While it might sound nice, I would never do it. How awful to carry a healthy baby to term and then loose it when a hospital would of had the knowledge to prevent it from happening in the first place. I couldn't take a chance. My heart goes out to your friend. I have heard good things about home births as well, maybe this midwife wasn't as qualified as she should have been and maybe she could have caught it early enough. I know how scary and sterile hospitals are but they are the place that are best prepared if anything unscene comes along in your pregancy. Why take a chance.

Hello,
I am Cate Cradle, a member of the Cradle team. Congratulations to all of you on your pregnancies and/or new babies! I would like to suggest an article that may be helpful with this particular topic:

Different Birthing Options

I agree with Sesa. I have one child, born at home successfully and I am planning another in June. Wouldn't do it any other way. However, I chose that option because that is where I felt myself and my baby would be safest. My midwife monitored the baby all the way through my labor, especially during pushing...she had the doppler on me constantly. She is also trained in giving life saving treatments if needed. Research, research, research!! Don't just go with what friends, your mother, or even doctor say. Trust that you have done all the right research to make an informed decision.

I think there are good and bad for all births. I, myself will never give birth, in a hospital again, if it can be avoided. I had 2 hospital births for my 2 oldest children, and it was horrid. being tied to a bed, is not natural for birthing. Plus my second daughter contracted RSV at the hospital, and wound up back at less than 2 weeks old, for over a week. It was scary.
My 3rd was born at a birth center, and it was very nice. Except, i labored at home for 27 hours, went to the birth center, had the baby a couple hours later, and left 2 hours after that. Why did i feel the need for the car ride mid labor??
I have also had 2 stillborn children born at home. We knew they had died, before the birth, and i chose to keep on with my plans to have the babies at home. It was a very intimiate situation, and i had wonderful peaceful births with them. I would not have wanted a bunch of strangers around me then.
I am now pregnant again, planning another homebirth, no matter the outcome of this pregnancy. Unless i have my 20 week US that shows there is something wrong with the baby, that would warrant a hospital birth. My midwife is well trained and i LOVE her. She is an amazing woman.
I feel, in general, the medical community tries to scare women from having home births. But really, homebirths have been aruond since the beginning of man. yes some babies die., yes some moms die, but generally there are more complications with hospital births, becasue of all of the interventions. If you dont Dilate fast enough, they want to give you pit, which then leads to epidural and or, over stimulation, fetal heart drop, then forecep delivery, or c section, that would not have had to happen, if the mom was allowed to labor as her body would labor.
Anyway, guess i could write a book on the subject. I just really wish ppl would not be so afraid of what they dont understand, and that people were not so quick to judge, when something does go wrong.

So we are 20 weeks now. And we found out it's a girl and everything is fine and healthy. So we are actually considering going for the home birth.
I agree about being strapped to the bed at the hospital. That's what happened with my first.
Then I found out...I have options! With my second child...I told them I didn't want to be hooked up for anything I want to walk around my room and use the birthing tubs.(check with your hospitals about these options)
My second birth was soooo much more enjoyable. Perfect.

So I want to do the homebirth and make it even more intimate and special (to me).

Home births can be nice if you have a well trained, experienced, licensed mid-wife, but I dont think I'd do it personally. I have 2 children, both delivered without a problem and came quite quickly, so I'm a little worried my 3rd may come before I make it to the hospital, but I'm going anyway. The hospital has so many tools immediately available for anything unexpected that it makes me feel safer, plus I enjoy not having to worry about cleaning up afterword or what I'm having for dinner. It's nice to be taken care of for a couple days.

Ok. So I just recently watched this movie on Netflix after your suggestion...it *is* very interesting!

I would recommend this movie to all preggos.

It gives you the facts and statistics of Home births vs hospital births. It also talks about the interventions in hospitals that actually cause more problems than helps. And increases the c-section rate in our country.

It definitely reports about how hospitals want ladies in and out as quickly as possible even if that means to up the pitocin and cause fetal heart rate to increase which ends in a c-section.

Ricki Lake is in it...and it follows her through her birthing experience.

Check it out ladies.