Consultant advising against homebirth - need some cheering up!

[wewishyouamerryKITTYmas]

Had antenatal appt this morning (am 36 weeks) all along midwives have known and supported my decision to have a homebirth. Seen Consultant this morning and he basically was really against a homebirth said I would be much safer in hospital etc etc. He said that most consultants in Scotland were strongly against homebirths. He also said that since my first labour was 4h 20 mins I was not low risk for a homebirth as I could be even faster this time. He said baby could have foetal distress, I could have a bad tear and if anything were to happen with traffic etc it would not be a good idea. He said that because I had a straightforward labout with DD doens't mean that something couldn't go wrong with this one.

Feel a bit right now MW said he was only advising me that I can change my mind at any time and come into hospital as they have a labour-delivery-postnatal-discharge in the one room and I would be home in less than 6 hours.

I just feel a bit weepy about it all now, if I were to tell all this to DP he would insist I go into hospital. But surely it's just as risky as I woould have to call DP back from work if he's there, get a babysitter for DD, DP drive me to hospital etc rather that just call the MWs and them come out to me.

Any homebirthers or the lovely Mears out there to give me a few words of support.

With my homebirth number four labour came on very quickly and things hotted up. I'm in Brighton and my mw's had to come from London. I lay down forwards and slowed labour down myself until they arrived, then got it going again.

I find this book , and particularly THIS book absolutely inspiring and calming if you're planning a home birth. I used to let the concerns of these consultants wash over me. They mean well but all to often they haven't much idea what a natural birth is like. They work in a pathalogical arena and can't see beyond that.

Grrrrrrrrr! I'm getting steamed up just thinking about it.

Good luck to you. x

at consultants not liking home births. Try AIMS for support. It doesn't sound as if he gave you a good reason, just scaremongered unnecessarily. If you search on home birth like this, there are lots of threads here. Good luck.

sorry but that sounds like he is talking mince!

i delivered my 2nd about 45 minutes after arriving in hospital at Edinburgh. i only had a graze, despite having had a huge episiotomy to facilitate forceps delivery the first time round.

on the way over, i started to seriously fear i'd deliver in the car - had even brought towels just in case.

can you get a second opinion?

I didn't even have time for diamorphine. Bet you won't, either, this time round, as shortandstripy pointed out, better to have midwife there w/all the gear.

I talked to a lovely consultant a while back (Willow and I fight over who gets to interview him) who was very laid-back and pro home birth. I can't really see what the problem is for you; actually second labours tend (according to docs and midwives I've also talked to for work) to be easier than first ones - while there is, of course, the chance that something could go wrong.

I'd go for it. I had a shitty first labour in hospital, straightforward second one at home (at 40, when your consultant would have been reeling at the very idea of my geriatric courage in embarking on childbirth at all).

Thanks everyone he's not put me off having a homebirth, got to get to 39 weeks though as thats how long the MWs will be on call (3 weeks only) so if I go before then (went at 37+5 with DD) I will go to hospital anyway.

My usual MW wasn't in with me but she came and said hello beforehand and said whatever is said in there don't worry about it we know what we are doing so I think she knew we would try and put me off. He wrote in my notes "have discussed homebirth and will make a decision next week!" jsut angry he would try and scare me like this!

What an absolute load of pi*h he has told you, excuse my french. This makes me so mad

Midwives are the lead professional in normal birth - why on earth did you have to see him anyway? The sooner that midwife led care gets fully off the ground the better.

As you know, I am a midwife in Scotland and most of consultants at our unit have no objections to homebirth. To be honest, they leave it up to the midwives to organise. Our midwives go on call from 37 - 42 weeks ( am a bit taken aback by Wishaw not going oncall till 39 weeks). That does not mean that a woman must deliver in hospital outwith those dates. Most women I am sure would come in before 37 weeks because of it technically being a preterm birth, but the choice is actually the woman's. A midwife cannot refuse to attend a woman in labour whereas a doctor can.

There is absolutely no evidence to say that hospital birth is safer. There is plenty of evidence to say that planned homebirths are actually safer. Women labour better in their own homes. With this being baby number 2, it is highly likely you will not need to have diamorphine as you will be able to more in control of your own labour in your own home, which in itself reduces pain.

It is an aim of our area to increase the homebirth rate and that is extended throughout Scotland (and the UK) so your consultant is talking rubbish.

my lovely homebirth was 3 hours from first twinge to delivery. 10 mins before delivery my midwife arrived and I said to her "I'm sorry to get you out so quickly, you'll probably be her all night now"... then immediately started pushing! My point is that I was so unaware that things were happening so fast that if I had been planning on going to hospital it is extremely likely that my baby would have been born in the back of the car because I would never have left in time.

A 4 hour first labour screams "homebirth your second!" to me. Frankly a planned homebirth is 100 times safer and less scary than an emergency birth by the side of the road, in the hospital carpark or in the lift to the labour ward...!

Stick to your guns Kitty!

Sure is scary delivering a baby in the dark on the backseat of a car in a layby I can tell you - previous section and all.....

wewishyouamerryKITTYmas hope you are feeling a bit better. I live in scotland as well and enquired about a homebirth with my first child. We saw the "head" midwife at the hospital and she was great but explained that homebirths are much much rarer in Scotland?? She could not tell us why though and did put me off a bit.My gp was horrified and said she would have nothing to do with it! As it turned out I had a lot of complications and opted for a hospital birth.
But I still wish I had had dd at home. I was born at home and my sister as well and it seems a lot more relaxed and natural especially when you already have a child. Good luck some consultants can be a bit aloof and distant .

Thanks ever so much mears, I know he was talking rubbish from what I've read but didn't want to get into it all with him as he will be nowhere near me during labour. I don't know why I saw him today it was the MW last week who said I should see a doctor at 36 weeks (why? he scanned my notes and tried to put me off that was it).

Motherwell midwives have said it's a cost issue, their manager won't cover for 5 weeks. Secretly hoping that I stick it out so long at home homebirth will be the only option.

Am not having the diamorphine anyway don't want to be out of it or have a groggy baby. Only had gas and air last time I don't know why they are so intent on the diamorphone although come the time I'll be screaming for everything.

it must vary by region. my community midwife - LOVE her to bits! - does homebirths fairly frequently here in Edinburgh.

i was delivered by a lovely midwife and student midwife this time round and wouldn't change it all.

really hope to see an improvement in things like homebirth, breastfeeding, etc. here in Scotland.

why'd you have to bother w/a consultant, anyhow? sounds like you're a pretty uncomplicated case as it is.

here's hoping you get the birth you want, kitty!

i screamed for everything, but it was too late .

gas and air just made me feel faint this time round. i kept saying, 'i'm going to faint!' but noooo, baby roisin wouldn't let me just faint and be done w/it. just like she won't let me sleep just now. oh no, she pops off the boob all glutted, put her down and she wakens up.

Hello! not read all the thread but this is right up my street

I was due to have a homebirth with ds (now 12 weeks) My first had been very quick - like you Kitty. This labour lasted 24 hours, 22 of which I did at home... only called midwife when I thought things were getting interesting! 10 hours later and the contractions not doing their thing so off I went to hospital - the presentation of ds's head was stopping my waters from breaking and as getting up and crawling to the ambulance popped the membranes baby arrived 2hours later in hospital.

The experience wasn't awful, I was really chuffed that I'd done everything I could to have my little boy at home and didn't feel diddled out of my homebirth.

They'll have an ambulance 'on call' when you ring for the midwife and the hosp team will take the case immediately on your arrival (if this were to happen)

Rest assured, your consultant's being an arse - typical attitude ime

hope this goes some way to reassuring you

echoe's of everything already said; consultant's an arse. good luck with the home birth, im sure you'll have a lovely experience.

Have just been talking to a friend about this oddly enough. Pretty much no consultant is going to "recommend" a home birth because then they take responsibility if things go wrong. If they say that they do not support it and you go ahead anyway, it it you that are taking full responsibility. Apparently.

In a homebirth situation, the consultant has no responsibilty at all. Problem is consultants 'think' they do. Even in a hospital situation, the consultant has no responsibility if the midwife delivers the care. Midwives are accountable and responsible for their own practice. If a woman goes against advice of the midwife at home, then she is responsible for the decisions she makes, but only if they are based on full, impartial, evidence-based information given by the midwife.

I've had one hospital birth and two home births, and would definitely recommend home - and that's despite the gas and air running out shortly before ds3 was born. It was worth the extra pain just to be treated like a human being and be able to use my own bath afterwards.

I agree with the other posters about consultants' attitudes. When I was expecting my second baby I was talking to another mother outside ds1's Tumbletots session. I told her I intended to have a home birth, to which she replied "I'm all for home births. I used to be a community midwife". So I asked her whether she'd had her own babies at home. "Certainly not!" she replied. "My husband's a consultant obstetrician."

I knew a woman who's husband was an obstetrician and he basically told her to have an elective caesarian (she was completely low risk)!!!! I was more cross at her in a way for letting him talk/bully her into it! He reckoned it would reduce the cerebral palsy risk for the baby (stuff the fact it increase the risk of his wife dying !)

Male obstetricians - don't trust'em .

Haven't we all heard stories of women who were advised that they must have homebirths, because they went into labour too fast (or were likely to) and better at home than in the car?

I usually hear stories like this for women whose first labour was about 4 hours... sound similar, or what?!

Does it really reduce the risk of cp? If so the depending on how much that would make me go for a ec.

I knew a woman who's husband was an obstetrician and he basically told her to have an elective caesarian (she was completely low risk)!!!! I was more cross at her in a way for letting him talk/bully her into it! He reckoned it would reduce the cerebral palsy risk for the baby (stuff the fact it increase the risk of his wife dying !)

Male obstetricians - don't trust'em

that has to be the most ridiculous thing i've ever read!

incredible! did this man learn nothing in his classes about how the human had evolved a complete hormone ballet to cope w/labour and delivery and help the baby to breath?

that is so sad! major abdominal surgery!

I must say, I was gobsmacked at the time. What a control freak!!!

Hi ya.

I live in Scotland. I didn't enjoy my first birth experience. Dh has always been keen to have more than one, and if I'm going to do it again I would really a home birth. So whenever I come across information about homebirths I take notice!

Apparently the national (British) average for homebirths is about 2.5% but in Scotland is less than 1%. I work as a researcher at the local hospital and when the opportunity arises I have asked questions and I have got the impression that they do not encourage home birth but the community midwives would be suportive of someone who has a strong preference for one (especially when its not the first baby).

If your midwife is supportive I'd go for it. She won't let you get into a risky situation. Good luck!

oh don't worry just wait for the birth announcement of my lovely planned homebirth