To think that it's disgusting YouTube was forced to take the place of a qualified midwife?

[BoffinMum]

Come rant with me. I've just been looking at the BBC website, and I was horrified to see that a father had to swot up DIY midwifery skills off YouTube during his wife's 4-hour labour, because there weren't enough midwives in his area to come out to attend his son's birth, and the ambulance couldn't get there in time either?

This was not a twenty-minute layby special, this was a multigravida labour of normal length FFS!! Am I the only person to hand wring in total and utter despair at the state of NHS midwifery services in the light of reports like this? Why are people being forced to freebirth unwillingly with only the internet for advice?? What are we coming to???

Thank goodness this birth was straightforward. I dread to think what might have happened in the case of breathing difficulties or problems with the cord or placenta.

She's a mumsnetter, you know!

She is a mumsnetter

Why couldn't the husband get his wife to the hospital himself?

I saw it on BBC website too, I was quite impressed he was so calm!

not only is she a mumsnetter - but if I'd read the BBC article correctly she had gone to bed after he'd been swotting up - so wasn't expecting anything to happpen any time soon.
I read it that things happened so quickly that even once an ambulance was called the time between it being called and baby being born was quite short.

Read the story properly, it wasn't a 4 hour labour.

See [http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/747940-shameless-plug-dh-has-made-the-papers here]]. Sounds under 4 hours to me!

Here

He did a fab job though! So did Pinkdolly BTW!!!!

1. He watched the video
2. 4 hours after that she went into labour,
3. called midwife,
4. advised to call ambulance,
5. baby born before it arrived.

Oh, FGS. Am no good at linking today. Here's her thread.

thank you soupy - you put it much more concisely than I did

Well, he could have found a new career once he's left the Navy .

The report(spoken)made me cry. I always cry when babies are born.

What gorgeous red hair those girls have!!!

It was a quick labour then. Luckily the DH had done a bit of swotting before hand.
Hardly the NHS's fault is it Boffinmum? Why are people so quick to find fault and lay the blame with the NHS all the time?

Hurray for him! And not quite so boo at NHS midwifery services as the OP suggests!

oh course it's the NHS's fault - they should have known she was going to have a really quick labour, and known exactly when it was going to happen to ensure that the MW or ambulance was sat outside the house ready

My BIL had to deliver my neice nearly 18 years ago. They had no phone and my sister whouldn't let him go and ring from a box. The whole thing was less than an hour. He did brilliantly consider he is very squemish type.
Same happened to my neighbour, her DH had to deliver before the ambulance arrived.

Well done (hunky) hubby! Can just imagine my OH in that position....ambulance please!!!

What a fab story and what beautiful kids.

Do you feel like a prat now OP

Listened to the mum and super dad on Radio 5 live today - yes he did a fab job, and yes they were warned there would be a risk of no midwife's available, that is the risk when you opt for a home birth I understand. Just a fantastic story and sorry I think you ABVU.

What a lovely story (real story, not OP version of it) and well done to the DH (and to the MNetter actually giving birth too obviously).