To think that homebirths should not be permitted unless you're willing to pay for it all yourself

[sparkleymummy]

Its appalling that there are not enough midwives to go around and yet women still insist on having babies at home. Why on earth would you think you have the "right to decide" where to have a baby when that service is being paid for by taxpayers. You wouldn't think you had the right to have a hip replacement at home or any other medical procedures. What on earth gives these women "the right"

(Sparkleymummy is a bit bored as a result of teething baby having been asleep on her ALL day - She sits back and waits for the uproar )

My homebirths were all attended by community midwives. They did not work in the hospital, and needed homebirths to provide their monthly quotas.

I have a child with SN we take a disproportionate amount back from the state.
what about elective c sections huh?

Sparkley - Not trolling just trying to relieve the boredom with a lively debate. This was obvious from your OP.

Hope teething tot feels better soon and less inclined to use you as a mattress.

As far as the US is concerned, it all depends on what type of insurance you have there. Some people end up paying a fair amount (such as $1000 or more) and some people don't pay anything. Those on HMOs (which is fairly common) may only pay £100 or may pay nothing, provided they use their approved hospital.

I've seen many OB offices that put forth a payment plan, so that the fees are broken up over the course of the pregnancy, so that the OB fees are paid by the time the birth arrives. But that's just for the OB fees - that doesn't include hospital fees, anesthesiology, hospital staff doctors, medications in hospital and other things.

I don't think it's a good system at all. Not only is it expensive and stressful, but so many things are decided by what insurance will cover that sometimes what is medically best is not the priority, as I have seen happen numerous times.

Message withdrawn

I dont think YAB totally unreasonable. I certainly agree that NHS resources are finite and that patient choice has to be balanced with the resources which are available. As mentioned above the lower cost of homebirth is probably down to the fact that if there is a risk of a complicated birth then chances are a homebirth won't be chosen. Also its my understanding that where a woman initially chooses a homebirth, but for what ever reason ends up having a hospital birth then the cost of the whole thing will be counted as a hospital birth - skewing the figures again.

YABU.
The midwives that attend homebirths are mostly community midwives that wouldn't be on shift at the hospital so it isn't taking resource away from the hospital units.
I cost the NHS the hourly rate for 1 midwife for 3 hours and 1 midwife for 1 hour.. That CANNOT be more expensive than me being in hospital. I didn't use gas and air, we used our own birthing pool, we used our own towels and bedding - no laundry costs -

It is not a question of training more midwives, so much as retaining the ones we do have, and coaxing back the old ones (like me) who are very experienced but are working as nurses, clerks, phlebotomists, shop assistants, because the working conditions in the NHS for midwives are so bad in some places.

Where I work we have qualified physiotherapists working as clerical assistants, dentists working in unskilled jobs, and even qualified doctors applying for jobs as medical secretaries and phlebotomists. It is disgraceful.

I'm being thick i think. I didn't think if you decided on a home birth that you actualy stole midwives out of the hosps. I thought the midwife made a choice to be community support (working in gp's surgery for checkups and attending to home births etc) OR being hospital based? Therefore isn't it the selfish midwives fault the NHS are short staffed for choosing not to work on a maternity ward?
Homebirths save the NHS a fortune, i'm far more "against" elective CS's for non medical reasons.

I'll have my baby where ever me and my doctor/midwife decide are best for me, based on what I want and what medical reasons dictate. I ahve paid my taxes for long enough to decide that for myself.

Oooh, hula, have I missed an announcement????