Giving birth by myself????????

Question

I want to try and give birth by myself in a bathtub with the help of some friends in my sorority. I am only 19 and want to spare some medical costs by doing this outside of the hospital i went through most of my pre-natal care. I am wondering what the risks are for home birth?I am due in the next week or two and this was a last minute change of plans.

I have a thing where i hate hospitals

I have had a healthy pregnancy this far and if something goes wrong one of my sorority sister can drive me to a hospital that 20 min away.

How much do mid wifes cost?

Answer 1

USE YOUR BRAIN. This is the welfare of your child we are talking about. 2 minutes deprived of oxygen can cause permanent brain damage. Get help paying for the hospital bills later. don't jeopardize your baby's health for a few bucks.

Answer 2

Even if everything is perfect and there are no complications, when the pain hits you, you will WANT to go to the hospital. Have you heard of an episiotomy? It is a cut that the doctors give you to prevent the head from ripping open your vagina. A slit is easier to stitch and heal than a rip. Not to mention, how will they know if the blood they see is from the birth, or from you ripping? You could bleed to death! What if all the after birth doesn't come out? Do you know that you can DIE from that? What will happen to your child if you die...have your sorority sisters figured that part out too??

It isn't the best interest of you or your child to give birth at home. I know people did it back in the day, but there were a lot more pregnancy related deaths back then also. It is a natural process, but with so much at stake, why risk anything going wrong?

Why didn't you consult the help of a mid-wife (who is a trained professional) if you wanted to save cost on the hospital and have your baby at home. Women still do that very safely, but they get a professional there to oversee and assist with the delivery and even a trained mid-wife will call a doctor if things get too complicated!!

Answer 3

You need someone skilled in birth care.

I'm not exactly a fan of hospital births. I had my first baby in a hospital and the 2nd and 3rd at home. However, I never had an unassisted birth. I had a very experienced midwife attend my homebirths.

A midwife carries oxygen with her as well as other emergency equipment and can resuscitate mother and/or baby if necessary. Can your sorority pals do that? Birth emergencies can come very fast! Do your sorority pals know how to prevent perineal tears? Do they know what to do if there's meconium in the amniotic fluid? Can they do perinatal CPR if the baby doesn't breathe? Can they sew you up if you have a third degree tear? Do they know what to do if you hemorrhage and are bleeding to death through your uturus?

Midwives are trained to handle all these emergencies and more. I have given birth three times and attended, as a coach, several other births and I will tell you right now that even if you have a completely normal birth with no complications, you will still need experienced care.

If you don't already have a midwife, it's too late for that option. Be a responsible mother and go to the hospital! Don't take chances with your child's life! Or yours!

edited to add:
Here in my hometown, midwives charge about $1500 for pre-natal and birth care, and none of the local midwives will even consider attending a birth if the mother only contacts them within two weeks of the due date.

GO TO THE HOSPITAL - BE A GOOD MOM! Sorry for yelling, but honey, you're scaring me big time! Post again and tell us that you're going to do the smart thing!

Answer 4

well home births are more common...Make sure u have a good midwife....if your pregnancy is going well and u are not high risk then if it truly what u want then i see nothing wrong with it...However, u must understand there are many risks in any labor and they will be at a higher risk the farther away from a medical facility...If u are a first time mother it is difficult to know how easily u will pass the baby. It will depend on the size of your pelvis.... first make sure u have a birthing plan....u must understand that even though u start the birth at home it does not mean things will go your way... if the baby shows any signs of distress, pain management issues, or any other serious problems arise then u will need to go to the hospital so keep a bag packed just in case....and just because your pregnancy is normal now doesn't mean problems wont arise later when u are more ready to give birth...if u are retaining any water or have high blood pressure at all please be safe and give birth in a hospital...that will put u at risk for seizures..i have seen what these symptoms can do and do not wish it upon anyone...It is up to you to do what u feel is right for your birthing experience but please think of the safety of u and your child first...

Answer 5

This is crazy. You are looking to save money by giving birth in a bathtub with your buddies to look out for you? Unless your sorority pals are doctors, this is a very bad idea. Please rethink this plan. Aren't you covered under your parent's medical insurance?

You need to at least hire a certified midwife, not your college chums, to deliver the baby. I bet this would be less expensive than a hospital birth, and you could still do it at home. Just know that if you or the baby needs lifesaving care, you won't be in a hospital and you might not be able to get there in time. Also, they won't be able to give you an epidural or other strong pain meds if you can't take the pain. Talk to a midwife about this.

However, if you have no medical insurance and are low-income, your state Medicaid or State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) program will pay for a hospital delivery, if you qualify. Depends on your income. As a college student, you might qualify. Have you looked into this option?

Answer 6

I had a fairly uncomplicated pregnancy, had my daughter after 14 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing. The real trouble didn't start until afterwards.

My nurses (who I kept telling something was wrong and warned that I could possibly have problems) let me sit there for two hours and hemorrhage. I lost a lot of blood and almost had to have a blood transfusion. I could have died from this.

I have to say I think it is a VERY bad idea to have you and your friends deliver the baby on your own. You need someone there with you. Not only for the baby, but for you also. You should have this baby in a hospital, but should you choose not to, you must have a health care professional with you the entire time. The Pre-natal classes will not prepare you for handling your own birth.

I have known people who have had home births, but they do it in the presence of a midwife. Maybe I am reading this incorrectly, but it sounds like you wouldn't have anyone but you and your friends there. In my opinion, bad idea.

Answer 7

What are you going to do if the cord gets wrapped around the baby's neck and it dies during birth...what are you going to use to cut the cord once it's born. Are you bringing the baby in after it's born...? Most hospitals will except payment plans and if you have already paid your dr (that is the case here...pay before the baby is born), then most of your cost are already gone. What happens if you can't deliver and a C-section is granted...? There are so many things that can go wrong and if something happens to your baby are you willing to take the consequences...jail perhaps!

Answer 8

Sweetheart, giving birth is a very stressful thing for not only the mother, but the child too! If you don't want to go to the hospital, atleast have a midwife there. The baby needs certain medications after they are born, and they need to be looked at, and so do you!

Answer 9

Women used to give birth at home all the time with only their friends present, but women used to die all the time in childbirth too. If costs are that big of a worry for you look into getting Medicaid. And if you hate hospitals that much defenitely get a home midwife. Good luck! I hope for your sake that you are able to endure the pain and that it isn't as long as most first babies are.

Answer 10

i dont thi k its a very good idea at all! 20 mins away is a long time if there is a complication! they dont normally reccomend home births on first one and thats with a midwife there! whats more important the babies life or medical costs and also you could be putting your self at risk do any of your friends know how to deliver a baby and the placenta! trust me just do it the right way! better to be safe than sorry x

Answer 11

i think its irresponsible. what are the risks? death to you or your child. those are the risks with any birth. what if you tear badly? bleed a lot? hemmorhage? what if the baby's cord is around the neck (quite common actually). this is why they monitor you and the baby in the hospital, to make sure the baby's heartrate isnt dropping at any time which would require a c-section. WHen i was in labor with my last child, his heart rate would get really low if i was in a certain position, how will you knwo this if you're not being monitored? i guess i just dont get why ANYONE would take a risk with your child's life? its not something you can take back.