Please can you explain my options to me- homebirth, induction, early broken waters etc.

[TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied]

With DS my waters broke early, midwife said they were not broken and I just had a 'disgusting green discharge'. They were broken for at least 50 hours before I gave birth. I kicked off, worried that the baby had an infection, demanded a scan, and my waters had broke. They induced me straight away.

Horrific.

I was in a ridiculous amount of agony from the off, and they wouldn't let DH stay until I was 4cms. I was left in a darkened room screaming on my own. Really crappy birth- baby came sideways etc.

Anyway, the midwives were horrible to me last time so this time I'm having a homebirth.

I've been told that I have to go to hospital if I have any complications. Fair enough. They said they will induce me when I'm 10 days overdue and I said no. So they said ok that's fine if you don't want to be induced but if your waters break you have to be induced within 24 hours.

So I just want to be clear what my options are. How long can I refuse induction? Can I still have a homebirth if I'm over? Do I HAVE to be induced if my waters break? What complications mean I can't have a hombirth?

Looking for anyone's experiences/knowledge on any of this reallt.

[Picante]

At the end of the day no-one can make you do anything. They can put you off as much as possible but if you want a homebirth you have to have a midwife come out to you. It's your legal right. They will just make it difficult for you.

[StretchFucksTheMailDaily]

I found this site helpful.

Click on "you can't have a homebirth because..." then scroll down to the 'waters broken for 24 hours' bit.

[Tangle]

You might find www.homebirth.org.uk a very useful resource. There's also a link to a yahoo mailgroup for homebirth in the UK that's very friendly and helpful.

As Picante says, the nuts and bolts are that it's YOUR body, YOUR baby and YOUR birth - they can't force you to have an induction or go to hospital under any circumstances.

That said, there are some complications where even the more pro HB advocate would say you're better off in hospital and/or with a CS - things like full transverse lie, major placenta praevia, significant prematurity (I know some women say they'd still HB at 36 weeks, I don't know of any that would consider it at 35 or under), etc

More common are the complications that will increase the risk of a HB and whilst you may be happy with the risk profile the MW's may see (or be forced by hospital policy) to see things differently. Under those circumstances you may also be pushing them outside of their comfort zone (because of hospital policy they don't tend to deal with them in a home environment), which raises a whole host of other issues. DD was born as a breech baby at home, but MWs with breech birth skills are now very hard to find within the NHS so we used IMs as a way to guarantee that the MWs who turned up on the day would be both supportive and experienced. If you feel that you'd want to go for a HB even if there were some complications, you might want to consider an IM and/or doula as a way to generate a more reliably supportive atmosphere.

I'm sorry you went through such a rough time with your DS - fingers crossed you have a better experience this time round.

[foxytocin]

your first experience sounds similar to mine so I also opted for a HB the second time round.

remember that whatever guff they throw at you to try to discourage you, remain calm and remind them that every pregnancy and birth is different and unless there is a medical reason for you to transfer to hospital, then you are staying home.

in the meantime arm yourself with information
and deffo subscribe to the HB yahoo group.

[hophophippidtyhop]

My waters broke on a monday lunchtime and I was initially told to phone wednesday am if nothing had happened by then. I eventually was taken in and induced on thursday evening, mainly because the hospital was mega busy. The midwives at the time said they like to do it by about 75.

[CarmenSanDiego]

Tangle's post is very sensible. There are a few extreme cases where you really should go to hospital, but HCPs do have a real tendency to try and panic you into going to hospital at the slightest thing. At the end of the day, it's entirely your decision whatever they say, so the best thing you can do is to be as well informed as possible.

Whenever any intervention is suggested that you're not sure about, remember BRAIN.

What are the Benefits?

What are the Risks?

What are the Alternatives?

What's my Intuition?

Does it have to happen Now? (What happens if we wait?)

I second the suggestion of a doula and/or independent midwife so that you have someone truly supportive who understands your birth plan and wishes and can advocate for you.

[TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied]

This info is all brilliant. I do worry about having to move far when I'm in labour. The hospital is only a couple of minutes away but I struggled to walk from birthing pool to bed last time. So would hate to transfer.

That said, I really do not want to be in a hospital if I can help it. The midwives are truly horrible on our maternity ward. Also, I want DH with me every step of the way.

[CarmenSanDiego]

Can you get an indy midwife or doula? That way even if you do transfer to a hospital, you can have less 'interaction' with the midwives. You can get your doula or IM to talk to them. Doulas aren't too expensive, especially newer ones.

[foxytocin]

If you are transferred into hospital, your IM would not be able to 'midwife' you. She can effectively become your doula in this case.