Hi! Thought I'd introduce myself over here. I'm also looking for opinions/input on a home birth v. birth center.
I'm 34 years old and have been on BZ since I got pregnant with twins in 2008, born in November 2008. In addition to the twins, we have a 17-month-old singleton, born in December 2010. I'm now over 17 weeks pg with my fourth and final baby -- a BOY after having three girls! We're so excited.
Anyway, my other babies were all hospital births. The twins were vaginal, but with pretty much every intervention you can think of. The singleton was an unintended natural birth and was such an amazing experience. For this baby, I've switched to a midwife for another natural birth, this time out of hospital.
So now, I could really use some input/opinions. I'm torn on whether to birth at home or at the center. Some pros/cons I'm thinking:
Birth center pros
-Close to hospital in case of transfer
-Has all amenities on hand, already clean
-Don't have to worry about buying stuff for midwives' comfort
-No kids around
-Beautiful bed-and-breakfast setting
-Feeling of "going somewhere" to birth; maybe makes it feel more "official" or exciting somehow?
Birth center cons
-Have to pack up and go home soon after birth (usually within 8 hours) - might feel rushed
Home birth pros
-Have everything I like at hand - my own towels, shower/tub, food/drinks, furniture
-Don't have to leave afterward
Home birth cons
-I would be neurotic about keeping the house clean for the midwives. Silly, but it's "my thing"
-What about our three kids? During the day, they could go with ILs, but if I labor at night, I might be hesitant to make too much noise/vocalize so as not to wake them
-Have to have things on hand for midwives' comfort (food/drinks = shopping, $$)
-We're renting this house, so there's the fear of any clean-up/stains for deposit purposes. Also the feeling that the memories we make during the birth stay here when we move out.
What do you all think?
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Oh and my DH helped me keep the house clean and cleaned the entire house while I was in early labor while waiting for the midwives to arrive.


