Yes, more baby talk
Even though I want to talk about other things, baby stuff really is the most interesting topic of conversation for me at the moment. We are currently counting down the days to when Baby comes. My due date is 18 days away, however, Baby is engaged (i.e. his head is fixed in my pelvis, as opposed to floating), and he has turned to be in the right position for labour. That means he could come anytime (or he could still wait until after my due date). In any case, we are doing our best to have everything ready, in case he does come early.
We have decided to be prepared for a home birth, with our hospital bag packed in case I become anxious or there are problems. There are a lot of people out there who think I am crazy, but I have done a lot of research, and there is nothing conclusive to say whether it is safer to be at a hospital or at home for healthy moms having healthy babies (that part is important). One of the problems with the studies is that there are not enough women having home births to get a proper sample size. For example, pretty much all neonatal statistics are given in number per thousand births, however I have never seen a study with a sample size greater than 1400 births (in Canada, the largest I've seen is 700 or so). When your sample size is the same size as your statistic base, it makes for inconclusive results at best.
Having said that, most of the studies I've seen are fairly promising. The biggest risk is a catastrophic, unexpected incident at birth. And even in those situations, there is only a chance that being at the hospital would help, since it takes a considerable amount of time to gather the necessary personnel to handle that kind of emergency. That means that only if all the people are in all the right places at the exact right time would being at the hospital be faster than starting at home in an emergency. It also helps that I am all of 5 minutes from the hospital.
There are so many things I like about the idea of being at home. I can wear what I want, keep the lights and sounds to whatever I want, everyone there is present for my birth and no one else's, there are no drugs available (good for me because I don't want drugs), and I can be in my own bed surrounded by my own stuff. Also, I have rented a birthing pool, so I can labour and/or deliver in the water, which is pretty cool. According to women who have had both narcotics and water labour, the water labour is as effective as narcotics for pain relief (I should really get a reference for that statistic....) You cannot get a proper tub at the hospital, and you must birth your baby out of the water in a hospital in Ontario.
Anyway, I thought people might be interested in our plans and the reasons for them. If anyone has questions, I would be happy to answer them. Regardless of the type of birth you intend, I highly recommend considering a midwife, and I would be happy to tell you why, if you are curious!
I will let you know when Baby comes (and post pictures)!
Meg
We have decided to be prepared for a home birth, with our hospital bag packed in case I become anxious or there are problems. There are a lot of people out there who think I am crazy, but I have done a lot of research, and there is nothing conclusive to say whether it is safer to be at a hospital or at home for healthy moms having healthy babies (that part is important). One of the problems with the studies is that there are not enough women having home births to get a proper sample size. For example, pretty much all neonatal statistics are given in number per thousand births, however I have never seen a study with a sample size greater than 1400 births (in Canada, the largest I've seen is 700 or so). When your sample size is the same size as your statistic base, it makes for inconclusive results at best.
Having said that, most of the studies I've seen are fairly promising. The biggest risk is a catastrophic, unexpected incident at birth. And even in those situations, there is only a chance that being at the hospital would help, since it takes a considerable amount of time to gather the necessary personnel to handle that kind of emergency. That means that only if all the people are in all the right places at the exact right time would being at the hospital be faster than starting at home in an emergency. It also helps that I am all of 5 minutes from the hospital.
There are so many things I like about the idea of being at home. I can wear what I want, keep the lights and sounds to whatever I want, everyone there is present for my birth and no one else's, there are no drugs available (good for me because I don't want drugs), and I can be in my own bed surrounded by my own stuff. Also, I have rented a birthing pool, so I can labour and/or deliver in the water, which is pretty cool. According to women who have had both narcotics and water labour, the water labour is as effective as narcotics for pain relief (I should really get a reference for that statistic....) You cannot get a proper tub at the hospital, and you must birth your baby out of the water in a hospital in Ontario.
Anyway, I thought people might be interested in our plans and the reasons for them. If anyone has questions, I would be happy to answer them. Regardless of the type of birth you intend, I highly recommend considering a midwife, and I would be happy to tell you why, if you are curious!
I will let you know when Baby comes (and post pictures)!
Meg