Birth Centres and Home Births are Cancelled!

[Bikbikmum]

I am crying. I have just had a call from my birth centre and they said until further notice all birth centres are closed, all home births are cancelled. We need to go to hospital now. Because they were told that there are no ambulances available in London. And although risks are minimal without an ambulance to call, they can't operate! Now the hospital will be packed because I am sure I am not alone, a lot of people would be referred to hospital now. This is a ridiculous excuse to shut down birth centres and home births. I am so sad 😞 Also I am worried, if there are no ambulances available anymore, are we at risk if something happens? Do they hide real numbers of corona virus cases? Will hospital have enough capasity or staff?

You're upset because you get to give birth in a clean safe hospital. Which is statistically safer than at home. I sort of get it but at the current time it's not the biggest issue going.

Well I do get it, but at the moment it is understandable. Obviously the ambulances are still there but due to high dmand it is better to prevent the need as far as poss. I would discuss your concearns with MW (over phone ?).

I feel for you, but really it'll be ok.

It's not a ridiculous excuse to close birth centres. I've been transported from a birth centre to a hospital in an ambulance. If you need to go, you need to go and not having ambulances available will put lives at risk.

Adjust your birth plan for the current situation. Take fairy lights and nice smelling things. Tbh once you're fully in labour you could be in a fish market for all you care, so long as the staff are kind and you have privacy. Your body is where it all happens!

Surely you wouldnt want to risk giving birth at home if you can't rely on getting an ambulance?

OP, please ignore "pink sparkle unicorns"

It is perfectly understandable that you are disappointed and upset about not being able to give birth where you choose to. Women's choices in childbirth are important.

From what I've heard there is huge pressure on the ambulance service atm, partly because they have to spend hours cleaning the ambulance after every covid-19 case they attend. So for that reason I wouldn't choose a home birth right now (even though I am very pro home birth).

Are there any MLUs (midwife led units) which are attached to hospitals near you? That might still be an option. The issue with a stand-alone MLU is that you would still need an ambulance to transfer. But with an MLU within a hospital you would be ok.

FWIW I don't think the hospital delivery unit would be understaffed, I think the reason they are cancelling home births and closing birth centres is mainly so that they can ensure they have as many midwives as possible in the hospital.

A friend of mine had a homebirth for her second after a straightforward first birth. She ended up needing a blue light ride to the hospital! And as an ambulance was available, both she and her baby were just fine... but without one, it could have been a different story.

Of course many home births are perfectly straightforward, but if yours isn’t, you really are going to want that ambulance.

I wanted a midwife led Birthing Unit birth. Ended up being induced and going to delivery suite. However, I didn’t have a single intervention beyond the initial pessary to get things going, and didn’t see hide nor hair of a doctor - just my midwife. Honestly, I’m not sure how different it could possibly have been in the midwife unit - I guess the start would have been nicer, at home with all the candles and relaxing music and stuff rather than in hospital. But the actual active labour bit was fine. So don’t worry, a delivery suite birth doesn’t have to be medicalised or anything like that.

Better safe than sorry. Even under normal conditions home births are risky from this standpoint, now it would be unwise for anyone to birthing anywhere other than a hospital.

The delivery unit at my local hospital has one delivery room with a birthing pool. Not sure how many hospitals have that option but it could be worth asking. No guarantee it would be available but you never know.

That sucks, I completely understand why you're upset. We spend so long thinking about how we'd like to give birth, it's difficult to readjust. But I'm sure the hospital will be absolutely fine - you can still opt for a non medicalised birth in a hospital, some even have pools, and you can bring all your comforts with you. The other thing is some birth centres are attached to hospitals, so you wouldn't need an ambulance. I had my son in a birth centre that was a lift ride away from the hospital ward. Might be worth seeing if there's any like that near you.

@PinkSparkleUnicorns actually no, homebirths are perfectly safe if not safer statistically than hospital births particularly for subsequent pregnancies.
OP I had a homebirth for my first baby. However I was totally prepared for a trip to the hospital should it be needed and the ambulance team were aware I was a homebirth and were ready to send one to my home address at urgency should they midwife decide I needed hospital help. The ambulance team even did a recce of my house to assess the driveway etc.
I understand the disappointment but as far a a planned homebirth goes you want the reassurance of an ambulance on standby. Trust me. Take some home comforts with you to go to hospital to give birth and I say this without any patronisation intended - be grateful. Someone I know has just given birth ten days ago and lost her partner to covid19. So while it’s a bit crap that your birth plan won’t happen how you hoped, you can make the best of it. Love your baby and be grateful for all you have

When you homebirth an ambulance is earmarked for you so they can prioritise you should an emergency arise.
If they cannot ensure that you can be in the hospital within a certain time frame they cannot provide a homebirth.
That’s why you can be eligible for a homebirth on one street and not on the next street over (I lived just the right side of the cut off).

I completely understand how sad you’re feeling about it. Pregnancy and birth have so much uncertainty attached that part of our nesting instinct is to plan, and find our safe place to birth. It’s primal. However, there can be a certain amount of over investment in any issue to do with babies, and it’s easy to get caught in an internet echo chamber where people earnestly believe that they are right, that anyone who doesn’t do a certain something is foolish/negligent or dangerous. In reality it’s all more nuanced than that.
When people who have chosen or desire one discuss homebirth, all the pros get prioritised and hospital births can seem quite negative. But I’ve overheard the opposite conversations too, where people choose a hospital experience over a home birth, and cannot imagine why anyone wouldn’t.
I know you’re upset now, but in time it’s probably best to focus on the fact that you at least can access excellent maternity care.

It's not a ridiculous excuse, I understand how upset you are, I laboured in a birthing centre and had to be blue lighted unexpectedly; I would have died otherwise, and wouldn't have been safe to travel in any other vehicle. They can't risk women and babies like that, plus it's not fair for midwives to be put in that position. There will be plenty of measures in place in hospital which will do everything that they can to minimise the risk. Not that it makes it better, but I imagine lots of women will be feeling the same, do you know any others who could maybe offer support?

I think it is too much, every day, I hear bad news. It is very stressful to be pregnant while corona virus apocalypse is going on. My husband is on unpaid leave now, my scans are cancelled, am worried with the virus, my mother in law can not come to help us during the first days, we can't go out, it is difficult to shop, everything is out of stock even for baby shopping, we have no idea how the situation will be in June (when I am due)... and now they shut down my birth centre and no home birth option available.. iit is a bit too much to handle! I am scared and worried with the virus.

On a slight note, home births are statistically safer than hospital births if you are low risk so as birth centres.

I guees I'll take all the advice and spice up my hospital bag with comfy items to make that room as less medicalized as possible, if there are any rooms available. I was told that the local hospital was already overcrowded and a lot of women were encouraged to try birth centre and home births because of that. I am registered in Barnet Hospital and I think they also have BC inside. Hopefully that option will be available :(

I'm so sorry, Bikbikmum, can feel how upset you are. There's no point me saying it will be ok when you have your baby - I'm sure it will but you had planned for a nice, safe environment to give birth and now the future is uncertain.

Is there no way you could hire a midwife and have your baby at home, if there are any difficulties your husband could drive you to hospital? Obviously I don't know your circumstances but there are midwives who work privately. Agencies that organise private midwifery care are very expensive but there could be a couple of people local to you who do it and you'll have been having ante natal checks on the NHS right up to when you're nearly due.

It's just a thought and I realise it may be out of the question.

I really hope all goes well, please try to think positively or even fatalistically because pregnancy is a time to be enjoyed.

The midwife led centre in our local hospital has also closed sadly.

It's very understandable that you are disappointed not to be able to attempt the birth you had planned. Try and see though that these are not normal times and it is not a ridiculous excuse. The reason that home births do not have worse outcomes than hospital births is because an ambulance can be safely and promptly called if needed. Sadly, this first world privilege is just not available us now. It is also worth bearing in mind that very few births go exactly as planned, as birth is an unpredictable process. Try to focus on the positives in your situation and spend time visualising a happy future with your precious child. I had quite different experiences with all by babies and one in particular was very traumatic and not what I would have planned. However, as I look back years later and enjoy their company as they grow into wonderful human beings, how and where I birthed them just doesn't matter x

@GlennRheeismyfavourite do you know why did they close it since you wouldnt need an ambulance?

@Lynda07 so kind of you! Thank you 🙏🏻

@Wisenotboring so right! Hopefully, hospitals will be safe from virus 🙏🏻

Please don't assume that If you needed to transfer to hospital during a home birth, you would just be able to get your partner to drive you to hospital. It doesn't always work like that, that's why there needs to be an ambulance available as PPs have said.

@Lynda07, sadly I would be very suprised to be able to find an independent midwife prepared to facilitate a home birth potentially without ambulance back up. With normal home births, the ambulance service is informed that a birth is taking place and an ambulance is locally put on standby (I believe). This is what makes it such a safe option.

Sorry but I think it's for the best under the current circumstances.
I wish you the very best for your baby's birth.

Birth centres are clinical spaces that can be freed up as extra COVID wards potentially.

Totally get why you’re feeling the way your are OP. Have you given birth before? Hospital births don’t have to be terrible. Start getting your head around it now and think about how you can make it positive an experience as possible.

@Bikbikmum you will love your birth and your baby no matter how he or she comes into the world
I highly recommend you stop watching the news or limit your exposure to it - check up once a day. There’s no need to give yourself additional opportunities to stress on top of what you’ve already described - I will say, you don’t need your mother in law. While help is marvellous in the early days, you and your partner will manage fine. Baby doesn’t need much at all to begin with - nappies, wipes, and if you plan on breastfeeding you don’t need all the bottles and sterilising stuff. Seriously, all I had for baby was nappies, wipes, some plain white vests (born during last years heatwave) a car seat, second hand pram and a second hand next 2 me crib (with a new mattress). You could look at reuseable nappies if getting hold of disposables is an issue (I’m giving them a go currently so I don’t need to rely on disposables!)
Find things that bring you joy - watch comedies, listen to good music, read to your tummy. Yes I know the world is in a shit situation at the moment and it is very worrying but you being stressed won’t do you any good!
If it helps any, even though I planned a home birth I went to have a look round the labour ward, delivery suites and alongside ml birthing centre at my local hospital in case I changed my mind or had to be taken in. Honestly, I’d have been just as happy giving birth there especially if I’d taken comfy blankets etc from home.
Also - in the active labour phase you really don’t care about fairy lights, music etc. All I remember was wanting the gas and air and focusing on the contractions - tv was switched off and I didn’t even care where I was! You’ll be fine and if you want another baby you can always aim for a home birth for then, and you’ll be even more chill about it as you’ll know what to expect!

Oh also it can help to read or hear stories of positive hospital births online or from people you know. I thought I would get induced and was terrified at the prospect, found that reading how other people had had good experiences helped me reframe it as something positive and meant I felt a lot calmer going into it all.

@Ohmaidaiz @Autumnsloth thank you so much 🙏🏻 this is very helpful❤️

I have also found a video from Milli Hill at the Positive Birth Movement Facebook group. She is talking about recent covid updates and how to have a positive birth regardless of where you are ...