why are homebirth rate so low

[McHappyPants2012]

www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/health-and-beauty-in-wales/2011/02/05/wales-delivers-on-home-birth-rates-91466-28109298/

after watching 'call the midwife' it seems to me homebirth was quite common in the 1950.

when did hospital birth become a common

kungfupanda does anyone ever actually give birth listening to whale music?

Also why would I have to have a homebirth to listen to whale music, there was a stereo in the delivery room of the CLU and I could quite easily have used it to play whale music had I so wished!

'The sun shines out of their ass' thing was not
In relation to the thread topic at all really, just the direct name calling.

Calling such names then sitting back and saying 'what are
You being like that for?' is just a bit odd and annoying as hell.

My problem with this thread isn't the subject matter im on kungfupanda each to their own school of thought but it's pretty mean here and there is a bit of spin apparent

Don't tell me what I seem to think because you have no idea obviously

Kayano well stop posting things you don't think then, because that is the impression you've given me!

As for whatmeworry she's clearly on a mission to wind up as many people as possible and isn't particularly adverse to being rude, calling people names and making very odd comparisons between homebirth in the UK and developing countries.

anniemac you see you've just automatically made the same assumption as everyone else that people homebirthing do so because they care more about themselves than their unborn baby. I know you've just given your own very good reasons for why it's important for you to give birth in hospital which is fine, but do you realise how insulting such statements are?

BigJessie sorry your reply was a couple of hours ago blasted work but thanks for that, it is definitely good to have some balance.

I have had 4 ops in my local hospital recently, and whilst the nursing staff are lovely, really, they also follow policy quite closely. For example, I had a condition (renal) which made it painful to sit but they were very insistent that I got wheeled down to my scan in a wheelchair by a HCA. They were nice but very pushy and 'firm' about it. I gave in because I was exhausted from pain/ lack of sleep and just gritted my teeth.

But during a daylong labour, say, I would not want to have to be battling that kind of pressure. I will look around the local mat unit before I give birth but fairly sure it is a CLU and not MLU and have my reservations!

I have said quite clearly my stance on a lot of my posts:

About happy middle ground mlu's
About name calling being unreasonable and uncalled for
And that women can pick what's best for them and can't we all just get on

So I can only assume that the impression you have gotten of me is one you have created in your own mind tbh.

I think I've been pretty consistent

Well then apologies, I'm sure you'd said that you thought MLUs with a CLU next door would be the best choice for everyone.

Sorry I mean 'I was sure you'd said'

The whale music retort from me was in response to aribura at the beginning of the thread thefurryone although if I have misunderstood your comment towards kungfu then apologies.

bugger! I did misunderstand...sorry!

I said that I think that would be the
Best middle ground IMO as it means that people can be in a mLU which also has a much lower rate of intervention and csec than clu...

But if something did go wrong then you wouldn't be far
From a clu if you did need a csec etc.

I also said it
Would make sence financially as some women may feel that was the best of both worlds and it would mean not having to pay for an additional external mlu elsewhere, potentially saving NHS money.

That's why I said it was a middle ground IMO.

Because I am having my first baby and it's an unknown commodity I think it's a really good option for me personally

some intresting replys on this thread, what i gather it is all down to what the woman feels is best and safest for her and her baby.

Tbh i didn't know that MW brought in some pain relief and also didn't know they brought in resuscitation equipment.

Plus I am adopted with no medical history and although I have had the most boring straight forward low risk pregnancy ever I could still have some
Unknown hereditary condition so I just like the thought of the extra facilities there if I need them.

I understand not everyone would have that worry and I am a worrier (suffered
Pregnancy anxiety)

witchofthenorth I was just pondering the general homebirth = whale music stereotype. As in, why is it a stereotype, do people actually do that?

Furry :) I have hypnotherapy and whale music so I am going against
The stereotype

Whale music is for everyone, not just HB lol

because the default position is hosputal birth.

if you dont arrange to have a home birth, you end up going ot hospital as its the done thing.

if it was the other way round, and you had to make special arrangments to go into hospital as the default is home, then most people would do that

RevoltingPeasant

Any possibility you can find a good cross-section of women who gave birth there, to find out their experiences? I know that's really obvious advice, but...

Sometimes (as in my experience) qualified human-beings can be absolutely wonderful to other worried human-beings in pain, though. I wish all women could be looked after as well as I was at that CLU. (JRH, Oxford)

Kayano I do understand where you're coming from my closest hospital has a MLU and a CLU, I would have opted for it even if it was just a MLU but knowing the CLU was there was reassuring.

I would say though that in my local hospital the advantages work both ways. I ended up being induced in CLU as I was reclassified as highrisk at 40 weeks, but because all the midwives rotate around the different services, my midwife helped me to have the most active birth possible despite being on a syntocin drip and strapped to a monitor.

I'm so scared of needles that I am actually
Going to listen to my whale counting hypnotherapy right now breathe

My bed is for the beginning part of pregnancy, not for the end!!

Plus would never have been an option after two prem babies.

Its not that I am being insulting its just that I genuinely don't see how it could improve a baby's chances of survival (or a mums) to give birth at home.

because at a homebirth the midwife stays with you - she won't be running in and out of another room trying to keep an eye on another woman. So if something is starting to go wrong it can often be picked up sooner. People seem to have the idea that in hospital they are all sitting around waiting to pick up the pieces if/when it goes wrong - it's not necessarily the case.

I personally think that the constant presence of a midwife can do unseen things which are hard to quantify - suggest a change of position, give an encouraging word etc. which I believe do make a difference.