Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that the Irish Government are wrong to ban homebirths?

28 replies

tittybangbang · 20/10/2010 09:57

... which is in effect what they will be doing for many mothers by passing the "MOU and Nurses and Midwives Bill 2010" this Friday.

Read more here:

here

and sign the petition here:

petition

OP posts:
ScroobiousPip · 20/10/2010 10:08

Done.

SummerRain · 20/10/2010 10:10

It was almost completely impossible to have one anyway due to lack of insurance available for the midwives and the massive cost (1000 euros or more)

I should know, i desperately wanted one with ds2 but couldn't and he ended up in SCBU due to something that wouldn't have happened in a home water birth and then further idiocy by the doctors.

asbolutelyfabulous · 20/10/2010 10:29

I gave birth in Dubai, where by law you have to have your baby in hospital, delivered by a doctor. Midwives are not allowed to deliver babies, and if you should be so unfortunate that you don't have time to get to hospital and end up giving birth at home, you must call an ambulance and, apparently, STILL BE CONNECTED to your baby via the umbilical cord for them to issue a birth certificate.
But, that's backwater Dubai. Would have expected a bit better from Ireland (even though they still haven't legalised abortion.)

Vallhalloween · 20/10/2010 10:31

Signed.

TruthSweet · 20/10/2010 10:37

Signed

NineTails20 · 20/10/2010 11:19

Signed.

SummerRain · 20/10/2010 13:13

BUMP

WitchyFlisspaps · 20/10/2010 13:15

Signed

LightlyKilledCrunchyFrog · 20/10/2010 13:21

Was coming on to post about this. Dreadful. Signed.

Bue · 20/10/2010 13:22

Signed

NurseSunshine · 20/10/2010 13:35

Signed. Trrible, paternalistic and oppressive towards women.

racmac · 20/10/2010 14:12

signed

togarama · 20/10/2010 14:34

signed

Firawla · 20/10/2010 16:03

signed

Filibear · 20/10/2010 16:15

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

missismac · 20/10/2010 16:20

signed

Original poster
tittybangbang · 20/10/2010 16:22

waves at missimac Grin

OP posts:
ImGideonsMumAndIHateHimToo · 20/10/2010 16:24

I had to have a HB; even if I hadn;t I would have in that it was a very predicatble precipitous labout (35 minutes start to finsh) adn I woudln't have made hospital.

far, far safer to have a birth with equipment etc all prepared and a lcoal MW (and doula) able to come out.
Will sign.

ohmeohmy · 20/10/2010 16:28

done and forwarded to other boards

007alert · 20/10/2010 20:24

I am very pro home births, and keen on women's rights, so think I would like to sign the petition, however, unless I'm being dim (quite possible) I can't find anything on the links given where it states what the pregnant woman's circumstances have to fall within in order to be eligible for a midwife to get insurance to carry out a home birth.

To me, that does make a difference. Some restrictions may be wise. In Great Britain, we have a much lower infant/mother mortality rate in home births than Australia because if you have an at risk pregnancy here you are strongly discouraged from ahome birth.

Anyway, I would love some more information so I can see exactly what is going to be restricted.

drivingmisscrazy · 20/10/2010 20:33

signed - have a friend who is very active pro home-births...the fact that we wouldn't have opted for one is beside the point

missismac · 21/10/2010 09:37

blows kiss to TittyBB Grin

woopsidaisy · 21/10/2010 09:50

A very close relative of mine is a well known independant midwife in Ireland. She has travelled the world,teaching remote communities how to safely deliver babies.She has NEVER had to give an episiotomy.She is so amazing,dedicated,passionate about women having a choice,being informed...it brings tears to my eyes when I think how the Irish Hospitals and Government have treated her.Like she is some "out there" hippy,spouting crap.Just outrageous.Please sign the petition,and give women a CHOICE on how to have our babies.Hospital births in the Republic are shocking...and thank you TBB for bringing this up.

thebird · 21/10/2010 09:53

Maternity services and general healthcare are very different there. Ante natal care and checks seem to be done by the GP or hospital and not local midwife team as done here so you dont seem to build up that relationship in the same way. Also you have to pay for everything!! While i disagree totally with a ban (everyone should have the choice) I would be reluctant to have a home birth there as people live 2/3 hours drive away from a main maternity hospital and in an emergency thats not a chance i would want to take.

SummerRain · 21/10/2010 10:45

thebird... can you imagine what it's like living that far from a maternity hospital ad not having the choice to HB? You spend the end of your pregnancy in a state of panic... you want to go in soon enough that you won't have to labour for hours in the car and possibly not make it in time but you don't want to head in if it's not the real thing and spend days in there.

Myself and a friend had due dates very close together. I almost gave birth in the car as my babysitter didn't arrive in time and i was in full fledged labour at home and then had to get in the car for an hour... absolute hell btw, especially if like me you'd prefer to be moving around at that stage of labour.

My friend went in in early labour but was in there for 4 days before baby arrived, she couldn't go home as she was in early labour and dilating so it was too risky to travel all the way home in casee things sped up.

And another friend has very fast births, they called an ambulance but due to the distance from hospital the closest ambulance was 30 minutes away and her father ended up delivering the baby.