new homebirth worries.

[graciem]

i had finally decided i was confident about having homebirth when my hubby raised a whole new set of questions. what i bleed badly, what if baby doesnt breathe. can anyone help with this as we havent yet seen a homebirth mw.

[Disenchanted3]

Your midwife will be trained in resusitaion, she will bring oxygen for the baby in case this happens,

alot of babies need a little help to start breathing when they are born, in this commen senario the midwife just rubs the baby, pat the back to get them going, being at home or hospital makes no difference to this.

If baby needs further attention an ambulance fitted with resus equiptment can be there withing minutes, very unlikely it will be needed though.

If you have serious bleeding then you will be transfered to hospital but will still ahve had a ovely home birth first

My 2nd and 3rd were born at home and it was wonderful, midwives are ready for all kinds of situations and the hospital is just a quick ride away if you need it.

[GColdtimer]

graciem, just marking my place as have to go out now. I also want a homebirth but DH keeps coming up with emergency type scenarios. My MW is great and really reassuring but you can't help having these niggles can you?

[Kayzr]

A homebirth is much better. You have MWs all to yourself. There are 2 MWs for the birth and they stay with you all the time instead of popping in and out.

I was told that there is always an ambulance ready as the hospital is aware of your homebirth.

Statisticly(sp) you and your baby are safer if you give birth at home. It is to do with you knowing your surroundings.

[belgo]

graciem- your midwife will be able to answer your questions.

My midwives didn't carry oxygen, but they did have resus equipment including masks so that the baby can be resuscitated; Intravenous equipment, suction equipment - really quite a lot of stuff.

I bled badly after both of my home births (more then a litre blood loss), and both times the midwives dealt with this efficiently, giving me medication to stop the bleeding. I didn't have to go into hospital, but I admit, it was very scary.

[Kayzr]

This website was a great help to me and my DH when I decided to have a homebirth.

[Disenchanted3]

But Belgo it would have been scary in hospital too no? Its a scary situation to be in regardless of home/ hospital. Did it make you more scared as you were at home?

[NinthWave]

The midwives bring saline solution etc, so if you bleed badly they can hook you up with a drip to keep your blood pressure up until ambulance arrives.

Does your hospital offer anything like a homebirth support group/designated midwife you can contact with your concerns?

[graciem]

there are only 3 homebirth mws in the area so its quite hard to get one of them as they are nearly always at a delivery. i have spoken to a few mws as i never see the same 1 but i havent spoken to one experienced in homebirths.

[belgo]

Disenchanted - you're right, it could have been more scary in hospital, because I didn't know and trust the midwives so well.

At least at home I had two midwives right beside me who knew exactly what they were doing.

[RorysRacingMa]

i think you just need to think about where you live, how far away you are from the hospital etc. If you feel the answers are withi your worry/panic limits then go for it. I've had 2 homebirths and my middle child born in hospital and have to confess that i did worry for the first two about what would happen. child no 2 was due to be born at home, but i panicked and went to hospital instead.

in general though being at home is more likely to help you relax and therfore enjoy the experience.

Talk through your worries with your partner and the midwife and then see how you feel. Good luck.

[sparkle12mar08]

I've had a homebirth where my baby had to be resussed - the community teams take their drills very seriously precisely so they can deal with these situations when them arise. DS1 was born with his cord wrapped twice round his neck. He was blue, not breathing, floppy and with a very thready pulse. The two midwives wisked him straight next to the radiator and started their work - one massaging his chest and working his arms, and the other doing the bag & mask. He perked up very quickly, within about 15 seconds or so. It wasn't scary precisely because they were so calm and efficient in what they were doing. At the ten minute check his apgars were good, and we didn't even think of transferring at any point.

You need to reassure yourself about this, so next time you see your midwife, ask her to explain about the emergency drill procedures that the community teams go through, what are they, how often, what types of incident etc. She should be happy to talk to you, and it will hopefully help you decise whether it's still for you. If she doesn't know then she should offer to find out for you or put you in touch with someone who can talk it through.

Homebirth is statistically safer than hospital, but it is not zero risk - mothers and babies die during birth, no matter where they are. You need to be comfortable with whatever decission you make, and thisd is one way of making that decision even more informed. Hope it helps

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

All mw's will be trained on resuc and they have the kit in their car.

My MW got to us with 15 minutes to spare and the first thing she done when she walked through the door (after saying hello and glance at me mooing for England) was lay out her resuc kit.

My MW also carried Hartmans (sp?) solution which she would have hooked me upto before the ambulance arrived, if I should have a major bleed. I am guessing all mw's carry this solution? If not you can get a prescription for it from your GP.

Make a list of all of your fears/worries (even if you think they are silly) and speak to your MW about it. They will be more than happy to answer.

[pooka]

When I had my homebirth 2 weeks ago, the first midwife to arrive had so much kit that she had to have help up the stairs from dh. And then spent 10mins laying everything out and ready while instructing me to pant. DS2 was born 10mins after she arrived. Sadly the gas and air seemed to be the last thing set up

Note: this was my third labour and it was 2 hours from start to finish. She had been here for an hour just after it started, knew he was in good position and was aware that ds1 was born in a 2.5 hour labour. I pushed 5 times I think (possibly not even that much - I did slow things down by attempting to push him back in - what on earth was I thinking??). If had had a slower labour, the second midwife would've arrived in time. But as it was, from contractions kicking in, which happened about 30mins before he was born, I wouldnt't have made it into hospital anyway.

And it was LOVELY. They made the bed afterwards, helped me into the shower, had a cup of tea while ds had skin to skin and fed, and then chatted with dd (who woke up about half an hour after he was born) before tootling off into the night. Brilliant.

[chegirl]

We were asked to provide a flat surface near a power point. We put an otterman in the hallway just outside the bedroom and covered it with a towel.

This was incase baby needed resus.

I am so glad I had a homebirth.

[WinkyWinkola]

This is a great read for all those considering home birth

[belgo]

chegirl - what's an otterman?

[smugsy]

an ottoman is a type of storage chest. Although is more suited to put your feet on than a baby really,images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&um=1&sa=1&q=ottoman+furniture&btnG=Search+images&aq=f &oq=&start=0

. I had a homebirth 3 months ago and the midwife brought air for the baby just incase. I made sure the dining table was clear with a changing mat and towel on it.Fortunately it wasn't needed and I had a great homebirth

[belgo]

thanks. They need a flat surface with plenty of light for resus.

[chegirl]

Yes dear we planned to balance our newborn on a footstool

Obviously Google's definition of otterman is different from mine.

[GColdtimer]

lol chegirl

[smugsy]

Oh I do apologize for not knowing that you have made up some other meaning for the word ottoman and decided on spelling it differently, seems my phsycic skills are a little off today. Again, I do apologize for my mistake erm "love"

[graciem]

each time i getmy heartset on it something else comes up.

[chegirl]

Lol at you criticising my spelling.

V.apt name by the way.

[Kayzr]

My MW said that the floor was suitable for resus if needed.

I thought an otterman was a big storage chest that people kept bedding in. I need an otterman.

[CarmenSanDiego]

Yeah, the first thing my midwife did when she arrived was lay out infant and adult resus equipment. It was very reassuring. She also carried both herbs and hardcore drugs for bleeding. Really, I felt safer at home because I had her full attention, rather than someone nodding in and out of a hospital room.