Hospital Birth Versus Home Birth: My personal experience with both
When it comes to your birth experience…what do you envision? Or have you thought about it much? I had many thoughts running through my mind about my birth experience the first go around and the birth setting was definitely one of them. Let it be known, you can have a POSITIVE birth experience in a variety of settings! The biggest thing is being educated about your setting and the policies they have in place so you know your options and can create a birth plan that fits your desires!
When I got pregnant with my first daughter, Mia, I immediately thought about what birth could look like. I knew all along I wanted to try for an unmedicated birth, but I won’t lie, there was a tiny part of me that wasn’t 100% sure I could do it. Not out of fear, but just out of a place having never done this before! And that is completely normal with anything new, but especially birth. (But let’s remember…birth is nothing to fear!! It is a celebration and a marathon of hard work that we absolutely were made to do!!)
Hospital Birth:
Since I knew I wanted to have an unmedicated birth, but wanted options around me, I felt a hospital setting for my first time was the right decision. When it comes to a hospital birth, finding a provider who is on-board with your style of birth or your birth wishes is absolutely key in working towards the birth experience you desire. My OB with Mia was absolutely fantastic and was laid back, yet informative and offered suggestions as needed. She allowed me to take the reins of our birth and I never felt I was being pressured into doing anything.
In a hospital setting, we want to be aware of policies they have in place (such as IV blocks or pitocin being administered). Some of these things are “standard” but don’t always get shared with the patient ahead of time. As you go into your hospital birth, ASK QUESTIONS!! Whatever it is you do or don’t want for you birth, talk with your provider to make sure you are on the same page. Even though you are in a hospital, you still have 100% autonomy and can say no to anything, even if it is “standard”. But again, make sure your provider and birth team are ON THE SAME PAGE!
In my personal experience, I asked my doctor questions ahead of time about the things that were important to me, such as delayed cord clamping, immediate skin to skin, birth positions, and being able to labor in water. We had conversations at our appointments and I hired a doula to help advocate for my husband and I since it was our first birth and I was going unmedicated. You don’t HAVE to have a doula by any means! But they can be super helpful if you need more peace of mind about having the birth experience you desire. I do have an instagram live HERE about doulas in case you are interested!
Now to the fun part…what was the hospital experience like??
Remember that experiences vary widely and this was just my own personal experience with my first birth in a hospital.
Once I started to have surges that were about 3-5 minutes apart, We packed the car and headed to the hospital. The surges in the car were no joke….one thing I remember vividly as I was ready to jump into a warm tub!! Once we got to the hospital, we had to check in and then sent up to triage. Triage seemed to take a little while so I just labored in there until they were able to get a room ready for us. Once the room was ready, we walked over (through a few contractions), and the nurse started filling the tub per my request. I had prayed about our nurses and birth team the whole pregnancy and I am so grateful our nurse was an absolute angel and very on board with an unmedicated birth! It was truly an answered prayer. Once my surges were getting intense and 2-3 mins apart, Matt called the doula to head over. I was, thankfully, able to labor in the warm tub for a while which to me felt amazing. But we needed to keep things progressing, so my birth team suggested we walk around. In some hospitals they may require that you do continuous fetal monitoring (CFM) but it may not always be necessary! This is a great topic to talk with your provider about ahead of time. For me, we did intermittent monitoring and as I got to the later stages of labor, they felt it was best to do CFM. Fast forward to the pushing phase, I was able to push in whatever position I felt most comfortable. We did mostly elevated all 4’s pushing and then it was suggested to do lunged pushing which I also did. Mia finally made her debut and the doctor assisted me in placing her directly on my chest. (I have to give another shout out to my OB because she was changing HER positions to be able to assist me however she needed to. It was truly incredible.)
Overall I had a very positive birth experience in the hospital and there were only a few things I wish would have been different such as having Pitocin administered immediately after she was born for the placenta to be delivered (this is standard in most hospitals for postpartum hemorrhage, but I was just not aware it was going to happen and would have opted out given my individual situation). I also wanted to labor in the tub longer and, in the moment, wanted to birth in there as well. But it all happened for a reason and overall the birth team was extremely helpful and compassionate! They helped make our first birth such a positive experience.
To touch on the after birth side of things real quick…
After giving birth, you typically spend about 2 hours in the birth room as they do checks and make sure all is good. From there you are sent to a mom-baby room where you spend the next couple days to recover and have all the checks. I think most of us have heard about the nurses coming in every 2-3 hours to check on you, and yes…they do! Again, just procedure! Overall, in those 2-3 days, you will be overseen by many individuals who are doing their checks and balances to make sure all is good. Just remember, you still can advocate for yourself AND your baby and regardless of protocol, you get to choose what does and does not happen.
Now onto the home birth experience!
Home Birth:
A home birth was always in the back of my head, but I never gave it a serious thought until I found out I was pregnant with our second, Lily, and I knew immediately that I was going to have a home birth. It just felt right in my gut and I knew I wanted to be in the comfort of my own home and spend those precious few days after birth in my own bed. So let’s chat about the home birth experience…
Once I had Matt on board with a home birth (he never hesitated, just wanted to be informed and ultimately trusted my decision), I started researching the midwives and home birth providers in my area - you want to make sure you find credible midwives who have extensive training. Once I found a midwife group that fit our needs and vibes, we were set! Throughout the whole pregnancy, Matt and I both felt at ease with them in how reassuring they were and how thorough they were with explanations and calming any nerves. We felt at peace with our decision to have a home birth, but we still wanted to ask the critical questions, as anyone should! Some of the things we wanted to be on the same page about were: postpartum hemorrhage protocol, hospital transfer if needed, stitching if there were perineal tears, and what happens in case of an emergency for mom or baby. Most all of these scenarios are rare with a home birth but going in naive or without a game plan is not wise for any setting! So we were grateful for their guidance through this and felt confident with their capabilities and our own.
My appointments with the midwives were all about 45 minutes which allowed time for full assessment and talking through anything that was needed or wanted. This was much different than my hospital based appointments as those were usually less than 10 minutes (to no fault of the doctor but more so the hospital system/insurance in general!) During these appointments with the midwives, they would check baby’s heart rate, growth, and all of my vital signs. From there they would offer tips or suggestions for remaining healthy and stress free during pregnancy. This would range from supplement suggestions to different foods to eat. This was a big thing I LOVED about the midwifery care. There are so many ways we can support our bodies to stay healthy and strong and keep baby healthy and strong, and the holistic approach does just that.
Fast forward to the end of pregnancy…
I’ll share a full birth story in another blog that gives the play by play details so you can get the nitty gritty if that’s your thing! But for now you can head to my highlight on instagram HERE for some more deets on my birth story with Lily.
The main event! And knowing that I was going to be able to labor at home as long as I wanted to and be able to get into a warm tub when I wanted was truly relieving. I loved being able to have Mia around and the comfort of my own things when I was in labor. No IV blocks, no sterile pillows, no beeps or buzzes. Just the comfort of my playlist and my cozy pillow. Once surges were around 3 minutes apart and I could no longer talk through them, Matt called the doula and midwives to head on over. Once the midwives arrive, this is when you can get into the tub. Throughout the transitional phase and pushing phase, my doula and midwives were so encouraging with words and affirmations and counter pressures when requested. The midwives offered suggestions on different positions and tools when needed. They never allowed fear and reassured me I knew my body and could trust what it was doing and what baby was doing.
Photo Credit: Destiny with Unforgettable Birth
As soon as baby was born, they helped get her right to my chest and the soft celebration began. What an incredible moment! And they allowed space for Matt and I and baby to just BE.
Going into the 3rd stage of labor and birthing the placenta, I wasn’t sure how it would go since the last time I delivered my placenta, it was immediately assisted with Pitocin. In the home birth setting, my placenta was delivered naturally within about 3 minutes with no pulling on the cord, just assistance from gravity.
After the whole event, the midwives helped me clean off and go right into bed for post birth checks on myself and Lily. After all looked good, they made sure I had enough water/electrolytes and had a nourishing meal to start the recovery process and then tucked me in bed. (They’ll be back in 24 hours to make sure all is good, don’t worry). This meant a whole night of RECOVERY. No 2 hour check ins, no bright lights, not wakings unless needed. And it was glorious. If there was anything they felt concerned about they would offer support during the 24 hours.
So, which would I do again?
For me, personally, a home birth is my jam. I felt so in my element and I know it’s the way I want to go every time (for as many as I’m gifted!!) I’m so grateful I had a positive birth experience both in the hospital and at home and I want to reiterate that you should birth wherever you feel MOST COMFORTABLE. Don’t let a person or society pressure you into a “certain way to birth”. We can have positive experiences in a variety of settings!! The key is to be INFORMED and EDUCATED so you can advocate for yourself and make decisions out of confidence rather than fear.
We go over SO MUCH of this within the Mind Body Core Labor Prep Program.
From learning about the different settings, to interventions, to push prep, to mental preparation…it’s all covered within 5 modules for you and your partner to go at your own pace. Don’t just “wing it” with birth. Envision your ideal positive birth experience and then allow yourself to be open minded but INFORMED.
I hope this quick breakdown of my personal experience with a hospital and home birth was helpful! And as always, let me know if you have any questions. I’m here for ya!