Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

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 if my home birth service is suspended, i should be allowed to transfer to another home birth team?

76 replies

rednosedreindeerhead · 07/12/2011 14:43

My hospital has just announced it's suspended it's home birth service. I hate hospitals and was quite definitely and massively up for a home birth in 6 weeks time....

Prior to this, seeing how my hospital was struggling, I already enquired at another hospital nearby whether I might transfer to their home birth team, but they said no on postcode grounds, which I totally understand. But if a service is actually then suspended for sure is it unreasonable to suggest that the tiny amount of women who would like to give birth at home in that time frame be allowed to transfer to another home birth team?

If a hospital nearby had the capability, and the space to at least say that they would try and send someone to my house, shouldn't that be allowed, maybe by law? I feel pretty strongly that it is my right to give birth in my own home....

OP posts:
Flisspaps · 07/12/2011 14:45

:(

I am gutted on your behalf.

May I suggest you find the Yahoo Homebirth group and post your situation there as well as here - there are lots of women who will be able to give you practical advice as to what you may be able to do.

DamnBamboo · 07/12/2011 14:47

It is your right to give birth in your own home. Tell them you expect to be transferred to the closest home birth team.
You do realise that if it's too far away, you are pretty much out of luck.
You could always hire a midwife?

HalfTermHero · 07/12/2011 14:48

YANBU. I have heard it said on here before that a woman has a legal right to be attended to by midwives during a homebirth. I am not sure how accurate this is though. Someone in the know will be along soon, hopefully.

SantasENormaSnob · 07/12/2011 14:48

Why has your trust cancelled homebirths?

How far from the other hospital are you? I can see why they can't accomodate you tbh.

slavetofilofax · 07/12/2011 14:48

It is your right to give birth in your own home. But only when it is also at your own expense. You could always hire a private midwife.

If you are doing it on the NHS, you should go with what is available.

It is shit that your service has been suspended, and if the other hospital is still close them it seems like they should be able to transfer you. But then the midwives might be too far away to be able to get to you quickly, and that could cause a problem.

I think we should be grateful if we are offered a good service on the NHS, and if you have access to a good service at your local hospital, then you are already getting what is your right. If you want something more than that, pay for it yourself.

DamnBamboo · 07/12/2011 14:50

Have they done your home risk assessment yet?

Yes halfterm they have a legal right to be attended, unless all community midwives are busy at other homebirths and there are no free ones availalbe from the ward.

Idealogically, we should all have the right, realistically, we don't have the resources.

Flisspaps · 07/12/2011 14:53

DamnBamboo a home risk assessment is not a requirement, and many trusts don't bother carrying them out as they are unnecessary :)

NinkyNonker · 07/12/2011 14:53

Whatever your opinion Slave, the fact is that in the UK you do have the right to give birth at home. Admin shouldn't affect this right. If someone has a genuine fear or dislike of hospitals being forced to give birth in one can have a negative impact on them ad their labour.

Wigeon · 07/12/2011 14:53

I'm sure there's loads of info on www.homebirth.org.uk - look under "planning a homebirth". Also second the Yahoo homebirth group - there are people on there with every experience under the sun, and I'm sure they'd have some good advice for you.

Original poster
rednosedreindeerhead · 07/12/2011 14:53

slave and damn I totally hear what you're saying. anyone want to lend me a couple of grand for a midwife? Sad

you're right, i guess it isn't my right on the NHS. it's just a MASSIVE BUM.

i haven't had my risk assessment yet, guess i won't have one now.

OP posts:
Original poster
rednosedreindeerhead · 07/12/2011 14:54

thanks for the advice re Yahoo and other websites, will check out now.

OP posts:
organiccarrotcake · 07/12/2011 14:54

"I think we should be grateful if we are offered a good service on the NHS, and if you have access to a good service at your local hospital, then you are already getting what is your right. If you want something more than that, pay for it yourself."

Sorry, but I have to disagree that we have a good service on the NHS. Our maternity services are, frankly, dangerous in many areas. Inerventions are the norm, not the exception and a hospital birth is far more likely to be an instrumental or surgical birth than a planned home birth. Planned home birth is safest for low risk women who want to be at home (ie feel safest there).

Some useful links:

www.homebirth.org.uk/homebirthuk.htm

and AIMS is definately one to contact as a matter of urgency: www.aims.org.uk/

Good luck.

Original poster
rednosedreindeerhead · 07/12/2011 14:55

thanks organic

OP posts:
bemybebe · 07/12/2011 14:56

No, NHS trust can hire a private midwife if they do not have own capacity. It is not your problem frankly.

I would be writing a very strongly worded letter to explain that you will be giving birth at home and to give them plenty of opportunity to sort out their own mess.

Go to www.homebirth.org.uk/ and have a look around, especially under "staffing shortages"... Good luck!

rabbitfeet · 07/12/2011 14:56

In a hospital, it is three or four patients to one midwife. Don't you think it is a bit unfair for women to expect a midwife to themselves on the NHS if they choose to give birth at home? The NHS just doesn't have the resources and if you want it, you should pay for it.

DamnBamboo · 07/12/2011 14:58

Fliss I know they're not. I just know that some of them like to (can't think why given that they're so understaffed anyway) and I was asking simply because if they've done this, then OP will be on file for definitely declaring her desire for a homebirth. If so, it would make more sense to transfer you to the nearest unit if possible.

slavetofilofax · 07/12/2011 14:59

I stand corrected then!

I don't see why we should have that right though, not if providing that service costs extra money. I would have thought home births would be cheaper than hospital births, especially as the Mothers are low risk, but I don't think it should be a 'right' to give birth at home. Plenty of people don't have the option because of heath issues anyway. And what about low risk people that need to be induced and monitored, do they get to insist that it is their right to give borth at home, no matter how complicated it would be?

But then I think everyone should have to contribute to the cost of their births because having children is a choice, not an illness.

Original poster
rednosedreindeerhead · 07/12/2011 14:59

well i agree to a certain extent if their are staff shortages, I don't see why I should just 'get what i want'....but.... if there is a healthy service in some areas and not in others, and it becomes a postcode fiasco, it's not really about the money is it?

the hospital has treated it's midwives badly, and lo, they have all left. there used to be a home birth service as standard. it's not really a funding issue until now IYSWIM.

OP posts:
DamnBamboo · 07/12/2011 14:59

Rabbit has a good point.

diddl · 07/12/2011 15:00

I thought that you had the right to give birth at home-but that the LA doesn´t have to provide a midwife if it doesn´t have the resources to.

OP-it sounds awful for you.

I would like to say though that I hate hospitals but had a lovely birth experience.

bemybebe · 07/12/2011 15:00

OP, please do not pay attention to "fair/unfair" arguments. You need to do the best for your baby and yourself, so do what you think is right. Legally you have a right and practically, if you give plenty of notice, the trust must sort it out for you, end of story.

slavetofilofax · 07/12/2011 15:01

organic, I realise that not every area offers a good maternity service, that's why I worded my post the way I did, using if you have access to a good service.

Wigeon · 07/12/2011 15:02

rabbitfeet - but homebirths are actually on average cheaper than hospital births. Hospitals should be hugely encouraging low risk women to plan homebirths, on the grounds of cost-savings to the hospitals and NHS! It is by no means selfish of women to plan a homebirth. If I was being controversial, I could say that it's "selfish" for low risk women to go to hospital, clutter up beds, and take up precious resources there. But I didn't say that.

The Homebirth.org.uk website states:

"The available evidence suggests that there is no case for refusing home births on grounds of cost. Because of fewer interventions, complications and hospital stays, planned home births cost less, on average, than planned hospital births. Costings for planned home births include the cost of transfers to hospital, and of hospital treatment thereafter.

The National Birthday Trust report on home birth in the UK found that the average cost of planned home birth to the NHS was less than the average cost of planned hospital births".

There are links on that website to the National Birthday Trust study, and to an American study which showed the same.

Original poster
rednosedreindeerhead · 07/12/2011 15:02

home birth is cheaper than hospital birth overall for low risk people like me because of the much lower level of intervention/drug/EMCS etc in the final outcome. Just doesn't seem that way when they're having to send a midwife out. However a lot of the time, the Home birth midwives are a separate entity from the hospital ones anyway aren't they?

OP posts:
Original poster
rednosedreindeerhead · 07/12/2011 15:03

sorry x post

OP posts: