I just want to point out that birthing upright is NOT routine practice.

[StarlightDicKenzie]

Neither are waterbirths, active birth or epidurals because you need them - whatever you get told when you visit the MLU/hospital/community midwife!

You forgot delayed cord clamping.

probably forgot loads of things

Well, yes you did now you come to mention it.

But why do you get sold all this nonsense before you go into your first birth?

I think the care you receive differs greatly between trusts and individual mw's and how busy the unit is on that day.
But, if you're told 'the mw looking after you will be looking after 2 other women as well as you, you will be left on your own for long periods of time, you will not have access to the birth pool and you may need to wait a long time to get an epidural or may not get one at all', it might just cause enough outrage for women demand that the goverment do something about it, maybe?

I best get a birth pool

It's pretty much the only thing I want due to my phobias

ack

Kayano, do you know what the facilities are where you're giving birth?
The pool we have is in a high risk room, not a low risk one.

I think everyone should be given the document here before going anywhere to give birth!

All except the epidural are available on demand at a homebirth . Sadly a MW you've met before, or even any MW may not be , at least not without a battle.

God that is a depressing read

And elective C/sections Kanga

Thing, I like that link but I think it needs to be a little more balanced to be entirely accurate.

Kayano,

When I went in with my second I told the MW I was coming in and to please fill the pool right for me away.

I think I was testing whether it was available and if not, might have changed birthing units then and there , - or stayed at home, which I was quite comfortable with at the time.

Agree Bad It did come across as a bit hysterical. I'm not sure people would believe it, even if it was all true.

Is it really likely that your child will have an increased chance of becoming a drug addict if you have pethedine? Not a fan of the stuff myself but find it a bit hard to believe.

Starlight, there was a small study a few years ago that suggested a link but I don't think its been researched since.

I'm having twins and at the antenatal classes our midwife was like "home birth, midwife unit, water birth, moving off the bed - just put it all out of your mind because it's not going to happen." I appreciated the honesty really. And since our "options" are premature labour, induction or C-section I do kind of wish they would just book us in for the C-section now instead of all this mucking about trying to guess which twin will be facing which way come 37 weeks.

I had a waterbirth last time and have a choice of two places to have one this time. Apparently hardly anyone wants them or they are high risk so they are more often than not available.

molly, most pools stand empty because the midwives don't have the training/time/confidence to use them. It isn't usually lack of pools that is the issue.

The Edgeware Birthing Unit is responsible for 80% of all waterbirths in the UK. They have 3 pools.
That says it all really.

Just wanted to add some more positive experiences. A good friend of mine gave birth naturally to twins in hospital on the same night as I managed the VBAC I so wanted.

I know hospital policy can be restrictive but it is possible to get the birth you want within it's walls.

buonasera -I know someone who had a homebirth with twins at 40+ weeks without any intervention. No problems and 2 babies that each weighed more than most singleton babies.

They definitely are trained in it here I had one last time and they have more than enough here to use I have 3 available one at hospital and 2 at the midwife led birthing unit so will definitely be having another water birth. depends where you are in the country I think.

Birthing upright might not be normal practice.

But when I gave birth to DS2, I said explicitly at the beginning to the mw that if I could, I'll like to be squatting on the bed to deliver (DS1 was 30hours+ and ended in epidural and ventouse). I said I wanted to be active, to feed ASAP afterwards and to be bent over for pushing.

I had a fab midwife, present but not really that at the front, she did hang back and let me lead with everything.

As I was in transition / starting to push and grunt a bit , she ran back in the room (she was in and out a bit) and told me "next contraction, get up on the bed and lean over the headboard with your hands" very clearly. I followed suit (I was in a bit of a contraction 'fog' at that point).

It might not be normal. From reading other posts, I guess I was very lucky.

sheep - I have friends that gave birth in that position our hospital is totally fine with it and you are allowed to chose how you want to do it, you also have loads of birthing balls etc available.

Kanga, I don't care about a good birth experience. My expectations are formed from the "care" I've received during my three miscarriages and subsequent investigations (issue identified and fixed now, no thanks to the NHS) and I'll be happy if all three of us get out alive with no long term health issues - that's it, that's all I want. I'd like to believe that the reason I used to wait days for scans at the EPU and got precious little advice on what to expect during miscarriage is because all the staff are down in the delivery suite where they can actually make a difference to the outcome - but I still fear being left in a waiting room somewhere with my OH getting ignored by the midwives until I'm about 9cm dilated and the twins are getting distressed. I have more faith that a CS would go OK - as a HCP you pretty much have to give it 100% of your attention, and there's no issue of them asking me how I feel and me not crying enough/saying the right words to be taken seriously. I'd pay any amount of money to be able to get an ob's full attention for the birth just to get it over with - but private is no option, they only do the easy stuff. I've been very lucky to get into a twins antenatal clinic and I just keep my fingers crossed that they don't kill us, and then with a bit of luck I won't see the inside of a hospital till I once get something incurable.