I hadn't planned a homebirth...some background... My baby was due on 24th November & I wanted every pain relief option going. I began to lose my plug on a Thursday and the following Tuesday I phoned my MW at 11am to ask whether the amount I was losing was normal, which it was. I didn't think too much of it because it was 6th November and I still had 3 weeks to go..and I thought I would go 2 weeks overdue. The backache that had kept me up during the night was getting stronger and I could have sworn that it was coming in waves. At 2.00 pm I phoned the mw back and said I thought I was having contractions.
When she arrived at 2.30 and examined me I was 9.5 cm dilated!! The options were: go to hospital, being blue lighted in an ambulance with the possibility that we might not make it in time or.. have the baby at home! He was born at 4.30pm and it was great. I had 3 midwives all to myself (my mw was about to finish her shift and I think you need 2 at a homebirth). We covered the lounge floor with towels and sheets and the 2nd mw bought me a bottle of gas (which I hardly used) and didn't leave till about 8ish.
My care was excellent and we were delighted that there were no visiting hours etc - my parents and brother came to see the baby hours after he was born, we had chinese takeaway for tea, and no risk of any nasty hospital germs!