Hey
Firstly im pleased everything is going well with your little one and secondly i wanted to tell you about my experience of giving birth both at a hospital and at home.
My third baby was a planned homebirth however towards the end of my pregnancy my iron levels dropped too low and the hospital advised me against it. So following their advice i had him in hospital. I was told that due to my iron levels being so low i was at serious risk of bleeding and they needed me at hospital incase i needed a blood transfusion. He ended up being born on valentines day 1999, and considering id already had two other children i can honestly say it was the most awgul experience ever.
I went to the hospital at around 1am in considerable pian and they examined me and said i was only a few centimetres dilated and told me it would be hours before he was born. I had a bath to help with the pain and by about 3.30am i was in a lot of pain. I asked for pain relief and was told it was too early for any and by this point i was begging for something to take the pain away. The midwives wouldnt even examine me and i was told there was no way i would be in as much pain as i 'claimed' to be in. A few minutes later i sent my OH to find a midwife as i needed to push but they were busy.
No one came and i could feel baby was on his way, When the midwife finally came she realised that my waters hadnt even broken so she broke them and it turned out my son had opened his bowels and was in severe difficulty. At 4.04am my son was born with the cord round his neck and wasnt breathing, as the midwives hadnt even expected me to deliver so earlier it took what seemed like ages for a doctor to arrive. I felt helpless not being able to do anything while doctors tried to get my baby to breathe, they then took him off to special care and i was left alone for nearly 3 hours without even so much as a look in by a midwife and not knowing if my baby was alive. By this point my OH was going mad. He found me a wheelchair and wheeled me up to the Special care unti, the midwives didnt even noticed id gone.
Thankfully my son is now fine although he has growth problems and at the age of 10 he is the same height and weight as his five year old brother.
His brother was also a planned home birth and this time i actually had him at home and it was the most amazing experience ever. After the trauma of Callums birth in hospital there was no way id ever give birth in a hospital again.
My son was due on the 28th September 2003 but the due date came and went with no sign of my son putting in an appearance. The 2nd of October came and i woke up around 5am with a few twinges. I woke my husband up and basically we played the waiting game wondering if this was the real thing.
At around 7am we woke our other children up and got them ready for school. As we only live a 10 min walk from the school i decided to walk them there hoping that the walking would help speed things up.
By 11am i was getting regular contractions and contacted the hospital who asked how far apart they were and how long they were lasting, because my third child was a very speedy labour they sent a midwife round straight away.
A second midwife arrived just after midday and it felt really reassuring that i had the sole attention of two midwifes who wouldnt disappear to check on other ladies in labour (that happened to me in hospital).
One of the really good parts about having a home birth is that one of the midwifes was actually the one who had undertaken all my checks throughout my pregnancy and having someone there who knew me made a huge difference.
Also being able to do what i wanted during my labour helped so much, and it was great to be able to get in my own bath and walk in my garden etc to help with the pains. Everything seemed so much more relaxed than being in hospital and at no time was i worried about my sons safety.
Shortly after 2pm the contractions were coming thick and fast so i went upstairs to my bed were my son would be born. After an hour at 3.15 i gave birth to my son, Connor, who weighed 7lb 4oz in my own home with my husband by my side.
Id made arrangements for my father in law to pick my other boys up from school and they walked in at 3.30pm and my husband brought them straight upstairs to see me and their baby brother and seeing their faces when they realised what had happened was fantastic.
We didnt have to wait for visiting time for them to see him and they met their brother at only 15 mins old.
All in all it was a wonderful experience and as im pregnant again im hoping for another home birth.
I think there are pros and cons in whatever you decide but i guess all anyone can advise is that you choose whatever you feel most comfortable with.
Wishing you well in whatever you decide.
Katie and 20+1 pink bump xx
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archies birth story 
