Why I am having a Home birth

This past weekend we started Child birth classes with a wonderful teacher from Louisville. The classes are called "Bradley Birth Method" and I highly recommend them. We still have 11 weeks to go in class but after just our first week we are both so excited to see what the rest of classes have in store for us. Our teacher is amazing, so informative and just such a amazing spirit.
Anyways, One of the things that influenced me to do a homebirth is that almost 12 years ago (almost to the day since my baby brother was born oct 7th and I am due the 20th) my mother had my baby brother at home with a midwife. I dont remember much from the birth since I was only 9 and wasnt actually in the room, the only thing I remember is that she was in labor in the night and we all slept through it in our rooms right across the hall.
Another aspect of it that influenced me to do homebirth was I am terrified of needles, blood, hospitals. . .etc. Seriously, the thought of getting a epidural with that huge needle in my back terrifies me more than labor pain ever could.
Then this week at our child birth class our teacher gave us some statistics on C-section rate in Louisville (where she is from, I couldnt find any info on the web for jasper or evansville)

C-SECTION RATE AT LOUISVILLE HOSPITALS

Norton Suburban---35%
University of Louisville---27%
Baptist Hospital East---31%
Norton Hospital---31%
Clark Memorial---28%
Floyd Memorial---45%

C-section rate in Kentucky in 2005 was 34%
Only 2% of the births in Louisville at hospitals were totally unmedicated
23% of women will suffer side effects from a Epidural

Now Women who Homebirth have a transfer rate of 8-16% depending on the state (which means that 8-16% of women who try to homebirth transfer to a hospital before giving birth
BUT only 3% of those women end up having to have a C-section.
So IF I would have gone to a hospital to give birth and used a OB or Certified Nurse Midwife I would have used Clark Memorial (biggest draw back was 1 hour and 10 minutes from our house) and I Would have had a 28% chance of having a c-section compared to a 3% chance I have being at home with my midwife.


So anyways, back to child birth classes, She gave us some exercises to practice that will be positions we can use in labor and one of them happens to be a squat, yeah I figured out my legs are too short to do it right. .Lol. I can get down but then keeping my feet flat on the floor like she said to and then trying to get back up I always get stuck!! Lol. But I keep trying, practicing and hopefully in a few months I will have it down!

Wednesday we go in for a ultrasound, I am so excited to see our little baby. I already have a strong feeling of what the sex is but we shall see if Im right. Chadd took the day off work and I took off from the girls on wednesday since my dr that I am seeing is in Bloomington and it takes us about an hour and a half to get there. We both have Chiropractor appointments in the morning then we will probably go ahead to bloomington and do some shopping before my appointment in the afternoon.


EDITED TO SAY:
I want to make sure I say that I think there is a time for C-sections. I am not saying all C-sections are a bad thing. If it hadnt been for a C-section I would hate to think what would have happened with my good friend Chelsa. So Im not against C-sections, just trying to prevent a un necessary one from happening to me!