Homebirth v's midwife led unit

[alicemama]

Hi everyone,

As some of may know I've been having a nightmare organising my home water birth, fighting against the whole of the community midwifery team.

Just had the sure start midwife visit and has brought round a tens machine for me to loan. Well she used to be the manager of the midwife led unit in lichfield and has been telling me all about it. It sounds lovely with a birth pool and 2 jacuzzi's and evry midwife is trained in water delivery. She says it is nothing like a normal hospital delivery suite and the midwives with adhere to my wishes as far as possible and give me the hands off delivery that I want.

I know its not the homebirth that I want but I'm worried that when the time comes for my homebirth the local community midwives will a) do all in their power to get me out of my pool or b) do all in their power to get me into hospital.

What do you girls think?? Do you have any experiences of a midwife led unit?

I'm off to have a tour around the unit tonight but need to make my mind up pretty quick as I'm 38 weeks today!

Oh and just had evil midwife on phone checking that I'm going for my antenatel app tomorrow....definately do not want her to attend if I have homebirth!

[Gobbledispook]

Is Lichfield nr Buxton so Derbyshire way? IF so, my friend had both her babies there and loved it!

I had all mine in hospital but the last 2 were domino births - so I went in and got a 'domino birth room' which was much bigger and nicer than the normal rooms because the plan is that you stay in that room and go home from there rather than up to the ward. You only have domino if you are really not planning on pain relief and you are only cared for by midwives - so it was kind of a midwife led 'unit' within the hospital.

Both of those births were fantastic - they were so straightforward and easy I could have had them at home but I preferred the safety net of the hospital and the fact that I didn't have to worry about my toddlers wandering in or waking up from their sleep!

Ds3's birth was fabulous - I only had one midwife who stayed with me the whole time and she gave me a birthing ball which was amazing. Apart from a small amount of gas and air around transition, that was it.

I went in at about 2.45am, gave birth at 4.45am and was home by 11am.

Marvellous!

[Miaou]

I gave birth to ds in a midwife-led unit, in a birthing pool. In Scotland so I don't know if that means it would be different to England. It was a fabulous experience, one I hope to repeat in the next year or so. I had the offer of g&a and morphine for pain relief but didn't need any. I stayed in overnight (having given birth at 2.15am) and was glad I did as ds didn't sleep at all, had a lovely auxiliary who walked him up and down the corridors so I could get some kip! Would definitely recommend it alicemama. I'm sure if it is a good place you will pick up on those "vibes" when you go to visit.

[CADS]

Hi Alicemama

Have you had any luck with water birth and how was the midwife-led unit?

CADS

[flamesparrow]

I had DD in a midwife unit, and I had a great birth experience (waterbirth).

I am planning a homebirth this time, but that is more to do with wanting to be at home straight after, than the actual birth.

[Enid]

I had both dds in a midwife led unit

the midwives were great but it still felt like a hospital to me..which is why I am hoping to have number 3 at home.

[Bozza]

DD was born at home and it was a brilliant experience. But I have heard good things about midwife led units. One of the things I wanted though was to not have the journey (longish to either hospital or unit) and to be at home afterwards. Midwife only arrived 25 minutes before DD was born and was really brilliant (btw that was my fault because I did't ring until less than an hour before she was born and said I wasn't sure if she needed to come out! It was Saturday am and so she just called to check and came in her civvies not uniform. Whoops!).

[hunkermunker]

Having followed your thread about your midwive's unpleasantness, I would say you have nothing to lose by seeing what the unit's like - it might be lovely.

Good luck with the tour and I'm sure you'll know if it's where you want to have your baby by the time you've been round it.

[mears]

It is worth looking round the midwife unit and seeing how you feel. There is little point in having a homebirth which may be a nightmare because of the attitude of the midwives.

The alternative would be to hire an independant midwife which can be done even at this late stage. You could then pursue the hospital to cover that cost as you have been forced down that road due to their inability to provide the care you want (can't promise success but it would really rattle their cage)

Good luck with whatever you decide. I am just so sorry that you have been subjected to this.

[colditz]

Oh, birthing centre's are lovely.

I had some after care at my local one (didn't have ds there but that is a different story...)

It was gorgeous and the midwives are kind.

Planning to pod bump there this time.

[bobbybob]

I birthed in a midwife led unit and I would highly recommend it. It has lots of the advantages of a home birth - like the water and the hands off attitude, nobody offering you an epidural, because the person who does them is about to go on a break and you might want one before they get back. The emphasis on the family was important to me - I could have had as many people as I wanted in the room with me (in the end it was just dh!)

Bottom line a good midwife at a birthing centre seems like a better plan than being at home with a right cow who doesn't want to be there anyway.

What is it about being at home that appeals to you - are there things you can recreate at the birthing unit?

[netter]

My only reservation (and for me it was the clinching point in me deciding to have a homebirth) is availability.

The midwife led unit closest to me does not have many beds and I personally knew of quite a few women who were booked in only to find it full on the day and so they had to transfer to the consultant unit.

I asked for the official stats on this and they were too high for my liking.

[ThomCat]

Hi Alicemama, hope you're doing well.

I had my DD in a birth centre. It was amazing. Lovely place, really nice room, and it was just me, D and the midwife in the lovely little room I stayed in. I had planned a water birth but got to the centre fully dilated and ready to push and I knew that the only position for me at that point was standing so that's what happened.
My DD ended up being born with special needs and was taken off to intensive care. The midwives got D a bed put in my room and he stayed with me and we stayed in that room for 3 days, then they moved me into another part of the hospital and lottie went in SCBU and then it was all good and time to leave.

This time round I fancy doing it at home, but as I'm out of the area from the hospital I'm under, (my local one is horrid and I refuse to go there) I can't have an official definate home birth. If on the night my midwife is on duty and I'm labouring well I'll stay at home, if not I'm happy to go in to the birth centre and maybe gt to use the pool this time?

Good luck in whatever you decide / whatever happens. Hope it's a great experience for you.
love TC x

[alicemama]

Thanks for your opinions Girls.

Have decided to book into unit as its lovely, nothing like the hospital at all. They average only 1 birth a day, so I have an extremely good chance of using the pool but even if its in use they have 2 deep jacuzzi tubs that I could use. It really is lovely and has given me some excitement back about my labour as after all the hassle I had with my local midwives I'd kind of lost a bit of confidence in myself. But feeling so much happier.......just have to wait for this lil one to arrive now!

alicemama 39 weeks today!

[Miaou]

alicemama, so glad to hear you've found a solution that is better suited to your needs and gets you away from those awful midwives!!! All the best to you and I hope it all goes well.

[CADS]

That's fantastic Alicemama. Glad you feeling excited again. Lets hope our babies don't make us wait too much longer.