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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Labour at 36 + 5 urgent question if anyone up

42 replies

timeforachangebaby · 01/12/2012 05:06

I am due a homebirth but our hospital has a policy of not before 37 weeks.

I am fairly sure I am in early labour and I DO NOT want to go in - I have fast and intense labours and fine water soothing - there is no birthing pool, it has a terrible reputation for being short staffed and I simply don't want to be there having my baby.

If I am going to go in - I can't wait for labour to be established as if last time is anything to go by - it will too late.

Any views or experiences on home birth at this stage - I really don't see how Saturday to Tuesday could possibly make that much difference.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Horopu · 01/12/2012 05:07

No experience or advice, sorry. Thought I'd bump this for you. Good luck with whatever happens.

BlueGoddess · 01/12/2012 05:12

If you've got everything you need at home I'd refuse to go in. Good luck!

Original poster

timeforachangebaby · 01/12/2012 05:31

Thanks - have everything here including gas and air as has been delivered - has eased off now - but it's not going to be long now.

I could just wait as by the time they tell me I have to go in - it will probably be too late to go in anyway!

OP posts:

BonfireBaby · 01/12/2012 07:18

At 36 weeks your baby has a higher chance of needing a little help when they come out, I'd think (mine did) so isn't it better to be in hospital just in case? good luck.

CailinDana · 01/12/2012 07:25

Hospitals usually have a strict policy about the 37 week mark - pre 37 weeks is considered pre term and you must go in.

If you stick at home you run the risk of being unattended - would you be ok with that?

Could you do a deal with the baby for him/her to wait a couple of more days?

How are you feeling?

SushiPaws · 01/12/2012 07:26

Do you not have a midwife you can call directly?

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 01/12/2012 07:30

Unfortunately I think your only option to be sure about staying at home will be to not call for a mw until things have really got going. That's risky obviously as you have no idea how long it will be until someone's with you once you do call.

Good luck

EMS23 · 01/12/2012 07:33

At 36.5 your baby will be premature and may need help. At 38 weeks my DD was low birthweight and needed help.
Regardless of what you want for your birth, it is worth considering what the baby needs.
Chances are your baby will be fine but is it worth the risk?

Original poster

timeforachangebaby · 01/12/2012 07:40

Re midwife - I already know they will insist I go in.

I have done some reading on the risks of baby needing extra help this morning and with a natural home birth they are very minimal - and hospital is literally 5 mins away so we could get there very quickly if we had to with baby - even in car.

I ended up with no midwife last time (completely shocked by that - I had no idea I was so far gone) - thats my issue really - they would want me to go in now - and stay there - and I am managing fine.

The switch from fine to about to deliver (if like last time) will happen in matter of seconds. And I think I am far more likely to need intervention if I go to a hospital with no water to assist.

The birthing pool has been out of action for over 3 years (it's why I wouldn't have DD there) and that doesn't inspire me with confidence in the rest of the unit.

Im no closer to deciding what to do - I don't want to put the baby at risk by not going in - but I'm not convinced I would be - it seems arbitrary - if this was Monday night/Teusday it would be fine to stay home.

I'm tempted to stay in bed feet up and hope that stops it in it's tracks for another day or 2.

OP posts:

Whatevertheweather · 01/12/2012 07:40

Agree with others, presumably you haven't had steroid injections to help baby's lungs mature in readiness for a slightly early arrival? S/he may need a little help when they arrive - I'd much rather be in the hospital in that case. Of course it's your choice - can you call your midwife and chat it through? How close are you to the hospital?

Good luck - sounds like you will have a squishy newborn very soon. Do update us if you can

Whatevertheweather · 01/12/2012 07:41

Sorry x post with you!

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 01/12/2012 07:41

Stay in bed, feet up and cross your legs. Tight.

That should stop things!

Original poster

timeforachangebaby · 01/12/2012 07:43

Thanks for questions re how I'm feeling - back is in agony and contractions have stopped for now.

Just waiting to see if it all kicks off again - tell you what I won't being doing - going for the christmas meal we had planned with all our friends this evening 30 odd miles away - we booked it early spec so I could go.

Mind you who whose we could end up there with a newborn by this evening :).

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alibobins · 01/12/2012 07:52

Ds3 was born at 36+6 and had to spend 2 weeks in nicu he came out in a really poor condition and wouldn't risk having an early baby at home. The midwife did say there is a cut off for a reason and ds had every complication they warn about. Good luck and hope your snuggling a little baby soon.

Original poster

timeforachangebaby · 01/12/2012 07:57

Everything has stopped for now and I've just agreed with dh that I'm spending day in bed (or at least sat on sofa).

Hopefully it was a false alarm - I may ring ward later to discuss - we are very very close to hospital if we do need to get there quick - with DC2 it all happened so fast I didn't even have time to get out of bath.

I hope ds3 is all well now x

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TimeyWimeyStuff · 01/12/2012 07:57

DD came too soon at 36+1, she wasb't ready and there came a point where she was not coping with the birth process. Low heart rate, meconium in waters etc it became quite scary in the end. She was low weight and went straight into an incubator. I would not be staying at home.

WantAnOrange · 01/12/2012 08:01

DS was born at 36+6 and was fine at first but then couldnt get over his jaundice and needed treatment. I really wanted a home-birth with DD but that didnt go to plan either. I'ts dissapointing, but it's not the end of the world. I'd go to hospital. Good luck.

alibobins · 01/12/2012 08:08

Have a lovely sofa day
Ds2 is my dc3 and a totally different labour ds1 was born in just over 30mins but ds2 was stopping and starting and generally being a pain. The hospital said 3rd labours often stop and start and they get alt of false alarms.

Sokmonsta · 01/12/2012 08:41

My 36+5 twins needed 4&5 days nicu. Blood sugar and temp control issues. In this weather I wouldn't risk the latter as it severely hampered their feeding and we had to stay 13 days.

EugenesAxe · 01/12/2012 08:42

I know what you mean about it being a matter of days, but could you live with your decision if something did go wrong? If your baby wasn't breathing even five or so minutes could make a difference.

I'm a bit surprised by your comment about water and intervention. Is your mindset really altered that much by modest pain relief to the extent that one way you will be able to deliver and the other way your body will need help? Your quandary to me seems to be about your birth experience, and while that is of course very important, I expect the 37 week rule is there to protect your baby.

MustafaCake · 01/12/2012 08:51

I hope things have stopped for you and you get to 37 weeks so you can have the birth you want.

TBH I would go in to hospital because I am one of those people who blindly trusts the medical professionals and if they say it is better for a pre-37 weeker to be born in hospital then I will go with that. I realise that some people are not as sheep-like as me though!

I had DS2 at 36+0 (1 hour from first twinge to delivery) and was bloody glad we made it to hospital as 3 hrs after delivery he was struggling to breathe and in intensive care for days. The Dr said the combination of premature baby lungs and the very quick delivery meant there was loads of gunk in his lungs that he could not shift.

May be worth going in, if you deliver quickly you can check straight out again!

Good luck x

Original poster

timeforachangebaby · 01/12/2012 08:56

I have had a terrible hospital birth experience which has coloured my view and I do believe that the more intervention you have the more you are likely to need - and I genuinely cannot abide our local hospital - the care we have recieved there has, in my opinion been substandard - I would not be so against going in - if it was a different hospital or even the MLU.

I already know water works for me as pain relief - pethedine does nothing (and is more likely to mean further intervention).

At the moment everything has stopped (excerpt the back ache) so hopefully it was a false alarm.

I am really torn - I don't want a repeat of my first birth but giving birth home alone with no midwife was terrifying (and cord was round babies neck twice) and I have no desire to repeat that - although clearly as births go it was easy (so easy I didn't even realise it was happening).

I don't want to risk the baby though so if the pains start up again I will ring them for advice.

OP posts:

Original poster

timeforachangebaby · 01/12/2012 08:58

Eugene Is your mindset really altered that much by modest pain relief to the extent that one way you will be able to deliver and the other way your body will need help

It's more that I believe without the increased intervention of the doctor with DC1 - things would never have spiralled out of control the way they did, I am a lot more educated now though and wouldn't go along with things the same way.

OP posts:

Jojoba1986 · 01/12/2012 09:05

I suspect that if your baby came even a day early then they'd insist on a proper hospital check, wherever it was born. There will be lots of people who can say that their baby was born at X weeks & had different problems. Some babies are born at 40 weeks & have problems, others are born early & are fine. There's really no way of knowing which it's going to be until the baby's here. Whatever you decide to do, have confidence in your decision & trust your body to do it's job wherever you are!

Do let us know if/when things kick off again!

YouSeveredHead · 01/12/2012 09:05

I totally understand op, I had fast and intense births also. I also have a friend who gave birth in the bathroom so totally get where you are coming from.

Will you know when you are there? Does your dp know what you want him to do ie when to call for a midwife or ambulance?

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