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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Home birth-Do I actually have a right to one?

23 replies

homemama · 07/08/2006 14:25

Title says it all really.
I'm keen to have a home birth with my second baby due soon. I had no complications last time and a quick and easy (IYKWIM) delivery. Part of my reason for wanting a hb is the fact that it was so quick last time. That and the fact that we don't have anyone local to look after DS.

Anyway, mw was discouraging from the start. GP more so. Mw has said they have huge shortages especially at this time of year and even if my request was accepted, they could cancel it at the last minute if the shortage was too great.

Just wondered where I stand really. Surely if the shortage is so great then I wouldn't get much attention on a labour ward either?

I would be grateful for any POV. TIA

OP posts:

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WideWebWitch · 07/08/2006 14:28

No time but yes, you are entitled but they may try to put you off. Search on 'home birth' in thread title here and you'll find long threads on the subject.

CarolinaMoose · 07/08/2006 14:31

This site has a lot of useful info (click on Articles on the left, then scroll down and click on Home Birth).

Original poster

homemama · 07/08/2006 14:41

Thank you both. I'm just feeling a bit down about it really.

What do people do about their young children when they have recently moved to a new area and don't have family or friends nearby to look after their 2yr old?

Sorry if that sounds like a rant.

OP posts:

cazboldy · 07/08/2006 15:19

I was told the same thing with my last baby. He was no 4 and I had previously had 2 home births. Have they given you any particular reason why they would not want you to have one except for the shortages? I ended up having a lovely home birth in the end, but my cousin two weeks after me was advised to call an ambulance when she went into labour because they had no one available to go to her. All I would say is don't give up, but if you do have to go to hospital try not to let it get to you to much. A safe arrival for you both is all that really matters. Good Luck.

pol26 · 07/08/2006 15:22

I've been reading this on our antenatal thread but will reply to you here...

I think you ARE entitled to a home birth. Giving birth is special and although sometimes things don't always go our way/to plan we should still have the choice!!!

A while a go someone put up a mw website which you could email them a question and get a reply (it takes about a week) but it may give you info on how you can get what you'd like..... i think it was something like askamidwife.com or similar.

I think yoyu should really push for it. After all surely it is less cleaning up for them and less bed space taken and thier resources in the long run. I appericaite that mw's have to have holidays but there still should be enough to go round.

jamiesam · 07/08/2006 16:33

Discussed this with my MW last week (I'll be having a C/S anyway but she wasn't busy and neither was I!). She said that increasing shortages in district midwives where I live mean it's most likely that they'll have to introduce a 'quota' soon, which of course implies that some people won't be accepted for a home birth.

I guess the risk is that if everyone has a 'right' to a homebirth, but nobody works out if there are enough MW around, then when you go into labour, there won't be a MW to come to your house, and you'll have to hospital anyway.

Having said that, if that's a risk you're willing to take, I should continue to press for a homebirth - and then if there's no MW available on the day (or things don't go according to plan) then be prepared to go to hospital - ie still have a hospital bag ready, have done the hospital tour, etc...

advocateofthedevil · 07/08/2006 16:35

Even with a homebirth, you still need someone on call to look after your DS should you have to transfer to hospital. Or leave your DH behind.

JennT · 07/08/2006 17:04

I had a homebirth for my first. The midwife was happy that I had looked into the pros and cons.

She explained the reasons why I might not be able to have one (they are the same reasons you would be transferred from a midwife led unit)and in the process talked me IN to having one. Our midwife led unit is 30 mins away, and I live 10 mins from the hospital.

Around my due dates, there were 2 weekends when due to sickness and holiday, they had to temporarily withdraw the service.

sarahlou1uk · 07/08/2006 17:19

Homemama - you DO have the right to a homebirth. I am due with my 2nd child in (hopefully) 1 week's time and I have a homebirth booked (well, water birth to be exact). My mw has been very supportive from the start, even encouraging me to think about one from the first appointment (where I was not that keen!) as she thinks that if I go to hospital I will be sent to the next one as there won't be any beds!!!! Keep mentioning it at every appointment you attend but please bear in mind, as some others have said, you may have to transfer to hospital if things don't go smoothly. I have a 3yr old ds which is one of the reasons why I want a home birth - less messing him around. However, I have people on standby just in case things go wrong. GOOD LUCK AND STICK TO YOUR GUNS!!!!!!!!!!!

Original poster

homemama · 07/08/2006 17:21

Thanks everyone for your replies.
I know that if I need to transfer then I need someone for DS but I read somewhere that the chance of it happening after a straightforward first delivery was 12%. This seems low compared to the 100% need if we book for hospital. I know I'll need to sort something out just in case.

My MW has said that for insurance purposes, 2 midwives need to attend a homebirth which stretches their resources far more than in hospital where they aren't obliged to provide one to one let alone two to one!

OP posts:

jamiesam · 07/08/2006 17:48

right to a homebirth - this link suggests you have a right to a homebirth but NOT to a homebirth service - ie you have no right to demand the presence of one or more MW - which is kind of the point I was trying to make earlier...

Cuckooquirkybird · 07/08/2006 18:21

Hi. Just another suggestion really to throw into the mix. You could consider hiring independent midwife/ves. If you can afford it.
I had two water births at home and didn't require any other pain relief.
However, one of my friends is against home births as there are certain medical conditions in rare cases in babies which require urgent attention so I don't know if I'd have another home birth - hard to say. All the best with whatever you choose...
Cuckooquirky bird

cazboldy · 07/08/2006 19:11

you are right about the 2 midwife thing, but have to say that although I have had 3 home births, I only had 2 mw's at 1 of the births, the last 1! 1st time The 2nd 1 didn't get there in time, 2nd time neither of them did! and finally (3rd time lucky?) they were both there.

Original poster

homemama · 07/08/2006 20:22

Thanks for the link, Jamiesam.
With only a couple of weeks to go, I think it's too late to think about an independent mw as I wouldn't have time to build up a relationship with her. Maybe I should have considered it when I was first knocked back.

Just feeling frustrated. Heard of so many positive experiences and just wanted that for my labour especially as this will be our last baby.

OP posts:

advocateofthedevil · 07/08/2006 21:14

But you won't necessarily have built up a relationship with the NHS midwif/ves who attend your homebirth.

hfnuala · 08/08/2006 18:39

I see someone has already pointed you to the homebirth uk website. I would suggest you join their yahoo group and ask for help drafting a letter to your local Supervisor of Midwives explaining that you intend to have a homebirth and expect them to support you, as is your right. They can't force you to go to the hospital and they have a duty of care to ensure you are cared for by a midwife. As more of us refuse to back down when they try to fob us off, the pressure will increase for them to staff home births properly.

I had a NHS homebirth last month and it was wonderful. Edinburgh is very pro-HB and no one ever suggested I wouldn't be supported in my birth choices. However, despite working hard on meeting as many of the midwives as possible, I still ended up with a midwife I hadn't met. She was still lovely, so that was a minor wrinkle.

Also, as far as the second midwife is concerned - my baby was born before she arrived - my second stage was very quick and took everyone by surprise.

Good luck!

Original poster

homemama · 08/08/2006 19:51

Thanks. The relationship thing was just me thinking, 'well if I'm paying for the service I'd like to know and feel comfortable with the person.'

I've been thinking about it today and thinking that if they are so against it then maybe it's not what I want. By that I mean that I don't really want reluctant midwives attending me.

I don't know! I'm getting so close to term now that I'm not sure I have the energy to pursue it further (despite asking since booking in). Thank you everyone for your input. I know I mustn't let it ruin my experience.

OP posts:

maewest · 10/08/2006 17:41

I had homebirth 10 days ago with my first - the second mw is only called just before delivery, not 2 there all the way through IYSWIM. I also was told about staff shortages, but in the end it was not a prob. I would have taken mw's advice if there had been a medical reason not to have hb, but possible staff shortages is not a good reason. I did do hosp tour, have bag packed, and also went into hosp briefly during early labour to get checked out (when it was clear all was ok we went home again).

Good luck with whatever you decide.

1Baby1Bump · 10/08/2006 17:44

my mw wanted me to have one!
there is not much they can do if you are at home. mw will have to come to yours to assist.

squishy · 12/08/2006 10:15

My GP told me that, ultimately, they couldn't insist on anything with regard to the birth. MY MW didn't put it that way, but I wasn't going to get into any conflict with her (secretly thinking, in 2 months, I'll be even bigger, would like to see you try and remove me from my house against my will!!!!)

TuttiFrutti · 12/08/2006 13:18

Nobody can force you to go to hospital - if you want to stay at home that is your right. However, if the local health authority is short staffed at that particular time, they might not be able to send out one midwife let alone two, so the risk you run is that you might be without medical staff to help you.

Homemama, in your original post you said "Surely if the shortage is so great then I wouldn't get much attention on a labour ward either" - yup, that's what often happens in practice. You sometimes have one midwife looking after 3 different women in labour. It just depends how busy the hospital is on that day and what staffing levels are like.

Original poster

homemama · 12/08/2006 19:54

Tutti, I think I didn't realise how lucky I was first time around that my hospital had a policy of one to one. I now know that that was unusual.
They were also very encouraging of home births so I think part of my problem is surprise at the stance of this health authority.

Anyway, it seems now that there may be a problem with too much fluid around the baby so depending upon a scan on Tue, I may need to be in hospital after all.

OP posts:

pupuce · 12/08/2006 20:41

As far as I know (and I do "know" quite a bit on this subject ) if you decide on a HB they HAVE to staff it if you refuse to come in hence senior MWs are ON-CALL!!!!!

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