I really want a home water birth, hubby is completely supportive of this as we've had numerous BAD experiences with our local hospital. Just gas and air for me...

What are all your thoughts at this stage?

I had my lo at hospital and will be doping that next time. He was really unresponsive and had to go under a heat lamp and really rubbed to get him breathing properly so I will feel safer at a hospital knowing that if anything serious goes wrong the staff are on hand but that's just me cause I'm such a worryer and also a close friend's heart stopped beating whilst in labour and she had to resucitated (this was just befor I found out I was pg) and that petrified me, even though she actually has heart probs anyway and would have been so unlikel;y to happen to me. ha ha But I personally had a great experience and all the team were lovely and had pleanty of time for us despite being very very busy. Nothing was too much trouble for them

Aww, sounds like your local is loads better than ours! Is your aviator your little lad? He's gorgeous!

I'd love a home water birth with as few painkillers as possible in an ideal world but i just know i'll be in hospital having an epidural as i have the lowest pain threshold in the world (and a fear of floating poos - see other thread!)!! :\(

[Modified by: TheSparklyFairy on May 21, 2009 08:35 PM]

I'd planned a wonderful, calm birth last time, just gas'n'air, with soft music in the background at the local MW unit. LOL!! In the end we had lots of problems and I was in hosp even b4 labour started then ended up with lots of meds and an emer c-sec!
I'd have to be in a hosp next time cos of last probs, but TBH after last time i wouldn't even consider home.

I couldn't have an epidural, as I can't bear the thought of having a catheter shoved up there... OUCH!!!

good thread MrsAllen - i've given this lots of thought

ideally i would like a water birth at an independent birth centre but Mum and hubby are nervous at the idea of no immediate specialised medical care (especially with my first)
but i've also had bad experiences at my local hospital

luckily there's another hospital about 20mins away (15 at a push) that has a separate midwife-led birth centre INSIDE the hospital - it has 3 birthing pools and is focused on natural care and active labour - and they allow partners to stay the night with you
The compromise is that they have a good "normal" labour ward in the same hospital in case there are complications
(well i did say i've given it lots of thought :lol: )

TBH I was so out of it I can't even remember them putting it in??? It was sore when it came ou but the ouch didn't last long.
I had no choice about the epidural really. I felt a failure when they told me I'd need one, but while waiting for the aneastheist (sp) the contractions got mega strong and I was sooooo glad to see him in the end LOL!

Yeah he's 16 months now and as much as I am in denial he's not my little baby anymore.
I ended up with pethidine which I hated as I just felt so sleepy and I was at the pushing stage by the time it kicked in. I loved my gas and air though, so much I went through 2 full canistors lol and the tens machine was great for the early stages of labour. I lasted at home a lot longer.

oh MrsAllen ditto on the catheter!

i really dont want an epidural - SIL had one and they didn't the needle in properly - she could still feel everything but wasn't allowed to move off the bed and could actually feel the tube stuck in her back
she opted for just gas and air for her second and - even though she maintains that it's the most painful experience of her life - she said she's glad she didn't ask for an epidural on the second time

having said that - i'm not ruling anything out until i'm actually in pain

I would rather the pain!!!

I had surgury on my leg 6 times last summer and refused oramorph as it made me hallucinate, I saw pigeons flying around my bathroom trying to peck me! I even made hubby remove a red perch with a bell on the end, WTF! I was in agony, couldn't walk was on crutches but rather put up with the pain than do omething I don't want to do.

My mum had pethidine when she had me and doesn't remember me being born, she was in such a mess my dad was the first person to hold me. She had my 9lb 2oz brother 2 years later with just gas and air and said the pain was worth it!

Seriously the thought of a catheter fills me full of dread, I work with the elderly and have assisted them being inserted, HORRIBLE!!!

*sat with legs firmly crossed wincing!*

I really hope I can do it! I will insist on a general if I need a section as I couldn't? can't cope with the thought of being cut open whilst being awake. You should have seen me when they did one of my operation under local anaesthetic last year, shaking, crying, freaking out!!! Yet if it was someone else I'd be fascinated. I'm not at all squeamish if it's not me!

Really hope I'm an easy text book pregnancy and labour and can have my home water birth! Anyway the local hospital is only 2 miles up the road if needed!

Not thought about it!!

Have no idea how good the local hospital is, but its 5 mins down the road, so I'll guess we'll worry about that when (PMA today!) we get a BFP.

I'd go for as natural as possible (depending how much pain I could bear)

I will hopefully get a planned section this time since I had an emergency one last time and I am not allowed to be induced again. My local maternity unit is fantastic.

I really wanted a home birth for my last one but my placenta was quite low and there was a risk of me bleeding out so they advised against it. I'm lucky because my local hospital has a midwife-led unit inside and so I did most of my labour there. I was able to use the birthing pool, which was lucky as there is only one but had to be transferred downstairs when my waters had muconium in them. :\(

For the next one I will probably go back to the unit (ISIS). Benefits of home is definite access to a water bath but disadvantages is that if you are transferred it is a longer distance. Part of me would love a home birth though so cards are still on the table.

I would still recommend a midwife-led unit for any low-risk birth.

H xx

I think I'll have a worst and best case scenario birth plan- I'd love to try a water birth with just G&A but I wouldnt rule anything out and they can pretty much do whatever necessary to ensure everything is safe- really not keen on the idea of pethidine though- I've heard nothing good about it at all x

In theory I'd like a home birth, but there are just so many things that can go wrong to risk it.
Last time we needed lots of medical care as there were problems with baby's heartbeat, he had the cord round his neck and he was stuck so I had to go to theatre.
If I'd been at home, the whole thing would have been so much worse, and I'm not sure my beautiful little boy would be here right now (trying to type you all a message - he's fascinated by the computer!).

I had minor complications with my first little girl both during and after the birth - there was meconium in my waters, she was back-to-back, her heartrate kept dipping and I had to have a blood transfusion afterwards. There were some pretty scary moments, and having gone through that there's no way I'll ever plan a home birth as the last thing I'd have wanted when already fighting panic and in awful pain is to be bluelighted in.

I'd hoped to have just gas and air too (though I didn't rule out other pain relief) but when the time came I was glad to have options (eventually had an epidural). I really am not a wuss and I didn't lose my head in labour - the pain was just too much for too long.

I hope I don't sound too negative and I really do hope you get the birth you want, when the time comes. It's just how I feel from my own experience - but I realise it's easy for me to say as I was so impressed with my local maternity unit.

PS Re epidurals and catheter - you can't feel it, because of the epidural!! And it's the last thing on your mind when your whole body is in agony, anyway....

But the catheter is still there, it's the thought of it!

I'd like to go to a small midwife unit but DH has put his foot down and it will be the local hospital for me!

His comment was "I waited this long to find you, I'm not risking losing you or a baby".