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Childbirth

can you have a homebirth on the NHS?

37 replies

vnmum · 16/01/2007 17:46

i am TTC at the moment, maybe even pG now, and am weighing up my options for childbirth. after reading some of the horror stories on here and else where about the NHS i am really considering wanting a home birth but am not sure if i could afford to go private. does anyone know if they are available on the NHS and if not has anyone any other ideas for me?

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SoupDragon · 16/01/2007 17:47

Yes. Although you have to provide youyr own pool at home!

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SoupDragon · 16/01/2007 17:48

For some reason the word "water" appeared in my mind when I read your message and in fact you didn't mention waterbirth at all

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cupcakes · 16/01/2007 17:48

yes, so long as everything is straightforward with your pregnancy.

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Piffle · 16/01/2007 17:48

I'm having a homebirth on the NHS
I'm not having a pool though.
they are quite happy in most areas although will take the choice away for the slightest of reasons.

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funnypeculiar · 16/01/2007 17:50

yup - no problem ... as long as pregnancy is fairly st forwards. Might be worth looking into local mw/doc/hospital trust attitudes though - some areas are more pro-home birth than others (eg my midwife actually persuaded me to have one...!)

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funnypeculiar · 16/01/2007 17:53

Oh should say, even though I had a premature first baby and bled throughout both pregnancies. It is more unusual to have homebirths with first ones, but I think that s mostly because mums aren't confident ...

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WideWebWitch · 16/01/2007 17:53

Course you can, both my homebirths were NHS. It's your legal right!

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CocoLoco · 16/01/2007 18:06

Yes you can have a homebirth on the NHS regardless of your "suitability" - you have an absolute right to stay at home and they have a duty of care to you. Some people have to be quite assertive to get their homebirth (me for example!) but other midwives are very enthusiastic about them.

Many women choose to hire an independent midwife for a variety of reasons including not wanting to risk being hassled about their choices by an unsupportive midwife, but its not essential by any means.

www.homebirth.org.uk is the site to get info and find out what your rights are.

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vnmum · 16/01/2007 18:10

this will be my 2nd baby and after having epidural after being induced with first i want to be more in control. i fancy a water birth and am not bothered about providing my pool myself.

if you have a home birth on NHS is it your assigned community midwife that attends or is it a lottery on the day who turns up?

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SoupDragon · 16/01/2007 18:13

It's a lottery

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3rdTriMossTer · 16/01/2007 18:19

I don't know much about homebirths but if you decided not to go for one, have you considered a mw-led birthing centre? There are lots of nhs ones.

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vnmum · 16/01/2007 18:35

i have thought of a midwife led unit but am a bit worried about tthe staff shortages etc.

soupdragon - so to ensure i knew the midwife attending i would need to book an independant midwife?

anyone who has had a homebirth on NHAS, was it a problem not having the same midwife attend as you had seen previously?

i will be moving to windsor soon so that is where i am looking and i am not sure of the facilities available in the area yet

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bundle · 16/01/2007 18:36

about 3% of births are homebirths and I think Devon is the county with the highest rate (10%?)

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SoupDragon · 16/01/2007 18:36

Pretty much, vnmum. TBH it wasn't an issue for me - I wouldn't have known the midwives in hospital either.

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funnypeculiar · 16/01/2007 18:37

You would need independent mw if you wanted to guarenttee your mw - but many places now do mw teams so you may well know more than one of the mws in your 'team'. My mw briefed me extensively on which days/times I should go into labour so I could have her - didn't work, of course!

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gigglinggoblin · 16/01/2007 18:43

i am hoping to have a homebirth in about a month, my mw has been quite negative for stupid reasons but others have been really positive. i am hoping i dont get my mw on the day! this is baby no 4 and i have never seen a mw i recognise during hospital birth (all others were) so i dont think you should worry too much about that. i am also planning to have baby in the bath, my mw said no but lots of people on here have done it so i dont see why i cant

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Piffle · 16/01/2007 18:47

where I am I am seen by the 3 community midwives throughout my pregnancy, one of whom will be my main m/w when I go into labour and one who will also attend as backup
I have my babies very fast so I get the m/w who lives 2 streets away
I also have ante natal appts at my loca community hospital where there is a m/w led unit so I get to know those midwives too.

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lulumama · 16/01/2007 18:50

you can have an NHS homebirth, and if you need more information, look here...
homebirth site

and

aims - association for improvement in maternity services

our local trust has a really low home birth rate. less than 1% , and are looking to increase it

it is as safe as hospital birth, ..and being in your own environment can help you feel more secure and more settled, which is a good way to be in labour !

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oxocube · 16/01/2007 19:35

I had dc 1 at home 11 years ago and was under the impression that the local authority were legally obliged to provide a midwife at the birth. I only told my GP I was going for the home birth option at about 37 wks pg. I'm not saying he was mad keen on the idea, but as my pregnancy was normal, I was healthy and had obviously made up my mind, I don't think there was much else he could do about it TBH. He came to visit me at home the day after ds was born and was lovely - maybe he was at last convinced it was the best decision in the end.

I would thoroughly recommend home birth - dc 3 was also born at home - dc2 not, as we were living in a different country at the time and they wouldn't consider it.

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cheritongirl · 16/01/2007 21:16

as everyone else has said - yes you can have an NHS homebirth, I did for my first baby 2 months ago and would really recommend it - but my team of community midwives were very varied in their opinions of homebirth - i was really lucky that somehow in my last trimester one midwife saw me who was very pro-homebirth and really tried to stick with me and ended up delivering my LO on her very last shift in the job! It just depended on who was on call when i went in to labour - other midwives from that team would probably have carted me off the hospital coz my labour was v long indeed.
I had a doula and would REALLY recommend this - have a look at the Doula UK website - way cheaper than an independent midwife (ours was £500 and i know some charge less) and you can get to know her well before the birth which really helps with a positive birth experience - also she can be your advocate during the whole thing. All the best!

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SturdyAngel · 16/01/2007 21:21

I had my heart set on a homebirth with DS2, unfortunately went in to labour on Easter Sunday and they did not have any on call midwives to come out, was very disappointed.

So... moral of the story, make sure baby doesn't come out on a bank holiday!! I am going to have a HB with dc3, even if I have to deliver him/her myself!!

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Hallgerda · 16/01/2007 21:32

Yes - I've had two homebirths on the NHS. As others have said, different GPs and midwives have different attitudes. If it's your first baby, you may be advised not to have a homebirth. If you really want one, try talking to a different doctor/midwife and see if you get a different answer .

If your area has a team of community midwives and you go to their antenatal appointments (rather than going to your GP) then you will probably be familiar with whoever turns up on the day/night/whatever.

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Piffle · 16/01/2007 21:34

if my m/w is not available then I'm calling 999
Assuming all things are normal I AIN'T leaving my house

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feetheart · 16/01/2007 21:44

I had a homebirth with DS (2nd baby) and although I was with a team of very supportive, pro-homebirth community midwives I ended up on the night with 2 hospital midwives, 1 student (who drove the car!) and 2 paramedics (who were called to 'help' DH as midwives didn't think they would make it across town in time during rush hour )
It was still brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone who will listen

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Goodasgold · 16/01/2007 21:55

Also recommend homebirth, even with face first dd2 it was such a wonderful experience.
My community midwives were all very supportive, even excited at the idea, but on the day when I called the hospital it was a busy night and they told me they had no spare mw and no room in my local hospital and that they would see if they could get someone from the nearest city to come out to me. I was very sceptical and was considering going it alone at home although I knew dh would not like it. But a mw from the city soon phoned for directions and came out.
She send us a card within a week of dd2 being born 'it was a pleasure and privilaege to be there'.
Don't worry about it being your regular mw, you can't guarantee that unless you go private. A doula sounds like a fab idea for a first time mum who would like a homebirth.

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