

I found Ina Mays guide to childbirth an awesome resource

Thanks ladies for the reading suggestions, have ordered them and am awaiting their arrival.

Looey I am with you on people trying to change your mind from the beginning, with our bubs being IVF I have extra obs appointments where they try and suggest that hospital is the best place for me but have no real reason for the suggestion (as yet, touch wood!)my MW comes to those appts so that she can give a diferent spin on their comments and be my advocate.
For the same reason I'm keeping my decision from my mum, she just wouldnt understand and would be very negative about it, I dont want that.

DH is really supportive of me being at home which helps I'm sure no just need to get prepared!!

DH and my Mum were nervous and unsure about a homebirth- I gave mum stuff to read and set up a meeting with us all and the midwife. I had written lists for each person on what I wanted them to do during the labour/birth and the midwife explained how a homebirth would work, the safety procedures for me and baby etc, and after that Mum and DH were totally behind me.
We did not tell me inlaws we wre planning a homebirth and wont be this time either- we didnt end up birthing at home last time due to muconium in the waters, but hopefully all goes well this time and then the inlaws and all DH's family can find out after the fact!

Kellz, I had the same with DD1, even though she was a planned homebirth, we had to transfer and so her newborn photos clearly show we were in hospital. I've told a select few people that wasn't how we'd hoped it would go, but for the most part they assume we'd planned a hospital birth and I don't correct them.

This time round, the photos I showed people showed us with a new baby (bub dressed by then though) sitting on our couch with DD1. Some people asked if she was a homebirth and I confirmed, but several others said things like "boy, they kick you out quick these days don't they?" and I've had great delight in saying, "oh I wouldn't know, I had her in the dining room" (works even better if they happen to be in the dining room and then you can say "I had her right were you are sitting", hehe). Most of them don't know what to say at that point!

But the stink thing is now people know we are homebirthers, so it'll be common knowledge before we have number 3 and I kinda wish it wasn't. I quite liked not having everyone pass judgement on it beforehand! Afterwards, when it clearly went fine, you can see they want to criticise but can't really find anything to say.

I'm so glad this thread is still going

Lol about the dining room comments- haha that makes me wanna birth there instead of the bedroom so I can use that line, hehe!

I just had my 2nd baby at home, in November. It was amazing, only one hour of active labour, compared with 30 hours with my first birth. Baby arrived before the midwife, so I did it all by myself!
I didn't tell anybody about my birth plans except a couple of close friends who I knew would be supportive - I didn't want to hear anybody's negative thoughts.
I used a hypnobirthing book & cd to prepare myself ... it worked as far as having a quick easy birth, but I can't say it was anything near painless, as the book suggested. But I forgot all about the breathing exercises when it came down to it.
Best of luck to everyone who is planning home births at the moment

congrats Pepe and kellz!! YAH!! :)

So exciting to see a fresh batch of HB's being planned <3

Doesn't blood pressure go up a little when you are nearing delivery? Something someone told me once.... a sign that you could go into labour that week. Can't say that was the case for me, but it was an interesting view on BP.

Is heating the water for a birthing pool, and keeping it heated hard work? We opted against a water birth last time cos it seemed like a lot of work for DH when I would rather have him helping me than fluffing about heating the pool water while Im in labour! Did spend a lot of time in our bath tho, which was great- Would love a water birth for our 3rd and final baby tho! Any tips?

Kia ora all,

Well after thinking I wouldn't be homebirthing as we are moving out of the city, now it looks like being a possibility again!

Have found a great midwife who delivers through the Warkworth birthing centre & mentioned although she specialises in HB that due to the distance of our home to town it wouldn't be an option she said "why ever not?!"

My darling partner has said she's cool with it now after learning now that the MW would have all the same emergency gear with her that the birthing center would have. And that if there were complications we should know well in advance. I figure that a helicopter to hospital is probably quicker than an ambulance even if our home is 20mins further from the hospital than the birthing centre.

Obviously we'll need to assess the decision as the pregnancy progresses, buy I just feel that a HB is what I've always wanted. I'm a little scared in case something went wrong, but think with the very experienced HB midwife plus my own instincts, we should know if it's the right decision for us at the time

What do others think about this given our distance from hospital? We are 20 mins out of warkworth, and warkworth is approx 50mins from North Shore Hospital. Would you do it f you were healthy and had normal pregnancy???

Thanks for reading and hopefully commenting!