Homebirthing on an island with no doctor/hospital?

[VisualiseAHorse]

This is a bit of a theoretical question... If you live on an island (I'm thinking small Scottish island here), one where there is no doctor, never mind a hospital - can you still have a planned homebirth?

No idea, but I personally would at least want a very very experienced midwife!!!

I'm really not sure it would be a great idea "just in case"

The island I am thinking of - it takes a helicopter from the nearest big hospital an hour to reach the island (I think!).

In fact - you could probably get a midwife out there quicker than I could get one where I currently live!

I suppose if I was an hour away I wouldn't choose homebirth it's one of those things isn't it, you just don't know how your birth will pan out. I always ended up being induced so never did get my homebirth!

I think theoretically you can give birth as you please as long as you are having a low risk pregnancy.

It is a little risky though given the opportunities in modern medicine......

Well, that's one of the reasons I didn't go for a homebirth last time - we're two hours (fast) drive from the hospital.

I'm guessing that if you were on an island though, the docs would probably try and put you off?

Yes you can, the midwives come and stay on your island until the baby is born.

Do you think you get an independent midwife to come out and stay with you?

You could Visualise but community midwives will do it on the nhs. They don't stay in your house though obvs!

Do you mean NHS midwives?

I was living on an island while pregnant (moved away at about five month gone), and it was recommended to me to go off island at 34 weeks to stay with family until baby was born.

GPs in very rural locations have to do extra obstetrics training, so they would be your midwife back up, I guess.

Yes nhs midwives. My sister worked in oban and they would go and stay on the islands if a woman wanted a homebirth.

I didn't realise that. Do you know when they come and stay from?

I'm not sure but I got the impression it's like when you have the midwives' home birth boxes delivered to your house at 38 weeks which would mean they'd be there for 4 weeks.

Good to know, thank you very much!

If the island starts with an "a" and ends with an "n", they wouldn't let my sister have a home birth with her first child. Despite her being healthy and having a text book pregnancy, she had to move off of the island for 38 weeks and stay on mainland until 2 weeks after birth.

Tho not on an island but on continental Europe, I was going to have a home birth till my waters broke at 36 weeks...
(In intensive care, but a strapping lad now at 22)....

Just saying, be prepared for anything...

I am not against home births but I think it would be real ill-advised to give birth somewhere so far from proper perinatal/neonatal care.

Anyway, aside from that, I've learned something new tonight about MWs going to live on remote islands, particularly as I have had a few friends have to go and live in the accommodation in the Big Hospital awaiting the birth of their baby!

I've 3 dc. Two were born in the Outer Hebrides. 3rd I was air ambulances to Inverness. The birth wasn't the issue, it was perinatal care for baby.

But I'm currently further from medical care here on the mainland than I would be if I moved to said island (weather permitting of course!).

Eek! So do they suggest moving closer to a hospital nearer to your due date?

Where I am living now? No, they don't suggest going closer.

I was living on an Island until I was 22 weeks pg on my first.Though not off the UK

Though this was in the Carribean ,but the plan from the Dr was to give birth in Miami,It was a small Island.

What usually happens?

An NHS midwife would go and live on an island for 4 weeks before your due date? That can't be true, can it?