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Childbirth

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

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!

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poppyflower · 07/07/2006 18:53

it's not as messy as you think!!

hewlettsdaughter · 07/07/2006 19:18

I agree with poppyflower. And what mess there is should be cleared up by the mw anyway - you won't care about it

bozzy · 07/07/2006 19:31

Definately not as messy as you think! I remember that being the first thing that put me off initially and I think that is the first thing most people think of! I didn't actually see any mess - only a beautiful baby (a lay on the floor with baby snuggled up to me, a blanket over both of us, oblivious of the clean up exercise!!)

apronstrings · 07/07/2006 19:36

I had two in hosp - 6 hour discharge.
1 at home - our midwives bunged the sheets in the washing machine before they left - I threw away one towel and that was it - really not messy. The joy of going straight to sleep in your own bed!!!
One in midwife birthing centre - born at 10.20 home by 2.00
First one in hospital water birth.

Good luck to you - four happiest days of my life

franch · 07/07/2006 20:00

I planned a homebirth, had a v short labour (half hr), midwives didnt make it in time but ambulance crew did (3 mins) and I had a fabulous, exhilarating birth in our bathroom - hooray

(Not quite the serene waterbirth I'd planned but glorious in a whole different way)

franch · 07/07/2006 20:02

Oh - yes bathroom ended up messy but midwives dealt with it all and even changed bedsheets while I showered - bedroom looked like a hotel when I emerged

poppyflower · 07/07/2006 20:08

isn't it especially glorious to lie on your own floor/ in your own bed with your beutiful new baby?? Then drink the best cup of tea you will EVER have from your own decently sized cup??!!

apronstrings · 07/07/2006 20:17

YES tea and toast in bed afterwards with new baby asleep in his own crib was delightful

franch · 07/07/2006 22:35

Oh you're really bringing it back to me now. Best thing I have EVER done.

Original poster
eenywifemum · 07/07/2006 22:37

All those aspects of a homebirth sound so lovely to me but I really want a waterbirth and I dont want a pool in my small house - to deal with storage, drainage etc. Plus I want to be able to scream and not think of the neighbours either side of me! So the MW centre is my comprimise although I do have a little for you homebirthers!

OP posts:
poppyflower · 07/07/2006 22:45

maybe next time eh?

Original poster
eenywifemum · 07/07/2006 22:51

yes!! we'll see! you never know! DH doesnt want a next time mainly b/c I have had a really hard pregnancy and he doesnt want me to go through it again but you never know! If I had a bigger house... and wasnt right on top of my neighbours you know I think I would go for a homebirth! As it is I am happy with the MW centre.

OP posts:
sarahlou1uk · 08/07/2006 11:09

Eeny - I had a hospital water birth with my first which I found excellent. However, after being discharged the next day, I was readmitted the following day with an infection (which I am sure I picked up from the pool). This time, I am planning a home water birth so that I don't disturb my ds too much. First time round, I was glad that I was in hospital as I didn't have a clue what was going on! The mw's were fantastic and I always had 2 with me at all times. Even when my waters broke and they noticed that baby had had a poo in them, they didn't panic. They just let me get on with it as I was so close to giving birth. At the final stage, one said to me 'put your hands down here' and I caught my ds as he came out! I am hoping for another memorable experience at home this time around (providing ds turns in time - currently breech at 34 weeks!)

sarahlou1uk · 08/07/2006 11:09

Sorry, meant dd for this time around!

franch · 08/07/2006 11:16

eeny, I'm sure you'll do what's right for you. FWIW, we were in a 2-bedroom 2nd-floor flat for DD2's homebirth - we had a pool set up in our bedroom (some of them are very compact), which of course I never got the chance to use ... Can't say I cared about the neighbours - the woman all the way down in the basement heard everything - in fact DH could hear me from the other end of the street as he rushed home to join me - but that's me

poppyflower · 08/07/2006 12:25

Oh eeny, men chamge theur minds, just wait 'till he sees the baby, then he'll want another! My dp said he definitely didn't want 5. When pregnant with no 5 he said this was it. Now no 5 is 6 months he is happy for a no 6, but says definitely no no 7. You never can tell !

sweetkitty · 08/07/2006 12:58

I planned a homebirth for DD2 (no water) and got exactly what I wanted, afterwards was the best thing ever in my own bed with both my DDs.

trincarm · 08/07/2006 14:01

I had a home waterbirth on 1st july this year and it was amazing. well worth it, although we had an independent midwife as i had had 2 previous c-sections and did not feel we would get enough support from our community midwives.

cazboldy · 08/07/2006 16:43

yep poppyflower, mine has said exactly that ever since the second, but now we have 4 and he says "I wouldn't mind another, but then I will have the snip!" we both know he doesnt mean it!

foxinsocks · 08/07/2006 16:51

I wanted a waterbirth the first time round but labour was too advanced when I got to hosp. I didn't have any complications with that one.

Second time round, I wanted to go into the midwife led unit but I was on the verge of giving birth in the entrance hall so I just went straight up to the labour ward.

I think the most important thing is not to have your heart set on something - I mean don't judge the success of your labour by careful plans you made in advance because you never really know what's going to happen. Having said that, I found, both times, although I never made it to the midwife led unit - even though I was in the 'hospital' bit everyone was very friendly and very pro what I wanted to do. Hth

foxinsocks · 08/07/2006 16:52

should have said with first one pool wouldn't have been ready

apronstrings · 08/07/2006 17:02

foxinsox - have you had a third - cos if you plan to you'd better not hang around when you think your in labour or it will be born in the car!!!

foxinsocks · 08/07/2006 17:15

lol - I don't think we'll have a third. Both mine had reflux and were real screamy babies so it's put me off for life

is this your first? I really hope it all goes well. Your due date is v near the date my first was born. It's lovely having a summer baby - only having to dress them in vests etc. makes the first few weeks much easier!

foxinsocks · 08/07/2006 17:19

oops have just seen it is not you who is having the baby but eenywifemum! in fact, you have a fair few don't you apronstrings??!!

tortoiseshell · 08/07/2006 17:28

Had 2 planned homebirths, (2nd and 3rd pregnancies, 1st being planned hospital birth). No complications, no transfer to hospital. Just for your information, 1st hb was to a 10lb baby, 2nd to a 10lb1.5oz baby. Dd (1st hb) had oxygen, ds2 needed nothing. Both pretty much as planned really.

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