r/homebirth

Hi! I am 14 days PP and wanted to share my story!

This was my 4th birth, 2nd unmedicated, 1st homebirth :)

At 40+6, I started experiencing contractions around 7pm after pumping and doing some hip rolls on my yoga ball. Did either of those trigger labor? Who knows but I don't think it was a coincidence 😅

Around 9pm, my bloody show happened and I knew the contractions were real. They came every 7 to 10 minutes for awhile. I used a Tens Unit and a birth comb during this time and it *really* helped to distract my brain from the pain. I called my midwife and she agreed to wait a few more hours until my contractions were a bit more forceful and closer together.

At 11pm, my contractions were still about 5-7 minutes apart and were painful enough that I couldnt talk anymore. My husband started filling the pool and called the midwife.

I got into the pool around midnight and labored there until the birth. The pool didn't significantly help with the pain, however, it gave me more room to do hip circles and be more fluid with my movements during a contraction. It also took the weight of my bump off of my body and I think that helped a lot.

I think I entered transition around 1am and could feel my baby's head just inside the vaginal canal. The contractions had become almost unbearable at that point and I really had to dig deeper mentally to keep calm and confident. My husband started doing counter pressure on my hips and gentle encouragement.

I started doubting myself and getting a little anxious around 2am and asked for a cervicle check. My midwife said I was at 8cm. I decided that I was sick of the pain and would wait about 5 more really intense contractions and then I was going to try and push to see if I was fully dilated. It took a few pushes and I started feeling my baby descend.

3am- enter the ring of fire 🔥 WOW! I didnt feel the ring of fire with my previous birth. It precipitous and I had FER. For whatever reason, I never felt pressure or burning. This time, I felt everything! I felt like my butt was going to explode. The pressure was so intense. I roared my baby out the whole time! It took about 5 or 6 pushes to get the head out. Once the head was out, my husband jumped into the birthing pool and caught the baby as he entered the water. I gave birth to the placenta a few minutes after. Baby was healthy and perfect. I am recovering just fine. No tearing anything 😄

This was such a primal and humbling experience. This will likely be my last birth. I am *so* glad I chose to do a homebirth. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

I have Crohn’s disease and did a home birth despite it making me high risk apparently. My midwife didn’t seem phased by it. I read a post by a woman asking about home birth in r/crohnsdisease, and all the comments were saying how dangerous it is. 19 months later me and baby are doing great, but I’m just worried again. I’m just wondering because I want a second baby soon, but for some reason I’m scared to try home birth again. It’s not the pain I’m worried about, more so something going wrong since I have Crohn’s. I wonder if I just “got lucky” this first time.

I also don’t really care for any of the home birth midwives in my area, I didn’t like the one I had went with last time too much for different reasons but she got the job done which is all I cared about at the time.

I need my midwife to feel safe around me and I desperately need to feel safe and trust her as well. That being said, my first birth was traumatic largely because of my midwife. I want to describe why it was traumatic to my new midwife because I want to create a safe and honest space for a second pregnancy/birth but I don’t want her to think I’ll be very critical of her care because of my experience.

Has anyone done this and maintained a strong connection with a new midwife?

I am considering doing an unmedicated birth but I don’t want to commit to it until I’ve done my research. I keep seeing people say that their birthing ball was very helpful during labor. I debated getting a Momcozy one because of the how to app that comes with it but I’m too short so I got a smaller ball from a different brand. My question is, what do I do with this ball? I have it. I can sit on it, but I’m at a loss as to how to make it as useful as other people describe it as. I also, debated paying for the Move Your Bump exercise app because I was hoping I could learn some labor poses/techniques from it. I just really need to know where I can go to learn how to be prepared for labor.

Wondering how much shorter (or longer!) your second, third, subsequent births were than your first!

My first baby’s labor was eight hours (8pm-4am). He was a home birth. I’m pregnant with baby #2 and planning for our second home birth.

Hi friends!

I'm 32 weeks today and really starting to lock down on the details of my labor plan. I got a chest freezer and am hoping to fill it with easy meals that my birth team can throw in the microwave for either myself or them in the moment, would love your recommendations! Especially for quick snacks.

I'm diabetic so snacking through my labor is going to be incredibly important to keep my sugars managed.
Current plan is to have mild cheese, fruit, veggies & hummus. No major dietary restrictions beyond the diabetes, but carbs are important in labor because glucose can go low!

Additionally, those who have had a successful home birth, what do you wish you had planned differently? I just ordered my birth pool, we have candles, music, puppy pads & towels galore, I'm due in July so we're getting an AC unit for our living room. I want to be sure I have everything to support me, my midwives & my birth team through the whole process.

i’m 31 weeks and keep seeing it’s time to pack a hospital bag! i assume for a birthing center i will need to bring things as well. after birth the center i’m going to sends you home after 4 hours bc they don’t offer any epidural or things like that so it’s safe to go home. i still need to bring some things though right? like comfy clothes, an outfit for baby, i bought a birthing comb, they said to bring some stuff that would make us comfy like essential oil and all that but what else do i need? any suggestions helpful!

thanks 💗💗💗

I'm new to the subreddit, but wanted to share a project I thought could be relavent.

For the past three years, Dr Kaytura Felix has been researching the radical potential of Black midwives midwives & home births. She has been looking at these birth workers as a solution to the poor maternal health outcomes in this country, primarily for Black women.

Now, she is hosting Deep Care, a six-episode limited series that explores her findings through the stories of three Black midwives and the mothers they serve. The episodes follows these stories and also show the audience what midwifery care could look/feel like.

We just wrapped out first season today and all the episode is out now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! If this seems interesting to you, you should listen & let me know what you think! And if you want to follow her work, it's at @/blackbirthingfutures on IG.

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Hi, I'm considered a high risk pregnancy exclusively because I am HIV positive. I've been undetectable for years. I'm only 9 weeks so there's time for other complications to develop 😂

I'm seeing a perinatologist for extra monitoring since I'm high risk. But I'm looking to replace my OB with a midwife and look into birthing centers (I live in an apartment and won't birth at home because I would feel inhibited because of the neighbors). The OB and her office, plus the hospital she works at felt very hurried and frantic, so I am really trying to avoid that environment if possible.

Just want to set reasonable expectations before beginning my search so I don't feel disappointed if it's hard to find someone who will take me. Advice is appreciated. Thank you

Gettijg pregnant comes easy to me, but being pregnant does not. Both of my prior pregnancies were full of appointments, medications, extra ultrasounds, hospital admissions, etc.

I saw a CNM for both but was eventually risked out of care. I’m wondering how to find a midwife who will take me on with my history. Should I look for a birthkeeper instead? Should I give up my dream? Also, how do I prepare my body to handle pregnancy without my placenta trying to take me out?

Officially 41 weeks today! Baby is ROA and 50% effaced, but I’ve lost pink tinged mucus plug for days since getting checked. No contractions at all. I know the Lord has me in His hands.

I can’t do induction - I won’t progress well in a hospital setting and the epidural caused my spinal fluid to leak with my first so I wont do that again. An induction for me would lead to a c section - I’m sure of it. My provider will drop me past 42 weeks.

My last stayed in till 41+6 after a membrane sweep but I’d been in prodromal labor for weeks by then.

Is it true no exercise can cause labor to start? What about those YouTube labor inducing exercise videos?

Castor oil?

That cohosh stuff?

Walking?

Do I just wait patiently for labor to start even past 42 weeks?

Has anyone had a positive home birth experience an didn’t really prep for it? I’m 34 week and between a hectic toddler and being sick AGAIN, and organising a big across the country move for late August, I just cannot find the time or energy to practice my breath work (I literally can’t right now because I can barely breath as I’ve got like the flu or something) and I’m a bit on edge I could technically give birth in a few weeks and not feel on top of this. I honestly just don’t feel like I have the time or mental capacity right now to take time for this, which I know sounds so stupid but I get literally no time to myself and when I finally do by like 8/9pm I’m too exhausted to bother. Am I being absolutely stupid? But honestly I try, even a 15 min breath work practice and I can’t even focus on it because I am just not in the zone for it at all.

A bit of word vomit and previous live traumatic birth/mention of previous pregnancy loss TW

I didn’t handle labor very well in my last birth which was a hospital birth, after a certain point. I was having no break in between my contractions and got really freaked out when meconium started appearing. I think I was about 7/8 cm when I got an epidural and had been blacking out from pain for a bit by then. Before that I was managing with some hypnobirthing tracks on Spotify and tens machine. I’m hoping being at home will help me stay calmer this time but I’m so scared I will lose control again, although I have more confidence that I can do it this time as I had a lot of severe anxiety from a 13 week miscarriage and infertility so I was at a point I just wasn’t convinced I would have a live baby. I don’t feel like that this time.

I have a private midwife (L&D nurse I think if you are in the US? It’s ran differently here in Aus) and I do not have a doula - I personally can’t think of anything worse than even more people in my space during labor

I’m planning a homebirth in August. Currently, I live under 10 minutes from 2 major hospitals with excellent NICUs, including my preferred back-up hospital. Our lease is up on July 1st and we’d like to move and purchase a house. The house we like (and my husband absolutely loves) is 35 minutes to the nearest hospital and 50 minutes from my preferred hospital.

Am I being unnecessarily worried about transfer times?

I am currently preparing for my 4th birth, 3rd home birth.

How are you all preparing to manage pain or things you are looking into?

For some background information, it's been 5 years since my last baby. And my labors are relatively fast. My water has broken with each baby prior to any contractions starting.

With my 2nd baby, once contractions started, she was born 2 hours and 15 minutes later.

With my 3rd baby, once my first contraction hit, she was born 44 minutes later.

I felt like 44 minutes was too fast and hard to mentally manage the pain. So this time around I'm looking into maybe doing hypnobirthing, listening to music, birth comb, tens machine, any other ideas?!

The previous births all I have done is dim lighting, breathing through the pain, I had my birth affirmations hung up to easily read, reminds to relax my body, but I have never tried meditation or hypnobirthing while in labor, nor music, or anything else.

What has worked for you? Especially if you have had fast labors.

Edited to add: that both my home births (2nd and 3rd babies) were water births. Also, my 1st baby was a hospital birth, induced, with pitocin and epidural.

I have had a yoga ball as well for all births, and water births with the last too, planning a water birth for this pregnancy as well.

I’m 31 weeks (gonna be 32weeks soon) having a healthy pregnancy with no complications this far. My placenta was slight low at the 21 week appointment but I’ll have another ultrasound in 3 weeks.

1st birth at 40 weeks 3 days they claimed induction was necessary because I had Covid in my second trimester(I wasn’t ever hospitalized or need it btw) and they never told me the risks the induction method of (prostaglandin gel) they did membrane sweep and didn’t even give my body a chance to labour for a week and the next day they gave me prostaglandin gel and it caused severe back to back contractions when I was only 1cm and my baby was in distress and I switched position and his heart recovered and they let me rest for 30 minutes and then broke my waters and found meconium and rushed me to have c section my baby was fine.

2nd birth at 41 weeks
Had prodromal labour for 23 days and at some point the contractions led to 3cm dilation and full effacement. I electivly asked for induction because baby sitter said their are going to leave because the baby isn’t coming. So I decide to ask for break if water. They put me in the labour room and that’s when my baby’s heart randomly drop for 1 minute or less and it recovered nicely. They broke my water and meconium grade 1 was found and rush for c section they failed the spinal and so they put me under general anesthesia. My baby was fine.

Due to the “care” I received from hospital I don’t feel safe. They seem to sabotage and ruin my chance to have a positive birth experience. They are so restrictive and banned women who had C-sections form giving birth in pool. I just want to give birth at home but my country banned women from giving birth at home if they had 2 c sections. I even live 2 mintues for a hospital.

currently 31 weeks. decided to give birth at a birthing center bc the hospital just isn’t for me. they have tubs and allow water births or you can have “land birth” aka on the bed. i’m TERRIFIED everyone keeps telling me i’m insane and how painful it’s going to be and that there’s “no reward for not having an epidural” (no shit thanks for that lol).
the birthing center only offers laughing gas for pain and tools such as birthing balls and things like that.

looking for some feedback on birthing center/home unmedicated births. am i insane? can i do this? i only know people who have given birth in a hospital so just looking for some…. something idk!

i will be taking an unmedicated birthing class with them as well before delivery.

thanks 😩💗

Why do men faint while watching their wives give birth?

has anyone’s midwife ever approved homemade kombucha? I understand the risks- and I’d be willing to be extremely stringent on its care, to avoid excess alcohol and contaminants.

i know “healthcare professionals“ say to avoid it. but they Lao tell you to void sly and other things that are often contrary to a homebirth midwife.

I’m newly pregnant and want to do a home birth but I know nothing of how this works, first timer! Do I find an OBGYN that will work with a midwife? Do I need a doula? I’d like to do genetic testing. Can a midwife do ultrasounds? How does insurance work with this? Help!