But my midwife is already warning us that, with second babies, things don’t always go according to plan.

We may have to prepare ourselves for a home birth, our midwife said, should the baby, who we long ago dubbed Lil’ Bean, decide to make a speedy arrival into the world. I would welcome a quick labour and delivery, especially after the 32-hour marathon I experienced with my two-year-old son Oliver, but I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea of a home birth.

I’ve heard of many women who have had safe, uncomplicated, even wonderful births at home. Even when the home birth is completely unexpected – as it was for Toronto’s Michelle Rochelle who delivered her daughter, Waverley, a year ago on her bathroom floor with the help of her husband and a 911 operator – the outcome is still a happy, healthy baby.

But for many reasons, from the medical to the practical, my husband and I want a hospital birth for our second child, as we did with Oliver.

Should there be any complications, especially for the baby, I want to be close to the medical experts. This point was driven home following Oliver’s birth at a downtown Toronto hospital when my midwives were concerned I had not yet delivered the placenta. They paged the obstetrician on call, who breezed into the room moments later, it seemed, trailed by a pack on interns. Within a minute or two, out came the placenta on its own and the doctor, along with the interns, sailed out of the room after offering his congratulations.

All’s well that ends well, but I can’t help but think about the what ifs – what if I have the same problem after delivering Bean and what if it doesn’t resolve itself as quickly the second time around. I would much rather be in a hospital.

I also like the idea of delivering a baby in a clean, well-equipped hospital room. While I like to think I keep a clean home, it can be tough keeping up with the dust, dog hair and cookie crumbs that collect on my floors while chasing after a busy two-year-old boy. I don’t want to be kicking dust bunnies as I pace the floor in the later stages of labour.

And, quite frankly, births can be quite messy. When my water broke last time, it soaked the bed and the floor. After delivering Oliver, I left a trail of bloody footprints as I made my way to the bathroom for a shower. My husband said it looked like a crime scene. But the hospital had a seemingly limitless supply of gowns, bedding and cleaning supplies to deal with the mess and I didn’t have to fret about stained floors or mattresses.

(We also moved into a new home over the weekend. While we are slowly digging out from the pile of boxes, I’m not sure if we’ll be properly settled in time for Bean’s arrival. We’re also sleeping on a mattress on the floor because our headboard wouldn’t fit up our narrow stairs. Not an ideal setting to deliver a baby.)

My husband and I – well, mostly me – don’t want an entourage for the delivery. Just us and the midwives. If we’re at home, there’s a chance Oliver will be there and we don’t want to expose him to the birth. He’s simply too young to understand. On a lighter note, the dog will also be home. I keep having these horrible visions of the dog poking her nose over the end of the bed at a crucial moment during the delivery, wagging her tail and looking to play. Also, not ideal.

Despite all my reasons for wanting a hospital birth, I may very well end up delivering at home. I can’t control when this baby will come. It’s a good lesson in parenting – life with kids can be unpredictable and sometimes you need to adapt.

Now, where did I pack the cleaning supplies?

-- Sarah Green

   sarahg@babyontheway.ca