Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

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

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

To those who planned a homebirth or MW unit birth....

114 replies

eenywifemum · 06/07/2006 12:31

Hi there! I'm sure this question has been asked before, please bear with me.

I would like to hear from MNers who planned either a homebirth or a midwife unit birth, and basically if they got what they wanted & planned for or if there were complications.

I am due in 6-8 weeks and am planning on having a water birth at my local MW centre. If anything goes wrong it would mean a trip to the local hospital during labour. I am just trying to get an idea of how many labours go wrong like that... I asked my MW for some sort of statistic about how many of their mums have to be transferred to hospital and surprisingly she didnt have any idea... So... is it pretty common or pretty uncommon?

I really want my water birth there and I am just nervous I wont get it, IYKWIM. So your thoughts and experiences would be much appreciated, I can compile my own MN statistics!

Thanks!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

hewlettsdaughter · 06/07/2006 16:36

Hi, I haven't read the whole thread but just to add my experience: after an unplanned homebirth I had a planned one - and it all went according to plan, apart from the fact that we didn't get the plastic sheeting out in time (!) and then after the birth the placenta took an age to come out - I think I was close to being transferred to hospital at this point but we avoided it in the end.

Have you seen the Homebirth Reference Site ?

cazboldy · 06/07/2006 16:37

I have 4 children. The first was born in hospital but 3 were at home. No problems, my hubby even delivered number 3! much better at home IMO.

Original poster

eenywifemum · 06/07/2006 16:40

wow cazboldy I think that is so cool that your DH delivered one of your babies!!

hewlettsdaughter - thanks for that site. Yes someone put it on here just a little while ago, it looks really informative. Do you remember how long it actually took for the placenta to be delivered?

OP posts:

WellKnownMemorablePeachyClair · 06/07/2006 17:20

Can I just add that I had an emergency transfer with ds1 (just before labour, but between MW and Big Unit) and it was fine- I was fitting, but the transfer took 15 minutes only (for a trip normally taking 45), I ahd a wonderful MW with me all the way (even though her shift ahd ended, she was amazing) and was really looked after. If it should happen, it's not as bad as it sounds.

cazboldy · 06/07/2006 17:25

well it was only because the mw didnt get there in time. It wasn't planned or anything, but have to say it was a really special thing.

hewlettsdaughter · 06/07/2006 17:44

eenywifemum, the placenta finally made an appearance over 2 hours after the baby! I tried for a natural stage first, then we tried syntometrine. It finally came out when the mw pulled on the cord.

FrannyandZooey · 06/07/2006 17:49

Mine didn't exactly go wrong, but I had planned a homebirth and ended up voluntarily transferring to hospital. The midwife wouldn't give me any pain relief as she said it was too early, and she said the only way I could have pain relief at this stage was to transfer to hospital and have an epidural. So I did.

When they inserted the epidural they found I was 9 cm dilated, so I am not entirely sure how it was "too early" for pain relief, but there you go. They also discovered ds was back to back, after he was delivered. I lost a bit of faith in the midwifery system that day but all's well that ends well.

chopsolata · 06/07/2006 17:50

I didnt get my planned birth, i was booked at local mw led unit, all private en-suite rooms and lovely big birthing pool which I planned to give birth in.

Sadly this never happened, ds was 15 days late and I was induced at main hospital. I was gutted but the care and staff at the hospital were wonderful, and even though I pumped full of more drugs than I may have had otherwise, it was a successfuly delivery and ds was fine which at the end of the day was all that mattered.

Dont be too upset if you dont get it, labour is unbelievably unpredictable, so just go with the flow and enjoy your perfect baby at the end of it no matter where or how you deliver. Good luck

poppyflower · 06/07/2006 18:04

I had a sucessful home birth after 2 sections and 2 other normal hospital births. It was really, really wonderful, so much better than being in hospital . It was also filmed for T.v.!!

Gem13 · 06/07/2006 18:17

I was transferred from a MW unit to hospital in an ambulance after 5 hours of second stage labour.

It wasn't a great experience (I had so much gas and air in the ambulance I knocked myself out!) but we were all fine in the end.

The centre should have statistics. Mine did. I think a third of first-timers were transferred. I was reasonably prepared as I specified in my birthplan I wanted to go to the closest hospital and not their 'sister' hospital which was 15 miles further away!

I should add that you should be prepared for how differently you might feel about things when in labour. The MW unit I went to had a massive birthing pool in a large comfortable room but while I was in labour I wished I wasn't so exposed and would have felt much happier in a cupboard! I also felt panicked everytime the MW left the room (a lot), even though beforehand I wanted it to be me and DH as much as possible.

conni · 06/07/2006 19:29

Hi first I wanted a home waterbirth, midwives were vvery supportive as they do few homebirths and it would have been their first home waterbirth. My GP was surprised that midwives were supportive as I have fibroids. So had a scan done and the had grown a lot during pregnancy and one was in very awkward position - GP strongly opposed to homebirth due to postpartumhaemmorhage risk, midwivws said no problem, can still have homebirth. Then sought opinion of well-known private consultant who is known to support homebirths - he was recommended by the Active Birth Centre where I had been following courses. He said homebirth far too risky, need full medical back up for third stage. As the consultant midwife did not take my pph risk serious at all he even wrote her a letter. In the end I decided to give birth in the birting centre in the hospital, there were complications I picked up a serious infection in a bath in the birthing centre - at least that is what I think - and was transferred to the labour ward. Two other women had pph in birthing centre and had to be transferred and a bay died due to prolapsed cord during waterbirth - woman was transferred to labour ward but too late for babe. After all this I think that the most important thing is the safety of mother and baby and that is in hospital. Birth might be 'natural' but it is also dangerous and that should be recognised imo, also birth is not an 'end' in itself, it is just the begin. I would never ever consider a homebirth let alone a home waterbirth again, I don't think the risk - no matter how small as it could be you - is worth it.

kipper22 · 07/07/2006 08:42

ooohh poppyflower - are you one of those hame birth diary people?! (sorry for the hijack but [excited at the thought of 'meeting' a celeb emoticon!])

Original poster

eenywifemum · 07/07/2006 12:28

Thanks everybody again for sharing your stories to help a first timer I am glad to hear all stories, the good and the bad, what a I wanted was to get a balanced view. And on balance I think delivering at the MW centre should be perfectly safe and hopefully a very happy way of doing it!

OP posts:

poppyflower · 07/07/2006 13:18

Oh yes Kipper I am !!!!!

Original poster

eenywifemum · 07/07/2006 13:20

wow there is a celeb on the thread I started! I really wish I could see the show you taped!

OP posts:

poppyflower · 07/07/2006 13:28

it's on the discocery home and health channel, one of the new batch. We are Emma and Mark who live in Falmer with already 4 soon to be 5 kids. Christmas baby called Clara. it was really good to do. I'm so glad I got the chance to do it ( through my doula). if you do see it I would like to point out that although my nose isn't the snallest it isn't as big as the camera shows . better be really nice now incase anyone comes round my house, now that they know where i live!!

Original poster

eenywifemum · 07/07/2006 13:29

poppy I would have a million things to point out about my appearance if I were on t.v.!! I'm sure you look lovely! MUCH to my annoyance I dont have that channel - we only have the basics. Live in a listed building so no satellite dish. So annnoying!

OP posts:

JoshandJamie · 07/07/2006 13:36

I gave birth at a MW unit and it was fine - exactly as I wanted it.

poppyflower · 07/07/2006 13:36

Bummer!

SecurMummy · 07/07/2006 13:39

I booked a homebirth for dd3, she arived in 22 minutes - 3 minutes before the MW!

No complicatons, no transfer, all hunky dorey!

Oh and the second MW turned up in time to sign teh relevant papers and leave again - whilst I was enjoying a bath

poppyflower · 07/07/2006 13:40

eeny I would have loved a water birth at home but dp put the stops on it saying the kids would wreck it. He was probably right. I know all births have risks, but being in a relaxed atmosphere certainly helps and I think a midwife -led unit would be much preferable to a hospital, if you are considered low risk, especially in a lovely big bath. Ooh how lovely. Still I could always insist on it if we ever have no 6!

pesme · 07/07/2006 13:50

i planned a homebirth (didn't work out as i went into labour too soon) but the midwifes are so careful. there are so many factors they take into consideration before allowing a homebirth that the risks of complications are minimal. please don't be nervous. you are v. lucky having a midwife led unit.

fruitful · 07/07/2006 15:11

I planned a homebirth for both of mine. With dd, I was 38 weeks when the midwife got worried that dd might be breech. We were fairly sure she wasn't as she'd been in the same position for about 12 weeks by then, and everyone had told me she was head-down, but went for a scan "just in case". She was coming feet-first and they said I had too little fluid to try turning her, so I had a cs.

With ds I planned a homebirth till 20 weeks when they said I had a low-lying placenta. Continued to hope for one till 32 weeks when the scan showed the placenta was still blocking the exit. Started to hope for a nice peaceful cs at term. Got an emergency cs 2 weeks later...

With the next one I'm going to plan a cs, then maybe I'll get a homebirth!

Original poster

eenywifemum · 07/07/2006 18:21

Sound logic Fruitful!

Poppy you are a brave woman! I want my waterbirth at the MW unit just so I dont have to clean up after myself at home!

And Pesme you are right we are lucky having the MW unit there. I'm sure it will be alright... Well look for a birth announcement from me sometime in Aug or Sept!

OP posts:

edam · 07/07/2006 18:50

I planned a m/w unit birth. Had to argue my way in their as I have an existing medical condition which they hadn't seen before (nothing to do with pregnancy). They prefer people to be straightforward! But I talked to the head midwife and got the OK from my consultant. The birth centre was just across the corridor from the hospital delivery bit so if anything had gone wrong they would have stuck me on a trolley and wheeled me down the corridor. Unfortunately they wouldn't let me have a water birth though. And I could see their point.

I regretted it when I was in labour and screaming for an epidural though - arrrggh. Apparently I was screaming f*ck repeatedly for hours. But in the end am glad I went for it, ds was born normally, happy and healthy, and it felt good that my body had done this all by itself (no disrespect to anyone who has a different experience, just how delivering my son felt to me).

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Swipe left for the next trending thread