I love children and there was never a doubt in my mind that I would love nothing more than to be a mother. The only problem was my terrible phobia of hospitals and doctors.
When I became pregnant with my first son I was both filled with joy and terror because I just had no idea how I was going to be able to labour and give birth in a hospital. That was without any doubt my worst nightmare! My husband and I decided to look for alternatives and came across home birth. We attended some home birth group meetings and did a lot of research before finally deciding we were going to have our baby at home.
Now, I am aware that home birth isn't for everyone and that some people are much better off giving birth in hospital but it was absolutely the best choice for us. Both of my pregnancies were very low risk, I was fit and very active and babies were doing great.
Here are my top reasons for choosing to have a home birth- in no particular order.
6 Reasons why Home Birth was Right for me
1. Control
The process of giving birth is completely unpredictable. We have to trust our body and the baby to do what they have been pre programmed to do. This in itself was a hard thing for me to come to terms with because I like control, I like to know what expect and I like to be prepared. With giving birth this is almost impossible if you wish to give birth naturally but I wanted to be in control of birthing as much as possible. The midwifes were there only to support and gently guide me through birthing my baby. Not only I was in control of that, I was also in control of my surroundings and the people present at the birth
2. Privacy
This was very important to me as part of my phobia is about exactly that, the lack of privacy in hospitals. I didn't want to be surrounded by strangers in a space that was alien to me. I wanted to feel safe, comfortable and relaxed in my own environment.
3.Comfort
There is nothing better than to be able to have a long relaxing shower in your own bathroom and then curl into your own bed with your husband and your brand new beautiful baby. Trust me, it's absolute bliss.
4.Lower chance of medical interventions
Research suggests that if you are in hospital there are more chances that you might need medical intervention during labour. At home there are no medical interventions. If for any reason there is a problem and labour is not progressing the way it should or if there is a problem with you and/or the baby you will be transferred to the hospital so that such interventions can take place. Luckily this did not happen with any of my home births.
5.Respect for what my husband and I want
The first thing my midwifes did when they arrived and after checking the baby and I were ok was to read my birth plan. The second thing they did was to tell me they were there to help me and that they would always consult my husband and I should there be anything decisions to be made in relation to the birth. For me this is gold and made me trust them even more.
6.Quality of care
I had both my children in the UK. Both my births were attended by two NHS midwifes. The first midwife stays with you from the moment you go into established labour and the second will arrive just before the baby is born. The reason 2 midwifes attend is so there is one midwife for the mother and one for the baby. At a busy hospital there is no chance you will get this amount of attention from your midwife because she will probably be looking after other labouring women.
I gave birth at home to both my son and daughter and I was lucky enough to have had an amazing experience both times. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? Definitely.
Find out more about home birth:
NHS
NCT
Did you enjoy reading this post? You can read more on White Camellias