GD and homebirth

[hastingsmum]

Hi, I have been diagnosed with GD (BS levels fine, baby normal weight) and am feeling really frustrated and alone in my fight against MWs and other health professionals not only to get to have a home birth but also to not be pushed into an early induction. I have had 2 perfectly normal pregnancies where I wasn't checked for GD and am quite sure I would have been diagnosed then too if I'd done the GTT (did the test this time as my father got type 2 only a couple of years ago).

My MW is generally unsupportive and actually said I needed to get obstetricians permission for a home birth. I know there are MWs out there who would be supportive but I don't know how to go about finding one.

I'm extra worried because my second son was born at home too but this wasn't planned and the ambulance had only just got to us 4 minutes before DS2 was born, so I really feel the need to have people around me I can trust.
I've had a look at homebirth.org.uk and it is very encouraging but I would love to chat to other people who are/have been in similar situations as I am. PM me if you want.

Jen

Pah, you don't have to get anyone's "permission"; that's a load of BS.

I'm glad you've seen the homebirth website; I really think the best thing to do is to get onto their YahooGroups mailing list.

Hey hun, am in similar situ' to you, have anemia and am 31 weeks pregnent, had DS in hospital who botched up and I was left seriously ill had in and out of hospital for 10 weeks after he was born when should have been spending time bonding with him, what made it worse is that at least 10 health care 'professionls' told me there was nothing wrong! so following the trauma of course i want to avoid hospitals, plus have always wanted a homebirth and this is my last baby, so it would be a dream come true to have my little girl in my own home.
But my mw was very surportive about a hb, untill this morning, and I feel my anemia would have been ovoided at this level if she tested me other then at 12 weeks and 28 weeks! at least I would of had time to get my levels up!
but the worse thing is there atittude! she just switched, "No your not having one!" I even said, what if I get my levels up? and she said she still wouldnt concider it!:( arrggh! left the place in tears :(
I hope you find some help in getting your HB x
I'm so upset and as i dont have anyone here except DP, am resigned to the fact am going tto have to go trough labour not only hospital but alone wilst dp looks after ds and dd :(
Feeling very like mw and doctors dont want you to be happy with giving birth, these are the most important days in our lifes and why is it so bad to want to do it our way?!

Thank you ragged, and for the tip about the yahoo group.

Manicmummyhavinabiccy, that is awful, have you had a look at the homebirth website? I don't know anything about anemia, but there might be some advise there in the section "You can't have a homebirth because..."

I have been thinking very much like you, but feel a bit more hopeful after finding that there is support out there, if I can only get hold of a MW now who will support me properly. I wish my old one hadn't moved away she was great and relaxed about pregnancy and I;m sure she wouldn't have tried to bully me into a hospital birth...

hastingsmum - contact your lsamo INFO HERE

Can't you try to speak to a consultant? Explain why you want a homebirth and let him/her explain why they think you should have hospital birth. Also ask if you go against their advice what they can still offer you in terms of support. Then take some time to consider everything and make final decision.

you actually don't need anybody's "permission" for a homebirth

nor can they say that you can't have one.

where and how you labour and give birth is up to one person. YOU.
if you call them when you are in labour and tell them that you are having a homebirth they have a duty of care to send someone to attend to you

I would advise either of you, if you can afford it, to think about an independent midwife. that would ensure you had someone with you who was confident and happy with your homebirth.

Otherwise I would write to the head of midwifery, explaint hat you know the "risks" and informing them that you WILL be having a homebirth and you fully expect them to be sending 2 midwives out to you when the time comes

don't allow them to bully you into going to hospital if it isn't what you want.
DO, however, find out all the risks and their likelihoods and make sure that your decision is fully informed.

good luck :)

are your births normally fast? perhaps mention to them that you are concerned that you will give birth whilst waiting for childcare or on the way - either of which would be vastly less safe than either home or hospital birth.

get them to explain their thinking and the risk factors involved.

ultimately it is your decision - they should not be presenting it any other way.

I have had two homebirths whilst having GD, so it is possible .

We had to be very firm with the consultant, but got there in the end. You don't need anyones 'permission' to have a homebirth, it is your decision, but it always helps if you can get all the information to enable you to make a properly informed decision. There is a homebirth website, can't remember what it is called at the moment, but should be able to find it via googling.

We did have an excellent, and very supportive and experienced midwife on side though.

You could try talking to the Head of Midwifery at your local hospital, or to a midwife at a midwife-led unit if you have one near to you? I asked the consultant at the hospital what scientific studies their GD policies were based on, and it turns out they were based on Type 1 diabetics, which is a whole different kettle of fish to GD!

Good luck

Thank you all for your help.

Mears, great to see you still here, I used to hang here as "archiesmummy" 4-5 years ago... thanks for the loink, will check it out.

EdgarAleNPie, yes I've had fast births, first born 5 hours after water broke and second child born in just 30 minutes or so, so this is a real worry for me. I would feel a lot safer knowing I could just stay here and have MWs come to me
(although this could be used as un argument for a planned induction I'm sure).

Thank you all for your advise, I have spent weeks searching the net for information in various countries about GD and birth and risks, there isn't so much info about GD and homebirth specifically but feel more than confident in my own decision now. Just like 1973magpie pointed out, it seems GD is lumped together with type 1 and type 2 diabetes when they make risk assessment.

dikkertjedap, OB says she wants to "work with me" so I can have a "natural birth" but is just assuming that I must be induced early (so baby doesn't get too big, which all scans say baby isn't and both my children were born a very normal national average) and at hospital, so not really able to talk to her.