Is Delivering at a Birthing Center Reckless?

I had all of mine (4) at birthing centers and had very positive experiences.

My friend had hers (5) at a birthing center. She used one near Baylor Hospital. When her 4th had issues, they knew how to handle him and got him to the hospital very quickly. She was comfortable enough to have her next one at the birthing center.

If I have another, I will definitely go back. I think you should do it. Birthing centers provide bonding opportunities between husband, mother and baby that a hospital atmosphere will never provide. You will never regret it.

VickiS

I do billing for a few local birth centers and i can tell you there are far fewer transfers than births. The ones that do are often not true emergencies. One is right in front of a hospital, so that makes transferring much easier. If you've had two good births already you should be low risk and a great candidate for this! The majority of transfers are for slow or prolonged labors or pain relief. Newborn resuscitation, postpartum hemorrhaging, etc happen on average one out of every 30 births and are almost always handled right there with no need for transfer. HTH!

I have two things for you to think about:
1. I have a male friend whose wife wanted to deliver at home (I know..different from a birthing center). He was adamently against it and his one comment to his wife was: "If something happens to the baby because of this choice, I will never be able to forgive you." I think that is a very powerful statement and you should discuss your choice/decision with your husband.

2. I have a friend who did decide to have a baby at home. 24 hours after her water broke, she still had not delivered and she ended up being transported to the hosptial for an emergency C section. I asked her - "Who made the decision to transfer you to the hospital?" She said that SHE made the decision. In my opinion, the midwife AND/OR the husband should have made that decision and it should NOT have been left up to my friend. I think if you do go to a birthing center that you ought to have your birthing plan written out and if key things happen (or do not happen), then those are break point decisions to transfer you to a hospital (one example is water breaking and no delivery before 24 hours passes).

Good luck!
L.

Most birthing centers are closely linked with hospitals AND have medical staff on hand in OUR area.

I (and the majority of nursing and medical schools) agree with you 100% on the pitocin issue... but the problem is that it takes 10 to 20 years for that to filter down into common practice. The "best" hospitals TEND get that info into practice first... because they not only have staff that is teaching, but their staff is constantly and rigorously retraining/ staying up on their edu, and they're also hiring the top % of grads. Some of the "best" don't, but it's because they have to pay off their expensive equipment, and that's done by using it. It's no surprise that when a hospital gets a new surgical building they do more surgeries. Yes, because they can (aka patients have to wait for less of a time who would be getting it anyway), but ALSO because the staff is actively hunting for more patients that need surgeries. (It's called poaching or "marketing"). In birthing centers, at hospitals, it creates quite a large grey area.

There is ONE hospital in our area that spent several hundreds of millions on their new birthing center that focused on c-sects and surgical interventions. Low and behold they do the MOST non-medical-neccessary c-sects in the state. People go their, specifically because they want to be able to schedule a c-sect... and the OBs who practice there tend to specialize in surgical births. Their NICU is set up along similar lines to traditional ICUs/NICUs. Another hospital in our area spent several hundreds of millions on a new birthing center, and it's set up with birthing rooms the size of my downstairs. Complete with a daybed for visitors and a real bed for daddy, and the baby NEVER leaves the room (everything is set up so that your baby stays in your sight from the moment they crown until you check out, unless they need to go to the NICU, which is set up so that parents can sleep IN the NICU with their child. (They are also the overflow NICU for Children's Hospital). Two TOTALLY different emphasis in 2 hospitals that are both cutting edge. But neither practice gratutis use of pitocin. It's ONLY used in either hospital to induce, and never as standard proceedure (like "You're nearing your due date, lets go ahead and do a pitocin push to get things going"). Also never when a patient is already in labor. HOWEVER the majority of hospitals in our area still follow the outdated "pitocin push". It's because they have staff that was trained to do so, and they haven't stayed up (or disagree) with the studies over the past 20 years. In another 10 years or so, they'll change their policy... but not until the new grads ascend into a position of authority.

It's like the use of foreceps. MOST hospitals don't use forceps to pull EVERY baby out anymore (for the huge list of reasons not to). Yes, it is occasionally medically necessary, but it used to be common practice for EVERY baby. Just like pitocin. Gradually the practice fell out, just like pitocin is starting to. Just like yanking on the umbilicle cord (which causes hemmoraghes) used to be common practice and now isn't, and just like "sterilizing" a new mom's nipples used to be common practice and now isn't. It just takes time for the info to filter.

I think a birthing center is a great idea for Momma and Baby in a low risk birth. The idea that every birth is an emergency waiting to happen is ignorant and hurtful towards women and their children. If taking Mom and MIL along to prenatal visits doesn't change their minds... firmly tell them it is YOU giving birth, not them. They can either support you or leave you alone about it.

CPMs or Certified Professional Midwives are fabulous. They are extensively trained in NORMAL and NATURAL childbirth - and in some states, they can attend breech and twin births. They are also experienced in neonatal CPR, shoulder dystocia, stitching tears, dosing of pitocin to stop hemorrhage, etc.

I am a Nursing student, with the intention of being a CNM (Certified Nursing Midwife)... but then I had my OB rotation and realized most CNMs who practice in hospitals are just as gung ho to drug you up, slit you open and get that paycheck - erm, I mean baby, out of you as soon as possible to open the room for the next Momma. I will be getting my Nurse Practioner License by 2015 and get trained as a Certified Professional Midwife.

Non medicated, non forced and non fear driven birth is what is best for majority of Mommas about to give birth. OBs have a purpose and that is to support, mitigate and do medical interventions for women who have high risk pregnancies... not women who are low risk.

Just yesterday another momma was concerned about giving birth at birthing center because you get sent home hours later. I will suggest to you the same thing I suggested to her... just have your baby at the hospital and spend the next two days bonding and being pampered...meals in bed etc..
God only knows it is difficult to get that kinda help at home : )
Good Luck

I've delivered twice at a birthing center and 3 times at home. Both are safe. The midwives I've used are well-trained in normal birth and they are prepared for emergency situations. When we first decided to use a birth center, my mother was not supportive. And then she got a tour and met the midwives. That helped. Also, I found some studies to show her regarding safety. Mortality rates in hospital and birth centers where the same. Outcomes where different. Better birth experience for the mother and baby. Less unneccessary interventions. The studies I gave to my mother are over 12 years old. I'm sure newer ones exist. I've heard my sisters and friends talk about their hospital births. I wouldn't trade for anything.

Hi,

I have a BS degree in Respiratory Therapy and I worked in high risk labor and delivery and the NICU for several years. I also did several rotations through Parkland Hospital in Dallas when I was in college so I understand where your MIL is coming from. However, what I also came to understand was that the women and babies I was treating in the hospital were not normal, healthy, low risk pregnanices and births. These were sick people. And that is why they were in the hospital. The hospital is no place for a healthy woman to give birth. I have 3 children. The first was born in the hospital and my next two were born at home, the last one just this past April. I am a healthy, low risk woman. I have healthy children so there was no need for me to be in the hospital. The problem with the hospital is that they cause a lot of the problems with all the interventions they do on healthy mothers that do not need them. Research has proven time and time again that the safest and healthiest place for a healthy woman to give birth is outside of the hospital.
I am now a homebirth midwife. The transfers I have been a part of were not emergencies. Most of the time when we have to transport it is due to maternal exhaustion, or the babies heart rate looks a little funny on the monitor. And transports are very rare. If an "emergency" does come up such as bleeding following birth or the baby is not breathing very well upon birth we have the supplies and the training to deal with those things. The only time I have seen a healthy mother and baby die due to complications from childbirth was at the hospital. And the reason she died was due to the interventions that the hospital did. Most likely if she had been at a birth center or at home she would be a live today.
Please have your MIL read the following books: Pushed by Jennifer Block, The Thinking Womans Guide to Better Birth and Obsteric myths vs. reality both by Henci Goer. These books are full of information and research that proves out of hospital birth is safer for you.
And even if she reads these books and still feels the same way it is your body, your baby and your birth and you need to give birth where your instinct tells you to. At that point you simply tell her you love her but this is your decision and you would appreciate her keeping her scary stories and negativity to herself. And then don't call your MIL or your mother until after the birth, because if they are there they will only bring stress and fear to the energy surrounding you and that is not good for a laboring mom.

Take Care,
Lisa

It is a safe option as you have had good deliveries so far. I do want to mention that there is still the chance of there being an issue every pregnancy and every delivery is different. I had two great deliveries and one that went awry. Anything can happen. Make sure you are delivering close to a hospital and are registered with that hospital before delivery just in case. Be prepared for the worst cause it can happen. And from what I have learned if your gut feels like something isn't going right or is wrong go to the hospital. Otherwise enjoy your third delivery. I had a beautiful third delivery with a midwife (at a hospital) first time with a midwife and was by far the best experience. My second child got stuck and I was glad to be at the hospital I just felt safer. But most midwifes are capable of dealing with those situations.

Always go with your gut. You've done your homework, you know what's best for you and your family. Once the baby is here your moms won't care how she/he got here, but you will. You are correct that interventions are dangerous in and of themselves and that they are strongly pushed on you in a hospital. However, if you are a strong enough person you can refuse all interventions, but you will have to fight and stick to your guns.

I'm sure your moms are just concerned and they'd prefer that you didn't take any chances.
However, I know LOTS of people who have their babies at birthing centers. Fortunately, none of them had any complications.
I don't think you are being reckless. It sounds like you've thoroughly checked the place out. Obviously, as you progress in your pregnancy, if the doctor were to have any concerns, you could always just have a hospital birth.
There's no way I could have had my babies at a birthing center. It was never an option for me from the very beginning. I was very aware of that.
But, for some people, it's really a valid and comfortable choice. It's not like birthing centers aren't prepared for emergencies at all. It's not like you're asking an electrician to deliver your baby. These people do know what they're doing.
The people I know who had babies at a birthing center said it felt more relaxed and intimate than being in the hospital. They don't regret their decisions.

I hope you get some great advice and most of all, I wish you a happy, healthy, beautiful delivery and new baby!

Best wishes!

I would take into consideration how far the center is from the hospital. I, personally, would go to the hospital but that is because with my first I had 3rd degree tearing (He came out with one arm above his head). Knowing you can bleed out from a first degree in 15 minutes made me glad I was at the hospital. During my second, part of the placenta got left behind and they had to reach in and manually scrap my uterus out or I could have gotten a life threatening infection. Since I have had complications both times, I prefer the hospital, but I also had Pit both times because I was at 42 weeks with each and had not started labor. If you have had no problems in the past, are low risk, and the center is not too far in case of the unforeseen, and it is what YOU feel comfortable with, than go for it, it is your birth experience after all, and your choice.

I had both of my children at the hospital but with a mid-wife instead of a doctor. That may be an option for you. I liked the idea of natural birth but still wanted the security of a hospital setting. I did not have either of them in Texas so I do not know how they handle it here. I used mid-wives that were associated with my OB-GYN's office. Good luck.

Hi, K,

First let me say that this is a very contraversial subject and you are going to get answers from all perspectives. Rather than tell you my opinion, I'm going to share some things that you can do to answer this question for yourself.

You mention you are concerned about transfer time. Ask your birth center what the average transfer time is. Be sure to ask whether this is for emergency or non emergency transfers. In the case of an emergency transfer for a c-section, what is the average time from "Okay, we need to transfer" to "first cut"? Then compare that to the transfer time within the hospital - from "okay you need an emergency c-section" to "first cut". Within the hospital there is still "transfer time" because they have to call the surgeon, prep you and get you to the surgery room.

You mention several scenarios you (or your relatives) are concerned about: shoulder dystocia, infant not breathing at birth, and mom bleeding too much. Ask your midwives how they handle each scenario and what the outcomes usually are. I know that the midwives I have worked with have the same infant recusitation equipment that the hospital does, and they also have pitocin and IV fluids in case of mother hemhorraging. I bled too much with my last baby and a shot of pitocin in my leg fixed it. The next step would have been IV fluids but I didn't need them.

As far as shoulder dystocia, ask your midwives if they've ever encountered it and how they handle it.

Finally, ask your relatives to watch The Business of Being Born. My FIL watched it (on his own, I didn't even ask him) and after that he understood our preference to at least start off in a birth center much better. He even made the comment that he thinks that part of the reason my husband had to be a c-section was because my MIL had an epidural and couldn't move around to open up her pelvis to let his head through.

I"m not against hospitals at all. I think they are very good at what they were designed to do, which is to help people in extreme medical situations. If my midwife decides that we need to transfer to a hospital because any high-risk issues arise during my pregnancy or during labor, I will be grateful that I have that option. I simply choose to start with the least invasive method of care and only do more if and when the need arises. I have had 1 hospital birth and 2 birth center births, btw.

.

Best choice I have ever made. :) If you feel at peace there, then your labor can go that much smoother. Birthing From Within is a great read on natural birth. Emergencies occur in rare situations and the birthing center staff should be well trained to recognize any possible signs. My water broke 20 hours before labor started and the birthing center staff and midwives were able to use their 'bag of tricks' to get things going. Absolutely no meds were used and my daughter sailed through contractions beautifully. I wouldn't plan to do it any other way. :) Plus, my mom wasn't too crazy about it either until she asked around. They did have to use some injections after birth to slow the bleeding, as my labor was fast and very intense, but they worked fast and monitored me for several hours just in case. No complications whatsoever.

Go with your gut- It knows better than anyone else.

Kimberly,

I agree with you, the risk seems higher in a hospital. I was 40 years old when I had my baby with a mid-wife in my home and never once did I feel like I made a mistake and my baby was 9lb8oz and had a hard time coming out but she was very experienced. It is your pregnancy, not theirs.

My very best advice is to go buy or rent a documentary called, "The Business of Being Born," it is excellent and will open your eyes to so many things. It compares hospital births to birthing centers. I think it will also put your family at ease. Best of luck to you.

I think if you and the birthing center are flexible and very close to hospital, then it is safe. I have a friend who started to give birth at a birthing center and nearly had disaster, but this was more due to her stubbornness than the birthing center. My friend was very reluctant to change her birthing plan when things started to go wrong, but eventually the birthing center forced her to go to the hospital. She got their in time, and she and the baby were fine without any long-term consequences. If you can accept that intervention (including ptocin and pain relief -- because once in a while things DO need to be sped up or slowed down to relieve mother/infant distress) are not the end of the world and are willing to listen to your body and midwife, then it will likely be fine.

Nope. Not reckless, in my opinion of course. If it was there would be fewer and fewer people doing as opposed to more and more.
Why don't you invite your mom and MIL to come with you to an appointment so they can ask your midwife some questions.

I had two babies in a birthing center. My first was a dream birth. Water broke and 2 hours later I delivered her, with the help of a midwife, in a tub of water. No drugs. Beautiful, empowering, lovely experience with no complications.

My second child was born there as well. NOT a dream. Pre-term labor. Magnesium sulfite to stop the contractions because he was 2 and a half months early and his lungs were not developed. When they decided that the labor was not stopping the Dr. told me that he was not ready to come out and they were not equipped to deal with sick babies, and he may have to be taken right away to a hospital in another city. They would just see... He was born breathing on his own and monitored, but then later sent to the NICU in this van which I called a "NICU on wheels."

My recommendation would be to find out their protocol if there is a problem at birth. I would also consider what your comfort level is around advocating for your baby and knowing instinctually and with some level of awareness or education if there is something that is not right. I told the nurse that there was something wrong with my son and she told me that "if he was crying he was doing ok." I pushed for her to call the Dr and they did a chest x-ray which revealed that he had pnuemo-thorax. Not ok.

There can be problems in any setting, and I don't regret having either of my children in the birthing center. My feeling is that you get to deliver the baby, so you get to say where you feel comfortable doing it. It's a different world from when your Mom and MIL delivered babies.

Good luck on a beautiful easy birth!!

If you're my age, then your mom and MIL are probably like mine and had their babies in a hospital where a doctor told them everything they had to do and they had little to no say about how their birth would be conducted.

I think a reputable birthing center is PERFECTLY RESPONSIBLE - especially if you are not a high-risk birth and have not had undue complications in the past. In other countries home births are still extremely common and women don't usually even go to the hospital unless they need to. ( I mean other countries with excellent medical facilities too, not 3rd world pre-industrial ones!)

If you look back on your previous births in a hospital- if your experience was anything like mine, I barely ever saw my doctor anyway! Seriously, it was the maternity nurses who checked on me and a nurse midwife who supervised the actual delivery. My doctor popped in once for a few minutes while I was in light labor, but I never even saw him again after that. None of the high-tech equipment was ever used except a fetal monitor and it sounds like the birthing center is well prepared.

You've already had 2 and can make your own decision. If you've researched this particular birthing center and met the staff and feel comfortable with them, then go for it! I am guessing they have a wall of pictures of happy healthy babies that were born there, and yours can be too. Don't let your well-meaning relatives freak you out and make you doubt yourself. Confidence is key- let them know that your decision is made and that trying to undermine it is NOT helpful!

Well, since you asked for personal experiences... I had a perfect pregnancy with my daughter and like you, I was in grat shape and healthy. However, when I went into labor, meconium was present in my fluid... So, she had swallowed meconium. I had a vaginal birth--with 7-10 people in the delivery room from NICU. They told me that as soon as she was born, we would not hear her cry (they didn't want her to suck any deeper into her lungs). They suctioned her lungs out immediately after birth and then spent 12 hours in NICU for observation. Luckily, she was fine and had no complications. Would I choose a hospital or birthing center? Hospital because that experience taught me that you never know what might happen during labor and birth. You hope for a perfect delivery but you never know...

.

No, it's not reckless. First off the birthing center will be watching for anything to go wrong. At the first sign of trouble they will transport you, calling emergency and getting all of the best doctors on the floor to accept you and your baby. You will probably get a higher level of care if something goes wrong because you will be an emergency case, not just another woman delivering who's having a hard time.

I've delivered at hospitals and birthing centers. You get better care at the birthing center.

Hello!

First of I REALLY applaud you for RESEARCHING your options and am always excited to "talk" to a fellow pro-natural birth mama! I did not read other responses so sorry if I'm repeating but I am VERY pro-natural birth and very PRO choice on the mom's part of where/how she wants to birth. With that said, I can only give you my personal experience (and keep in mind my husband is a DO family med doc who has delivered over 300 babies himself so I had him to deal with too - haha!). With my first I had no choice but hospital as we were in a small town. Here, with my 2nd, I really wanted a birth center birth and we toured the two that are closest to me (Denton and Hurst). I LOVE that you can have a water birth in a birth center - impossible to find in my area (although I was able to labor in the tub just not birth). So with that said my husband was okay with the Denton birth center but NOT the Hurst one for one big reason - the Hurst one did not have a means to intibate the baby if something were wrong. They reassured us that the hospital is "less then 2 minutes away" but like my husband said, the baby would be dead, or at least brain dead/cerebral palsy/etc. by that time. If, for some terrible reason (and it's actually more common than most people think) the baby isn't breathing and they can't rescisitate it via CPR (which according to my husband isn't that effective with newborns but sometimes works) they HAVE to be able to intibate the baby AT the birth center. The one in Denton has this ability. So...if you do choose a birth center I would ONLY go to one that has that ability. Also, I know that monitoring the baby is not always done as often with midwifes as it is in the hospital. I personally am not sure which is better. I know over-monitoring can produce false responses but undermonitoring is not good either. I just had a friend who was due with her first choose a midwife who didn't monitor the baby and her baby was stillborn. Very sad but not that uncommon. Remember that just monitoring the baby's heart doesn't give a good indication if the baby is really in destress. I am, like you, very against c/s and think they are done way too often when not necessary but at the same time of course any mom (i would think) would rather have a c/s than a stillborn. So these are just things to consider too. To answer your question, no I do NOT think having a birth center birth is reckless at all but I do think you need to really research it and make sure they are really prepared to handle emergency situations if they do arise. Also, I know this isn't something you want to think about but for me, even though I really wanted a birth center birth I ended up choosing a hospital midwife because for me I know I could not have lived with myself had something gone wrong. I would have always wondered "had I been in the hospital would the baby have made it", etc. Birth IS a natural thing and I know you had a bad experience with a hospital midwife but there are good ones out there. Mine let me labor for 26 hours and never even mentioned c/s to me. So there are good ones at hospitals if you can find one. Good luck with whatever you decide and I hope you have a GREAT AWESOME birth no matter where you end up going.

I would say this decision is not reckless. I would imagine the hospital is nearby the birth center you've chosen, right? I am pregnant with my third and wanted to do a birthing center, but my husband is totally uncomfortable with the idea so I've agreed to stick with the hospital. My husband does everything he can to make sure I'm safe and secure and I want him to feel like me and the baby are safe. Plus if he's uncomfortable and nervous then it's going to make me uncomfortable and nervous. I think if you and your husband are fine with it, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

(Also I don't know that I agree that hospitals inherently cause more high risk situations. I was induced with my first two - with the second child, I didn't have an epidural (had already prepared myself for a natural birth after having an epidural with the first) and aside from having an IV in my arm, it was as natural as any other birth. My doctor tried to make it as natural as she could considering it was an induction by letting me walk around, get in the tub, use the birthing ball. I think the hospital situation is more based on interactions with the doctor.

How close is your birthing center to a hospital? Some are right next door. I don't think it's reckless unless you have some issue that has happened in a previous pregnancy or that your doctor is monitoring. I have some friends recently who have delivered at home and that makes me far more nervous. One was a VBAC, and I would have been very nervous to do that, but to be in a birthing center with their experts on hand and having had no previous problems, I don't think it's a reckless idea. I DID personally like being in a hospital "just in case" but everyone's different. Problems can arise at any moment with any pregnancy but you have no reason to think that will happen with you. I'm sure they're just concerned, and a lot of it is also a fear of the "unknown." They may feel a birthing center is all new agey and weird because of their own experiences.

A good, reputable, and safe facility would never let you deliver there...if you were anything but low risk. Now there is always the chance of having to be transferred to a hospital, but usually it's very small. My only real advice, is to make sure your facility is close to a hospital. I live in the DFW are and traffic can be terrible around certain times of day. If you were to get stuck in rush hour traffic, would you make it on time? Those things should be considered "just in case." The ONLY reason I mention those things, is I had a friend who lost her baby. She had a very straight forward, "easy" pregnancy. The baby became very distressed and they immediately transferred her to a hospital. Her facility was 30 minutes from the closest hospital and they just didn't have that long. I'm not trying to alarm you, because most births at birthing centers are completely straight forward. After my friends experience, I just bring that to anyone's attention, so something like that can be avoided. Good luck with everything!!

I had one at a birthing center, and it was wonderful.

Seriously, do you think that there would even be birthing centers if they were reckless in this day and age? What OBGYN would even consider it if it were reckless, not because of what harm they might inflict because I am sure that there is that rare doctor who really does not care, but because no insurance company would take that risk!

You won't be admitted to such a facility if you are not just a good candidate, but a supurb candidate. If there is even a wisper of a rumor that you might need to be in a hospital, you will be.

As for pitocin, it is pretty flaming of you to say that it is a bad drug. All chemotherapy drugs would be bad for someone without cancer, but I assume that you would see how rediculous that statement would be. Insert any type of drug that you don't need, and it could be called bad. That was not just a misstatement because there is a layperson debate about induction and epidural both that leads to a decidedly nasty superiority of whose experience was better, which is only helpful to the women who need that kind of one-up-manship for what ever twisted reason. I have no idea how anyone would choose either one of these things if they were not offered nor needed in thier situation. I mean, really, are you supperior to anyone else because you have a high pain tolerance or your uterus contracted properly, because that is how that kind of statement comes off.

Infant and maternal mortality are very low in this country. Maybe you would have been one of the Mom's who survived 100 years ago, and I wouldn't, but unless you are going to follow some kind of eugenic adgenda, that does not make how I delivered my children bad.

Frankly, I just don't see why you needed to bash pitocin and epidural to ask your question about how you convince two people you disagree with that your idea is better than theirs is. Pot...meet kettle.

M.

I say good for you! My first pregnancy I wanted to go all natural, but my doctor told me my baby was getting too big & convinced me to be induced, which led to all sorts of other things I didn't want, including an epidural and a 2nd degree episiotomy. It was a horrible experience and I am still bitter towards my doctor. Now I am pregnant with #2 and I wanted to find a birth center but there are none in my area. Instead I am having a doula and a new OB who is very natural-minded. My mom and MIL are skeptical about the doula, but my MIL had 2 c-sections and my mom had 2 horrible induced births that lasted for days. See if your mom & MIL will visit the birth center with you - maybe if they talk to the staff they will feel better about it like you do. A good birth center should have the capabilities to deal with most of the problems you mentioned, I'm sure if you asked they could tell you lots of stories!

After having a terrible "midwife" experience at a hospital, I had my second at home. My lord! It was amazing!

Scientific studies show that home-birth outcomes are as good if not better than hospital outcomes, with birthing centers being the best.. Real scientific evidence shows this. I think it was a Canadian study if you want to google it.

I gave birth in a hospital, and so glad I did because I had to have an emergency c-section. BUT that was my first birth, so I didn't know anything. I now know that my body can't have a natural birth, no matter how badly I want one.

This is your third, and if everything was textbook the first two times, I would feel comfortable going to a birthing center. How close is the center to the hospital. What are their processes, procedures if this is necessary? What experience does your midwife have? I think that if you can answer these questions, that your family will understand that you have thought this through and are comfortable with the center.

I just wanted to applaud you on having the sense to think for yourself! (from experience, not too many people do that...). I know you have a ton of responses, so I'll make it short! I had one hospital birth and one birthing center and if we decide for a third, we would be doing a home birth with the midwife from the birthing center. If you need a recommendation, let me know. Remember, people fear what they do not know, so that's probably where they're coming from. And, I'm sure your midwife told you this, the atmosphere at the birth can affect your baby's delivery. So, if they are making you uncomfortable by still not wanting you to deliver at a birth center, I would not have them in the room because they can make you feel uncomfortable and (yes) that can cause you to have a difficult labor. Congrats!

Hi K,
I did have a home birth. It was the most special, loving, wonderful experience in my life. I knew in my gut I did not want to go to the hospital again (I deliverred in the hospital my first daughter and have to fight the nurses to let me breastfed her during her first hours and night). I also knew in my gut that it was safe and that was what I needed. After all, it was my body and my delivery. It took me 7 months to convince my husband...once he was on track, I did not care about family (parents and in laws)... They, in fact, never accepted our reckless irresponsability...and we did not care. We were pretty well informed by our doctor (a doctor attended the delivery) and he had me monitored all the time during labor via a portable doppler. We reviewed lots of literature from the Netherlands- where deliveries at home are normal- and we structured our birthing plan. The doctor also told us that we have to be open minded and accept a PLAN B, if there were any complications. We checked the nearest hospital to our home and knew, in case of a C-section- that it would have been a RESPECTED, HUMANE intervention too. My son, now a year old, was born in the door of our main bathroom and he was so calm and peaceful during the delivery that he continued to be sleep for ten more minutes.
A birthing center is more "secure" than a home birth and I´m sure that you will be fine... Go with your gut, your instinct...and have a plan b..
GOOD WISHES FOr your delivery
E.

I have 3 children. The first was at a hospital. We almost sued it was so bad and left me so emotinally distressed it took ages to get over it. (I should add..my son and I were fine the whole time-they were just *THAT BAD* at pushing things to have it their way-when I refused the OB decided to treat me as high risk on the spot just because I wasn't doing it her way, not because there was any medical reason-I still refused) My second 2 were born at a free standing birth center. I had to drive to the other side of town to get there. If we were ever to find ourselves expecting another child we would go there in a heart beat! They have many items in case of emergencies and the hospital was only a few blocks down the road were problems to arise. My last child I was about to turn 39. A traditional OB would have considered me high risk for nothing more than my age. When hearing my medical history, known that I had 2 children already and how the pregnancy went smoothly I was treated like any other pregnant woman. Both children were born without problems. They have to get medical training and certifications.

I had a healthy baby at home. My mom and MIL were against it, too, but my wonderful wonderful midwife suggested that we have a meeting at our home so that they can talk to her and she can put them at ease. Also, you can buy her (and yourself) a copy of Henci Goer's The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth which is a compilation of statistical information on birth practicies and their effects. It's an eye opener and an written in an easy to digest way. It's not preachy, it's numbers. Anyone who ignores statistics and goes with emotion in my humble opinion can just deal with their own emotions.

Most bc's are located near a hospital and have a backup plan.

Also, read Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. You have to get past the hippy lingo, but she and the other midwives she works with have been keeping statistics on home birth since the 60s. Immaculate statistics and the outcomes are FAR FAR FAR better than the outcome of any hospital in America. (To be fair, though, hospitals do get more high risk patients than the midwives -- still, that does not account for much if you look at the numbers).

I think birthing a healthy baby in a hospital is reckless, personally. The numbers don't lie. But we all do what we believe is best for ourselves and our babies. I wish you a safe, healthy, peaceful birth whatever you decide.

KUDOS to you for standing up to your midwife (what the heck was she thinking???). That isn't an easy thing to do.

my vote is for the hospital....since you seem to be strong-minded & well-informed. I believe you have the ability to stand firm & refuse the drugs you wish to avoid. I also believe that....even if the other 2 deliveries were textbook.....you cannot predict the outcome of this delivery. Anything can happen.

I have had 3 deliveries: 1st-vaginal w/ pitocin & epidural. My son went thru respiratory distress & developed pneumonia as the result of aspirating meconium. Broken collarbone, too. He was a big baby. None of this was the fault of the staff.....it was "life". All precautions were taken with care.

2nd delivery: my daughter was in stress, had mulitple heart/lung defects-not caught during course of pregnancy nor during monitoring. Again, pitocin/epidural....ending in c-section. We almost lost her during delivery.

3rd: non-productive labor, once again. Water broke & still no sign of progression 21 hours later. Pitocin.....& then all natural vaginal childbirth! He was our only healthy baby at delivery.....& we were thankful.

I am not telling you this to scare you. I do feel that anything can happen, at any time. As parents, it's up to us to provide the best for our family. With our daughter's birth, that transfer time was critical.....being moved from a regional hospital to a children's hospital....& heartbreaking. Transfers are h*** o* all involved.

I do want to mention that while I applaud the advances in medicine, I too avoid as many drugs as possible. Sometimes, we are placed in a position where we have no choice. At the time of my 1st child, epidurals were the norm. By the time my youngest son was born, I knew better! Good Luck on a safe & speedy delivery.

I am a first-time mother...probably not as knowledgeable as some of the women who have have two or more children. I opted for an all natural child-birth. It's what I have always wanted. I went with a midwife and there was a doctor on hand if there were complications...we delivered in a hospital, though if there were a birthing center close by I would have chosen that option. I feel that women's bodies were made to have children. Duh! But that as times have changed we tend to treat birth as a serious medical condition...using heavy drugs that pass on to the child (epidural)...we are wheeled into the hospital (we can walk just fine and it helps labor to progress), we are propped up in bed on our backs when that kind of defeats the purpose of gravity (which helps deliver the child)...when a woman is left alone with someone to coach her through it instead of prod and poke her throughout the ordeal things progress at their own pace...she will walk, turn over, get on all fours...whatever necessary to deliver her child. Being numbed from the waist down does no one any good and leaves you feeling like crud afterward (so I have been told :) I was up and walking after the birth of my child...episiotomy and all as we did have complications...my midwife handed it all great! Anyway...point being...doctors induce more frequently to suit their schedules even when it's not medically necessary!

I answered your previous question about my wonderful birthing center experience, but I wanted to add that I too had opposition from my Mom and MIL. I took both of them to different prenatal visits and it changed their minds completely. I think a lot of people have a very skewed image in their heads of what a birth center really is. My Mom thought it was set up like a doctors office and I would give birth on a little examining table and then pack up and go home!! She couldn't have been more wrong!