Hi :)
I'm a midwife of 15 years. I've worked in all areas of midwifery but mostly in midwife led birthing units and now specialising in home birth.
AMA
AMA
Midwife, specialising in home birth, AMA
MidwifeAMA · 11/07/2022 12:53
Luckystar1 · 12/07/2022 13:25
Thank you so much! You are right, I have always gone with my gut and I will do the same this time. Thank you for the reassurance.
Wouldloveanother · 12/07/2022 13:32
how fascinating!
- did you have home births yourself?
- what is the biggest factor for an ‘unsuccessful’ homebirth?
- has anyone ever refused to go to hospital?
cloverleafy · 12/07/2022 13:33
Do you get frustrated by the attitudes coming down from consultants/hospital and how do you support women to assess the information (pressure)?
I had a textbook HB, then EmCS (footling breech & v early labour, all discovered at a routine 39+6 appointment), then finally a HVBAC. I was summoned to appointments with consultants and senior midwives re the HVBAC, to have risks quoted at me, scary scenarios described and more. I'm stubborn and happy to do my own research, but I imagine many people would have been terrified (bullied) into changing their mind.
Whataboutno · 12/07/2022 13:33
I was close to a home birth with my second and chose to go into hospital as I thought I'd get more of a rest there! I did however go back to the hospital and gave some cards and gift vouchers to give to the midwives who delivered my daughter, do these actually get received I always wondered as you never hear back obviously!
Wouldloveanother · 12/07/2022 13:35
Sorry last question, what’s the ‘highest risk’ homebirth you’ve attended and did it go ok?
PeloAddict · 12/07/2022 13:34
@MidwifeAMA yep it's frustrating. I had the record for the most amount of births over the phone (64 I think)
The scariest was a 26 week baby and she didn't know she was pregnant
Marynotsocontrary · 12/07/2022 13:38
Would you choose to have your own children at home or in hospital?
Sparklybutold · 12/07/2022 13:38
I've had terrible experiences with midwife's and as an ex medic myself I'm wondering whether the training is similar, in that it's largely taught from a medical model perspective.
What are your thoughts on current training programmes? Do you think theyre fit for purpose? How much of a shortage do you think actually contributes to the countless cases of mishandling of births and even deaths?
Sparklybutold · 12/07/2022 13:38
I've had terrible experiences with midwife's and as an ex medic myself I'm wondering whether the training is similar, in that it's largely taught from a medical model perspective.
What are your thoughts on current training programmes? Do you think theyre fit for purpose? How much of a shortage do you think actually contributes to the countless cases of mishandling of births and even deaths?
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crabcakesalad · 12/07/2022 13:41
Thank you for this thread, it's lovely to hear all the home birth positivity.
My first 3 were quick home births (4h, 90mins, 2hrs), mw arriving about 10-20 mins before each birth, no issues, tearing etc. but my fastest was scarily intense and so fast I was shaking and shocky afterwards.
I'm now expecting #4 and have been told there is no home birth provision available to me. Nearest hospital is 45 mins away and I'm terrified. Two matrons (from the nearest 2 hospitals) have both said not to risk travel (travel would be via motorway which is temperamental with road works or country lanes with tractors etc a problem). They said I need to call 999 and birth with the ambulance crew in attendance, parked on the drive.
I feel a bit abandoned and it's been quite emotional over the whole thing. They've now found me a mw that lives locally and will try to attend if she can (on her own time which I think is wrong).
But now I feel completely despondent about appointments, I can't see the point in them at all, nothing seems to happen in them except the making of yet more appointments (that I have to travel 30 mins to get to) and I now feel that I have to mentally prepare myself to freebirth, which I don't really want to do. I also have no faith that if I did need a cs or any hospital care that a maternity provision would be safe there either.
My question is, how do I prepare effectively for freebirth? Are appointments really necessary? Because I just find them really stressful. And how can I rebuild my confidence in a mw/NHS care/maternity service?
Whatwouldscullydo · 12/07/2022 13:45
Do you come across hostility from hospital staff. I once over heard 2 colleagues discussing home births in an extremely negative way as if they all ended in disaster that required hospital transfers.
In fact it was that experience, over hearing in hospital that pushed my final decision for dd1 to be a home birth. I felt they would care more abounding proven right than they would about me and the baby.
Ironic given 4 years later witg dd2 where I was ignored for hours despite being high risk. Left in wet sheets and stuff missed signs of a possible placental abruption ( thankfully only patial) despite me telling them about the blood bours before.
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