Home v. Hospital. What made you decide?

[ladysarahjane]

I stumbled across this article on yahoo: Home Birth on the Rise by a Dramatic 20%. I read through the comments trying to understand what makes women decide between a home birth and the hospital, but all I could find were crazy responses and people arguing just for the sake of picking a fight

Comments

[nisie]

I made the decision based on my health risks- 37, diabetic, and overweight. I felt safer having a hospital birth.

[willgraham]

"Wouldnt want to risk anything, with the most important thing in my life my child."

It's funny, this was my reason for choosing a home birth.

[dandrah]

you aren't safer though just because you are in a hospital. Even if say you needed a c-section it takes around 20-30 minutes to even get to the OR. People believe that surgery is "instant" because of tv, but it's not true. Even in emergencies there is still time. In a study done found 88% of women were able to give birth at home with no complications and 12% transferred to the hospital. Those that did transfer delivered there just fine and had the same success rate as a hospital birth. So even in the event of a transfer, you are likely not having a life or death situation. That doesn't even include that many midwives are able to take care of some complications at home. It's not like they have no training many carry medical supplies and oxygen.

[tikizeekbaby]

I loved the idea of a homebirth, but I realized that I don't have the support system for it. I've not got a supportive partner and we have no one who'd be available to really help out with our other kids. Add to that the fact that I don't have a lot of trust in my body and would probably second guess myself like crazy if anything went wrong and... hospital birth with Midwives was a comfortable to me compromise.

[iterative_steps]

i didn't have a homebirth but i did deliver at a birth center. home away from home. i felt way more comfortable there and i liked the fact that i wouldn't be put on a clock right away, i wouldn't get the epidural pushed in my face, and a few other reasons. it was the perfect experience and i can't wait to have my next child there.

[byfaith]

This! :) I'm having my first child at a birth center in December and these are some of the same reasons I've chosen the birth center over the hospital.

[gefiltebitch]

i want the blessed epidural. easy peasy :)

[irishtwingirls]

The nurse let go of my right leg after my second was born and my leg immediately fell off the stirrup and kicked the doctor in the side. He still had my baby in his hands. He looked up like "WTFF?"

[rock_grrl]

This happened to me as well ... only it caused a major pulled muscle in my leg that caused problems for me for weeks after my son was born. It was painful and terrible.

One of the many risks of epidurals that no one (like the doctors and nurses!) talk about but cause pain and injury for the women.