I'm umming and ahhing over having a homebirth, if I could be sure of water bool in MLU I'd go there I think but it seems like it's often unavailable due to demand. As being active is top of my list for birth, even imo making my birth safer, I'm thinking home. Last time I got to 8-9cm on the antenatal ward over night without disturbing anyone, but quickly went to lots of pain relief within minutes of being on my back and slowing labour right down once on the labour ward and strapped up. I think it's a realistic option pain-relief wise as I got so close under my own devices, when I buzed them on the antenatal ward as I felt I was close I was told to go to sleep as I didn't look close and was examined 'against clear advice' (then rushed to labour ward!).
One concern is the state of my house. Firstly, I keep it clean and tidy! However, we bought it in a very very bad state and have been slowly doing it up. We've replaced all the walls and painted plain undercoats to them and changed the kitchen and bathroom but it's still not done. We have an old axeminister carpet downstairs, not quite to the walls, quite heavy marking/ the odd hole in back room. No skirting boards throughout (snail nightmare!) which means gaps to the floor/wall, the front door is on it's last legs (but curtain hung behind it for draught exclusion). Stairs undercovered, though recently bannisters have been attached. Upstairs the floors simply have pressed paper stapled down to even them out, except ds room which has a (unfitted) carpet. The windows to the front are rotten, a few small holes to the edge of rotten frames but secondary glazing means it's not cold. Some bits are a nightmare to look clean due to the state. The furniture is all freecylce/ skip recovered except beds, tired but clean. DS doesn't want for anything. He's well surpervised and even when the house was in a worse state he never came close to injury. The house looks worse than it is, and isn't going to improve much on the major things due to funds. It's looked after, the garden is tidy and trimmed etc. Also 4 adults and 1 child live here so it's full (though I think they'd stay at friends for birth).
I'm a bit worried about the reaction of midwives to the house, I remember last time I lived in a lovely flat and the HV going on and on about 2 foot of wiring hanging loose. This is way beyond that. Could they either say it's unsuitable or refer on to HV involvement etc?