Home births and Ambulance availability

[Sleepsleepmeepmeep]

I am due my last baby soon, about 6 weeks, although all of my others have come early so I wouldn't be surprised if it were 4 weeks.

I was planning a home birth and was quite excited about it (4th baby, easy natural labours except for dc1 vaccuum) but now I have seen that maybe as resources are stretched this may not be an option.

I was wondering, if I did have a home birth and needed an ambulance to transfer me to hospital, could I mot just drive in a car? I live about a minute drive from the hospital in heavy traffic, more like 10 minutes now the roads are so bare.
Is the ambulance for emergencies because they are equipt with whatever may be needed or is it just to get us to the hospital fast?
I have never needed an ambulance in labour so I dont know but factoring in calling for an ambulance and waiting for one, would it be so bad to take a car?

Just a thought- i wouldnt ask my midwife to bend the rules for me or anything although I would do anything to keep away from a hospital right now

I honestly never knew that an ambulance was on "standby" for a home birth. I suppose it makes sense if you think about it for them to be aware that they may be needed!

So if you don't drive, how were you planning on driving there?!

@lettersbyowl Just be prepared for plans to change. I did all the hypnobirthing stuff, was ready for my nice gradual labour at home, in to deliver and then home six hours later. It didn't work that way for me, although thankfully DD was fine in the end after a very scary time, and I wish I'd been more prepared that things might be different in terms of packing stuff for a longer stay and mentally preparing to be in for longer planned. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, I'd say.

I'm assuming this is the start of your research journey, but tbh you don't sound well informed enough at present for a home birth. I had two planned hbs and would most definitely recommend it in normal circumstances, but these are not normal times and your naivety is worrying. Do some proper research, come up with a list of questions, speak to your midwife.

@OhClover
We needed to book a bed for our other 3 dc. I found out late with one and had to book a bed at a hospital over half an hours drive away, rather than the closest one.
I almost had the baby in a taxi on the way it was so far- although I wish i had just gone to the nearest one now- what would they have done? Sent me away? silly little rule follower me

You don't drive? What on earth was the point of the thread then??

Retired midwife here ,
you need to speak to your midwife ambulances are not on standby for home birth they are on for all emergencies and any call is made using 999 even by a midwife...thats my experience anywhere i have ever worked ,urban and country

If your midwife thinks you need a ambulance then she will travel with you you partly because she cannot leave you once you are in established labour ( midwives rules and our code of coduct) she will jot bend the rules or take any risks

This is also partly because there is equipment should the ambulance need to stop and there is an extra pair of hands and partly because they can "blue and two": (lights and sirens ) to get you through the the admittedly reduced traffic around at the moment

If the midwife doesn't do this then she can be held accountable by the nursing and Midwifery Council NMC which is the equivalent of the GMC
If your maternity unit does not think they can safely offer a homebirth service then you would be notified of that and asked to go into the hospital this has happened on occasion purely because the risk assessment has been made for various reasons to suspend it for the safety of mother and baby

@RU562341

I honestly never knew that an ambulance was on "standby" for a home birth. I suppose it makes sense if you think about it for them to be aware that they may be needed!

They're not and never have been, there simply isn't the capacity. I'm astounded anybody actually thinks that.

How did you book a bed?

ImFreeToDoWhatIWant Well, I did think it unlikely they were parked up outside ready and waiting.. but I suppose I was thinking more of a notification system. But then, what would be the point? The majority of HB's are trouble free.

OP, the hospital will be struggling to staff their own labour suite as midwives start going off sick with Corona virus. How can you justify tying up a midwife at your home, when she may be needed to cover two patients in hospital? You may well find that your hospital withdraws cover for home births during the pandemic.
And even if not, you could have a long wait for transfer if all the ambulances are busy transferring covid cases and need full disinfection before redeploying to you.

PP, they absolutely wouldn’t give a blood transfusion in an ambulance
If you needed a hospital transfer OP the primary reason for an ambulance is speed. The midwife will travel with you and will still be providing care so she wouldn’t be able to drive you. You’re highly unlikely to be in a position to drive yourself.
You should talk to your own midwife regarding this- your trust will likely already have plans in place for home births. best wishes.

How can you book a bed for a birth which could happen on any day within a 5 week period?

@Babdoc it doesn’t quite work like that- delivery suite midwives are not sent out to cover home births, there are already designated midwives to provide care at home.

How on earth are people booking beds and having ambulances on standby? You have no idea when you are going to naturally go into labour, these beds and ambulances could be sitting around doing nothing for 4 weeks

so you were expecting the midwife to drive you?

You might find your trust withdraws support for home births. They have here as they say they cannot safely cover them at the moment

@Sleepsleepmeepmeep how could you book a bed, did you know exactly when you were going into labour!?

My sister is due in less than two weeks and she's been told a Home birth is not allowed apparently they can't guarantee an ambulance would be available should something go wrong

By 'book a bed' do you just mean tell your midwife you will be giving birth there? You can't book beds for spontaneous labour. You just call them and then turn up.

Your also forgetting midwife numbers will be down due to self isolation and 2 would be required for a home birth while in a unit you would only need 1-2-1 care so potentially taking a midwife from another person and leaving a unit low. The midwifes couldn’t travel in your car in an emergency and some emergency have minutes to be resolved or can be life threatening for mum and/ or baby so you would be alone in that time. It’s horrible that choice has needed to be removed but also we need to consider placing Midwife’s in people homes where people could have the virus and they may bring it back to the hospital and spread before symptoms show.

I worked as an ambulance dispatcher and no way would a vehicle be 'on standby'. In fact, if you had a midwife or other healthcare professional with you, you would be a lower priority than someone on their own.

Your safest, smartest option is to give birth in hospital where there will be equipment and staff on hand.

I think rather than natural it would be a vaginal unassisted birth lol.

“ Just be prepared for plans to change.”

Tbh I’m not sure how much those who aren’t currently midwives or about to give birth realise but things are so uncertain that on a daily basis it is unclear what maternity services will be available and where. It’s not just a case of accepting that “birth plans” may need to be flexible but of having to accept increasing restriction on choices to the point where it’s not clear what the fundamental baseline of care is likely to be. It requires daily adjustment to expectations and acceptance of restrictions on choices that under normal circumstances are considered extremely important to maternal mental and physical health. This is no one’s fault, it’s bad timing and everyone needs to be protected. But it’s a scary time to be giving birth frankly

This thread is nuts!

Home births are being cancelled. There is no capacity to staff them in most areas.

Nobody books a bed to birth in

Ambulances are not out on standby for home births.

Bloody ridiculous