Has anybody had any experience with a at home water birth? I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately and I’ve been really curious to know if there’s pros and cons to this. Is it better to do it at the hospital with a lot of experienced staff Or would it be more natural to do a at home birth? All my previous pregnancies have been at the hospital and also with a epidural as well. This will be my last pregnancy so I’ve been considering trying it more of a “natural” way. But I really can’t decide. I plan on looking up more info and details on it just thought I’d ask to see if anyone had any opinions or experiences with it. 

By the way I’m 5 months today so I still have some time to think and plan but I just want to get a head start and have a game plan rather early then late.

@TattedMilkMommy would it be alright for me to pm you on here ?

A blog I follow, Heavenly Hesrth, JUST Zposted her waterbirth story.

@Preggolove94 yes

Labor/Birth is one of my things, so I've looked into this a little. For different reasons, obviously. I've seen some at home water births that were... well, I'll be honest, they seemed like absolute torture for the mother. Immense amounts of pain. But I've seen others that went so easily, you wonder why anyone even does the whole hospital and epidural thing. A lot of it seems to be related to education, training, and preparedness -- some of these mothers are like professional baby-pusher-outers, and those are the ones who seem to have the best results.

tl;dr -- I'm sure you could do it, and enjoy it, but it'll probably take a lot of work.

I think if you have like an uncomplicated pregnancy, amd have a midwife there or a doctor a home birth shouldnt be an issue. I think its something you gotta ask them

You could compromise and choose a birth center.

They're significantly more comfortable than a hospital room (though I am speaking as someone who vehemently hates hospitals), tend to allow you to flex a lot of autonomy in the way that you want to give birth and have the environment set up, and usually have a medical staff or are located in a hospital.

From my own research, they seem to be all the benefits of a home birth with the security of being in a medical facility. Probably checks off most of the boxes you've listed here.

(September 16, 2020, 1:00 am)TattedMilkMommy Has anybody had any experience with a at home water birth? I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately and I’ve been really curious to know if there’s pros and cons to this. Is it better to do it at the hospital with a lot of experienced staff Or would it be more natural to do a at home birth? All my previous pregnancies have been at the hospital and also with a epidural as well. This will be my last pregnancy so I’ve been considering trying it more of a “natural” way. But I really can’t decide. I plan on looking up more info and details on it just thought I’d ask to see if anyone had any opinions or experiences with it. 

By the way I’m 5 months today so I still have some time to think and plan but I just want to get a head start and have a game plan rather early then late.

Think of it this way: your baby would come even if you were asleep. Labor is your body working on its own, and a lot of pain comes from fighting it. It's a question of how you relax best.

If you have a healthy pregnancy, a good history and good care, there's no reason why you can't give birth at home if you want. An experienced midwife will see any problems coming and get you transferred if needed. But that's rare.

Some women, including me, like the freedom to move, eat, sleep, chat, and control their environment during labor. We don't want interventions forced on us. Labor is still hard work, but I have happy memories of my homebirths.

Others feel more comfortable in a controlled hospital environment with drugs available. That's fine too, but even a mama who chooses a hospital birth should have a written birth plan. Tell your carers what you will and won't do.

It's difficult, beautiful, surreal, and you get to sleep in your own bed afterward. That said, it isn't for everyone and whatever mom is comfortable with is the right choice.

My wife is 3 for 3 with home water birth, the most recent being this May. Previous successful vaginal deliveries are an excellent indicator moving forward. Unforseen labor emergencies are rare events, and monitoring your pregnancy beforehand gives the birth team a lot of information. Legitimate homebirth midwives tend to have excellent track records largely because they screen out high risk pregnancies, though many have hospital privileges will continue to coordinate care and advocate for you if you end up needing to birth in a hospital.

My advice would be to seek out CNMs in your area. There are also CPMs, but nurse midwives tend to have a larger arsenal to handle any emergent situations. The CNMs at our births have all come loaded with kit and drugs to keep mom and baby safe if the need to transfer arises.

Look at examples of other moms' birth plans, read, read, read and ask every question you can think of. They are working for you and you should feel comfortable with them through every step of the process. Be picky. You and baby are priority and you want a midwife who will care for you as you need in the moment. If they do not take concerns or questions seriously, run. We had a shitty midwife with our second and it is awful.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM. My wife or I would be glad to answer questions and she's incredibly passionate about birth and informed consent

(September 19, 2020, 10:16 am)Murble You could compromise and choose a birth center.

They're significantly more comfortable than a hospital room (though I am speaking as someone who vehemently hates hospitals), tend to allow you to flex a lot of autonomy in the way that you want to give birth and have the environment set up, and usually have a medical staff or are located in a hospital.

From my own research, they seem to be all the benefits of a home birth with the security of being in a medical facility. Probably checks off most of the boxes you've listed here.

This is good advice, but calling a birthing center a "medical facility" can be misleading.  Many provide only very basic medical care, and if you need anything beyond a nurse's or midwife's purview (IV, oxygen, monitoring vitals) you're probably headed off to the hospital.  Apparently 1 out of 6 women that start labor at a birth center deliver at a hospital.

Also, many hospitals, especially new or newly renovated ones, are now beginning to accommodate water births. Of course, you'll pay a lot more at a hospital.