Mumsnet Talk

www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/health-and-beauty-in-wales/2011/02/05/wales-delivers-on-home-birth-rates-91466-28109298/

after watching 'call the midwife' it seems to me homebirth was quite common in the 1950.

when did hospital birth become a common

When they realised that birth was a major cause of infant mortality and death amongst women I suppose

Just this week:

www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/family/birth/home-birth-advocate-dies-in-home-birth-1.1225581

London - A passionate advocate of home births has died after her own home labour.

Australian campaigner Caroline Lovell, 36, went into cardiac arrest while giving birth to her second daughter, Zahra, at her home.

She was taken to hospital but died the next day. Her daughter survived.

Many women are told they aren't allowed to HB because there aren't enough MW's it's really sad. If I was ever told this I'd be tempted to tell them to stick it and birth without them...

what trois said..

why put yourself and your child at risk, when the facilities to provide emergency assistance in seconds is available..

nobody can foresee what problems there might be at a birth, so why take the chances..

When the nhs was up and running and could provide maternity (inc birthing) services. Hooray!

What trois said too!!!

Child birth may be natural, but it's also natural for lots of women and babies to die during this natural process. Access to modern medicine means that fewer women and babies die.

I am a HB advocate. Women die giving birth in hospitals too lets not forget.

Agree with trois and squeaky.

I wanted a home birth with DD1 however good job my DH talked me out of it, she got stuck coming out and had a very hairy birth. Unlikely either of us would have survived without all the immediate medical assistance we got in hospital. Even then it wasn't plain sailing.

Why take the risk? It's just not worth it. Birth is a means to an end, the end being a healthy mother and baby. To put that at risk for the mothers own birth 'experience' is a best irresponsible and at worst selfish.

Obviously I feel strongly due to my experience.

because people think MLUs are a safer intermediate when infact you get MORE supervision and no less help at a HB and quicker hospital transfers from a home birth than from a MLU (unless MLU is within the hospital). If MLUs were abolished then maybe there'd be more HBs!

I was told that I'ld only get a HB if it was during the day because all my team's MWs would be either working or sleeping on call in the MLU during night shifts!

i could never have a home birth as i can not go into labour but even if i could i wouldn't

you don't get any more intermediate support in a stand alone MLU than in a home birth, less sometimes! and less supervision so stuff isn't picked up as quickly

Because many women simply aren't aware they can have a homebirth, or think they need permission to have one.

Many women equate homebirth with freebirth and don't realise you get midwife support or can transfer to hospital if need be. Many don't realise you can have gas and air and assume you don't get any pain relief.

Many people don't understand that homebirths are generally as safe as a hospital birth for most babies of low-risk mothers especially for subsequent banies or that mothers generally fare better at home than in hospital wrt intervention.

Because we've been conditioned to think that pregnancy is a medical condition and not a natural state of being, and therefore a hospital is the only safe and sensible place for all women to give birth regardless of their circumstances.

But if something goes wrong with, say, your blood pressure, where do you think your best chances are - in the medically equipped hospital or in your master bedroom with some whale music in the background?

Fliss put it a lot more eloquently than I could

What trois and squeaky said - HB wasn't ever an option for me, and thank god for a. Modern medicine and b. That i didn't care about having an uber medical birth. DS got here alive, I was alive, was a non issue for us.

I guess it's to do as well with falling levels of staff and problems with provide MW cover for HB's - tho this is wrong and should be improved - when they can't find enough midwives for individual care in hospital and MLU's...

all of what has been said previously....and.....have you seen the crap that comes out of you when you give birth, I certainly wouldn't want that all over my carpet!

"But if something goes wrong with, say, your blood pressure, where do you think your best chances are - in the medically equipped hospital or in your master bedroom with some whale music in the background?"

I'ld be safer in my master bedroom in an attended HB with a MW who notices deterioration as soon as it starts and calls for help/transfer

There are NO paediatricians or Obs in the hospital the MLU here is attached to! The MWs there are not used to dealing with any complicated births and are as useful as chocolate teapots if you don't go to plan! they are de-skilled! Why do people think MLUs (other than the ones down the corridoor from a proper mat unit) are any safer?

but seriously though, I live in a flat, don't want my neighbours hearing me bray!

This normally turns into a bunfight...

Really though having a HB is just as 'safe' in a birthing unit.

I thought there was evidence that giving birth in a hospital was much more stressful, inhibited production of oxytocin and therefore actually stalled/ slowed labour for many women? And therefore necessitated more medical interventions overall?

Or did I dream that?

My friend had home births with 3 of her 4 DC. I gave birth to both of mine in hospital. She had more MWs in attendance than I did. If I ever have another baby, I would seriously consider a HB.

i hope it doesn't turn into a bunfight

Sorry but I had deliusions of popping kids out in a birthing pool ..... wasnt offered by our health authority - thank god because I and DS1 would ahve died if it had been a HB and DS2 and 3 would also have died without medical intervention.

Some people can birth quite easily. Some can't. I'd rather not be a statistic, or rather Im grateful I'm not.

I'd rather not be a statistic

lol, ofcourse you are....no matter how you give birth, like 97% of women give birth in hospital

I have had both and would always go for a homebirth.