Those who had a homebirth - what were you advised would happen if you haemorrhaged?

[mears]

Did the midwife say what would happen? Could she put a drip in if needed? Would you just have to wait for an ambulance?

Doing a bit of research here.

[Lio]

Don't remember it being mentioned (ahem, this doesn't mean it WASN'T mentioned). Sorry to be useless (was 10 months ago if that helps).

[Ecmo]

I was taken to hospital in ambulance

[Cadders]

I was told they would need to get an ambulance called (but also that if she needed to she could and would put in a drip)

Actually I was very close to being blue lighted to hospital following dd2's birth but it turns out that with some make shift stirrups and an angle poise lamp and some savlon, my midwives turned out to be fantastic seamstresses and I didn't have to go anywhere. God Bless them.

[perpetuaphoenixfire]

she was quite graphic and scared me a bit actually, not sure if i want to post it on here as it upset me and i dont want to pass that on. she did say i would have to go to hospital in ambulance but didnt mention drip

[mears]

Ecmo - were you put on a drip and if so, did the midwife do it?

I am trying to find out if some areas do this at all.

[goodasgold]

I think that was a transfer to hospital by ambulamce.
Are you planning a homebirth? If so your midwife should come and see you at home at around 35 weeks and talk you through all the possible outcomes.
Homebirth is fab btw, best wishes.

[bohemianbint]

I'm with Lio, don't remember it being mentioned. It was all fine though, sure you would be too. I'm only about 8 mins from hospital in an ambulance, that was reassuring to know when it came down to it but everything was totally straight forward and great.

[fillyjonk]

was not advised anything

began to lose a lot of blood and was transfered as a result


(in fact ds was born very fast-about 40 minutes after arriving at hospital- and although I WAS put on a drip they later said it was probably unecessary and could have stayed at home)

[Ecmo]

no not put on a drip.. Midwife does not have equipment to do that . They just have the essentials to help until ambulance gets there. Eg like pads etc

[MintyDixCharrington]

Yes
She went through all the reasons for haemorrage, and pointed out that several of them wouldn't apply in the case of home birth (eg uterus not contracting so strongly post partum because of repeated attempts to induce - there is a word for that isn't there - wot CD had). Also talked through physiological second stage issues etc. Said she had drip and plasma and would have notified hosp in advance of homebirth, so they would know if ambulance had to be called. Also said she had syntocinin (is that the one? If the 2nd stage wasn't happening physiologically.

Also talked me through whatever bleeds she had had previously and what had happened in those cases (she'd never had a major haemorrage in 15 years, but had had some cases where the blood loss was large enough to get them brought into hospital afterwards, in an ambulance, but non-blue-light if you see what I mean

well that's all I can remember anyway! She was fab (Independent MW)

[IndigoMoon]

i worried about this.

i did read a story about a woman who did hemaorage quite heavily.

the midwives put her in the empty bath to reduce mess and called ambulance.

she was fine though, she got taken in and said when she got there, there was no major rush and it was all sorted.

[MintyDixCharrington]

I'm not sure if I mean plasma or just saline actually

and I seem to be unable to close a bracket today

[BonyM]

I was taken to hospital by ambulance and kept in overnight for observation. Was put on a drip once I got to hospital (only 10mins drive from our house).

It was all quite relaxed really and I didn't really the severity of it until afterwards.

I don't actually think the possibility of it happening was even mentioned prior to the birth.

[BonyM]

Should mention that had I not opted for a physiological 3rd stage I probably wouldn't have haemorraged. 45mins after giving birth there was no sign of the placenta and I was in a lot of pain so eventually asked for the syntometrine (syntocynin? Not sure which it was). 1.5 litres of blood had built up behind the placenta - hence the pain.

[mears]

Thanks for all the responses.

For those I haven't 'met' before, I am actually a midwife and am doing a bit of personal research on this subject.

I am not sure that it is OK for midwives not to discuss the possibility of postpartum haemorrhage with women when they are choosing homebirth. I am pro homebirth BTW, it just seems that different things are done in different areas.

Some community midwives can cannulate (put in a drip) and some can't and have to wait for an ambulance. The risk of haemorrhage is very low but with an increasing homebirth rate, then perhaps community midwives need to be able to put in drips, especially if there is a delay with an ambulance coming.

[Ecmo]

oh mine wasnt postpartum it was before or rather as I went into labour so its probably a bit different.

[Pannacotta]

Wasn't mentioned to me during wither pregnancy. I had both babies at home and both times was pressurised by the MW into having syntometrine/syntocinon as there was no sign of the placenta after an hour or so.

[MintyDixCharrington]

duh
i wrote second stage when I meant third
labour is a dim and decreasing memory (all 4 of them)

but you knew what I meant, Mears!

[ChasingSquirrels]

i dont remember it being mentioned, but that doesnt mean that it wasnt

[Pannacotta]

Mears can I ask why there are guidelines for a time limit on delivering the placenta naturally? The MW got nervy after an hour in both cases, I wasnt in a hurry but she was.

[hollyandalice]

I haven't had anything mentioned to me at all in terms of what could go wrong and what will happen if it does. I just told the mw I wanted a homebirth and she said lovely! I am 40+2 now so hopefully I will have an uneventful homebirth any time, not sure what will happen if something does go wrong!

[mears]

Pannacotta - the midwives will get edgy because a retained placenta can lead to haemorrhage. Once the placenta is out the risk of bleeding is reduced. A physiological third stage takes longer than when the injection has been given. Some places wait for up to 2 hours.

[mears]

hollyandalice - may be you should ask what will happen if there are problems - how long does it take to get to the hospital etc. I am sure all will be wel though.

[jennifersofia]

Don't remember it being specifically mentioned either time, but implication was that if anything was seriously wrong I would go to hosp (15 min walk down road)

[hatwoman]

interesting question - when I told my gp I'd like a homebirth she looked appalled and said "well don't expect me to come and sort you out if you haemorage". I ignored her opposition to home birth and went ahead anyway. I live 5 mins away from hospital so assumed I would get an ambulance there if anything like this happened. I certainly never expected my gp to come out - and definitely not after she'd said that!