I was planning an unassisted chilbirth for my second child while we were in vacation down in Florida.

Thank goodness for a low carb/BFL diet and exercise program! My hormones were right on track and enabled me to follow through with my plan. I had about 4 hours of labor before my water broke in the bathroom. I could barely tell my husband, who was in the room outside watching/entertaining my 2 year old, before I felt a strong urge to push (head) and immediately another urge to push (body). All I could call out was "BABY!!!"

Within 2 hours we were all ready to go out and introduce George to the world. Within 4 hours we were at the local grocery store buying some grass-fed lamb!

Now I'm tandem nursing with plenty of milk and back in my pre-pregnancy clothes (could wear them 1 week afterward!). I just wanted to share my story of one strong woman among many who possess strength without even knowing it. And, low carb certainly ensures the best hormonal state to be in to exhibit strength. Hope this inspires!

Great job

Glad you had such a great experience. I've done midwife assisted homebirths myself, but I have always been very interested in doing it alone. My DH and I don't plan on anymore children...not that the last one was planned, lol...so I'll probably never get my chance.

Thanks for posting, I love to read birth stories

Great work.

Yes, you get a such a feeling of power from giving birth to your baby. I had planned a home birth with a midwife, but my last baby was so fast (19 minutes from start to finish) that she was born in the bathroom before the midwife could get there.

I had 3 natural childbirths and LC through all 3 pregnancies. I also felt that the LC made me very "strong," even the last 2 PG's where I did not exercise AT ALL, compared to the first one, where I walked right up to the day I gave birth.

It is an amazing experience, natural childbirth. I would not change a thing about the way *I* managed my births--not the doctor, not the nurses but ME. Well, that's not exactly true. Maybe I would let them break my water BEFORE 10 cm...my bag of waters was VERY STRONG I guess! Held intact until 10 cm, 3 times! I think I would have avoided several hours of additional labor if I had let them break it earlier...since both the last 2 babies came out with the next contraction!

Home births are down right dangerous. I work at a hospital. We had a woman come in with a dead baby because she wanted to deliver at home. The baby was too big and it's shoulders got stuck after the head delivered. I don't know why anyone would put their baby's life and their own life at risk.

Statistics show that for women who are low risk and have planned their home birth, home is safer than hospital. No-one is agueing that hospital is the best place for someone with complications or risk factors, but there is no need to hospitalise healthy women.

I can't tell you the number of horror stories I've been told by women who've had unnecessary interventions which resulted in injury to themselves or their babies. I also know women with track records of fast births who still insisted on hospital births (because it's safer, right?) and ended up giving birth on motorways or car parks.

My last baby was 19 minutes from first contraction to birth. There was no way I'd ever had been able to get to hospital in time. At least with a planned homebirth, the midwife was only a few minutes away.

I still have to disagree. I dont see statistics anywhere that prove that home births are safer. And hospitals do not cause injuries to moms or babies.

I obviously can't comment on your hospital, but over here in Ireland, there is a policy of active management of birth, which means lots of induced labours, artifical breaking of waters, very few natural births and a high rate of instrumental and caesarian deliveries, with the associated trauma to mother and baby. There is a high rate of episiotomies, and a much higher rate of infection and illness. Breastfeeding rates are staggerling lower in hospital births.

"Birth and Beyond" by Cuidiu-ICT, a study of the various policies and intervention rates of all the Irish hospitals and home births clearly showed that home birth was at least as safe as hospital.

Wouldn’t that be a GOOD thing? I thought that episiotomies, made it easier on the mother and the baby, it would seem much more humane to have a doctor make a nice neat cut that he could sew up (as mine said to me) nice and tight when he was finished than have a babies head come forcing it’s way through and ripping you to shreds and leaving a lot more damage.

I might be mistaken, reading about child birth is not something I normally do. I’ve had two and honestly just wanted it over with in the quickest most painless manner.

I doubt I could ever possibly change your mind on this subject but I would like to point out that official statistics on out-of-hospital births are tainted. Homebirths have been lumped together with unplanned, out-of-hospital deliveries. Which would include teenagers hiding a pregnancy, mothers giving birth on the way to hospital, women delivering prematurely and unexpectedly, or those who receive no antenatal care at all.

I would also like to mention that the Dutch consider homebirth quite normal and over 1/3 of all births in the Netherlands are planned for at home.

~ Candice

They're good things when they are necessary to prevent such tearing (or more severe tearing) from happening but an episiotomy is not always necessary. In fact, sometimes the episiotomy causes greater tearing than would have occurred without it. Any time you have an incision, especially in the genital area, there is an increased risk for infection as well.
I did not need, nor did I have, an episiotomy for either of my daughter's births and they were not small babies; 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 8 lbs 5 oz. Fortunately for me, I had a doctor who didn't believe that an episiotomy was always a requirement and actively worked at easing the head through so that I wouldn't need one.

OTOH, I have to agree that giving birth at home without even a midwife present isn't a choice I'd even consider were I to have another; I see no benefit in taking such an unnecessary risk. For what? To prove how tough I am? I certainly can't see it being of any benefit to the baby. Even low risk women can develop complications without warning; things such as umbilical cords wrapped around necks, a difficult presentation, hemorrhaging, meconium aspiration are impossible to predict but once they occur require swift intervention and I doubt that most husbands are equipped to do so.
I have nothing against home births, but with a qualified midwife present, please.

Actually, it is my understanding that there are fewer OB's performing routine episiotomies. Modern research has shown that the tear can be worse because of the cut. I've had three children and I tore one time and that was with my second who shot out like a rocket! It was just a couple of small lacerations that my midwife stiched up in no time

I think episiotmies became so popular with doctors because it is easier to stich up a straight cut than a jagged tear. But when you allow the baby to crown slowly the perineum is allowed to stretch completely and the result is no tearing. My last MD/midwife and her staff had delivered 200 babies that year and only one mom tore.

To each their own though. I certainly know many women who just wanted it over with quickly and painlessly

~ Candice

Re the Episiotomy

Thanks for explaining that I understand it a little better now.

Both of my children were born in the hospital and it really was for the best. For the first, my labour stopped for two days (and it wasn’t just false labour, it was real labour and it just stopped) and when it finally did start again it came very fast so that I ended up with no anaesthetic and almost had no doctor, the nurses were begging me not to push and saying your baby has black hair. The birth itself went alright but I hemorrhaged 12 hours later and would have bled to death if I hadn’t been in a hospital.

For the second I was induced and not just for a convenience either for the Dr. or myself. I had already been classified as a high risk pregnancy because of two miscarriages and the history of the first birth. The baby was two weeks over-due and ultra sounds showed that he had stopped growing. After a few days of inducing and hours and hours of them telling me it’ll be the next contraction, you’ll have your baby. The contractions stopped. Obviously for both births hospital was the only place for me.

I can see why you'd want to have your baby at home...however you really should take into consideration that if your baby becomes hypoxic or it's heart rate drops, theres simply nothing you or a midwife can do at home. You can have a natural birth in the hospital with no drugs, it would be alot safer. Just my opinion