06: Elysia + Andrew’s birth stories — choosing homebirth after UK birth centres and hospital births

Birth Choices

In this episode we hear from our very own Elysia, as she and her husband Andrew give us a snapshot of their first three birth experiences — the first two in integrated birth centres in the UK, the third in a Melbourne public hospital, before delving into what led them to choose homebirth for their most recent birth of baby number 4, at home via a publicly funded homebirth program.
We discuss the cultural and social influences on your choices around how and where to birth, as well as the journey towards choosing homebirth. We touch on Elysia’s experience of a third degree tear in her first birth (and the improved perineal outcomes with each subsequent birth), and when it came to homebirth — the common partner questions, the role of a student midwife, and their reflections on just how different that model of care, and experience of being in your own home was, for both Elysia and Andrew.

Links:

- The Great Birth Rebellion on Group B Strep (GBS) and Pushing Out Your Baby
- The Midwives Cauldron episode on Gestational Diabetes
- Rachel Reed on Big Babies
- Cochrane Review into midwifery-led continuity of care: Sandall, J., Soltani, H., Gates, S., Shennan, A., & Devane, D. (2015). Midwife-led continuity models versus other models of care for childbearing women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9, CD004667–CD004667. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004667.pub4
Birth Choices, through this website and our podcast, aims to share stories and collate information to assist you in navigating your pregnancy and birth and in discussing these choices with your chosen pregnancy care provider. The information and resources provided are informational and educational in nature and does not constitute medical or midwifery advice and shall not be construed as constituting or replacing medical or midwifery advice.
While we have worked hard to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and based on reliable and up to date evidence, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. Our website and podcast are intended to complement, and never to substitute, your midwifery or medical clinical care.