Dream Birth Location?

[SophieJaneC]

Hello everyone!

I'm an architecture student at Bath University and am currently designing a Birth Centre. I'd be really grateful if anyone has had their baby in a birth centre or is going to, why they chose the birth centre (or Midwife Led Unit) over a hospital or home birth?
Was there a feature that you particularly loved or even hated?
Or if you decided against a Birth Centre, what was your reason?

Basically, if you could design your dream environment to give birth in, what you you pick?? Even if it's on top a mountain in the middle of nowhere, I'd love to hear!

I'm very grateful for any responses!

Thank you

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

It's very easy to make statements like that Mince but statistics mean sweet Fanny Adams when you are the 1 in 100/200/1000 whatever figure you want to quote. The fact is that my baby would definitely not be here had my MLU not been immediately next door to the consultant led ward. It's quite possible that I would also be dead. Nothing to do with interventions. Do you know how utterly offensive your remarks are, especially when for a lot of us it's a very traumatic experience that we are still trying to come to terms with and you - knowing absolutely nothing of anybody else's personal situation - think we should take responsibility for our "poor decisions". You are coming across as an unbearable know it all.

Sorry to derail your thread OP, that attitude just really gets on my last nerve.

[FartnissEverbeans]

I realise that birth is risky and there will always be some unexpected obstetric emergencies but when truly left to their own devices these are very rare for most women.

I think the figures before the advent of modern obstetrics are something like one in eight women dying in childbirth. My own great grandmother died giving birth to her fifth child, and I believe even Ina May Gaskin (not a trained medical professional, and a controversial figure) sadly lost a baby in a home birth.

Do you have any medical qualifications?

[LuchiMangsho]

I am in the 'as close to obstetricians' camp. However I have had 2 c-sections and I have a baby in NICU right now. We are at one of London's top Level III NICUs and on Thursday two babies died. Both incidentally were full term and there were complications in labour or just before. Both were born in. Midwife led units or at least their mother's attempted a 'normal' delivery.

At the moment of the 8 babies in the room, 6 are full term and had complications during delivery or in the hours afterward. Interestingly at present the most stable babies are the premature ones because their mothers had warning so had steroids etc. 3 weeks in the NICU has been a sobering reminder of how quickly birth can go wrong in a full term totally normal pregnancy.

[ispymincepie]

And that is why over medicalised birth will continue for everyone in order to catch those few.

[AyeAmarok]

I know it's not a popular concept but I wish women would accept some responsibility for their poor decisions

You're coming across as a smug, spectacularly ignorant, oaf - I'm sure that's not your intention.

[FartnissEverbeans]

And that is why over medicalised birth will continue for everyone in order to catch those few.

So those 'few' women and babies should just die then presumably.

[ispymincepie]

Not what I said though Fart. By inflicting unnecessary medical interventions on everybody increases the risk for them and their babies. That's okay though yes? I'm not blaming women individually though, it's just the culture that I'm opposed to.
I'm afraid I am rather smug because I have had perfect births and while I accept a small element of that is luck, I genuinely believe it's mostly down to my approach.

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

I'm afraid I am rather smug because I have had perfect births and while I accept a small element of that is luck, I genuinely believe it's mostly down to my approach.

You can believe what you like, doesn't make it so. But if it helps you to be able to give yourself a big pat on the back then go ahead. You obviously need the ego boost for some reason. Just be aware that it makes you sound stupid, uncaring and incredibly arrogant.

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

Mince do you understand the fucking damage that people like you do? Seeing as how you had "perfect births" (whatever the fuck that means), you don't understand what it's like to live with the after effects of a traumatic labour and delivery. To live with the memory of thinking you'd lost everything. To suffer PTSD for years as a result. Do you know how it feels to read some sanctimonious nonsense (even though it's clearly coming from someone who hasn't got the first clue what they're talking about) telling you that it was probably all your fault? As if we don't already go to hell and back every day wondering if every little decision we made during the pregnancy or the labour might have made any difference (which in a lot of cases it wouldn't). You need to learn to keep your nasty, ill informed and unsolicited opinions to yourself.

[AyeAmarok]

Agreed Bluebird.

[TheLongRains]

Absolutely agree that same-building access to full medical team was vital in my decision making. However "perfect" and "natural" you plan to be, things can go wrong and I wasn't willing to take risks.

Unfortunately my topsy child decided to remain breech, so the MLU was out of bounds for me anyway, but things I liked about it from my tour beforehand were the size of the rooms (plenty of wandering around space), and pools in each room. Oh, and yes to the dimmer switches - I get driven crazy by bright lights at the best of times, so I'm sure I'd have appreciated the low lighting option.

Other than that, I just agree with the PPs who have mentioned the stay after the birth. Individual rooms!! That was all I craved! It could've been the size of a postage stamp and I'd have been delighted. I just remember spending the first two nights (post c-section) trying desperately to keep my baby quiet so she wouldn't disturb others in our huge room. It would be nice to be able to relax and figure things out without your primary concern being that you are about to wake all the other people on your ward!

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

LongRains I liked the wandering-about space too, but my room was so big that it made me feel a bit exposed somehow. Wonder if anybody else felt that? I think if the room had been a different shape, like an L shape, it wouldn't have felt so big and empty but I could still move about.

Other than that, it was a great room and all the medical equipment was well stored so that it didn't feel like a clinical environment. Something that would have been nice is a massive walk in shower with dimmer lights and speakers etc. in there. I spent quite a lot of my labour in and out of the shower but the bathroom wasn't as nice as the rest of the room and it was a bit stark and unwelcoming.

[ispymincepie]

Believe it or not I'm on your side. It sounds like you have been failed by the system. Clearly it's an emotive topic for you so I wouldn't expect you to agree with me. My last baby was born at 42+0 without any complications. I'm fairly confident that it wouldn't have been the case had I accepted any other of the 3 sweeps I was offered or IOL in a hospital. Why do they make it so difficult to continue a low risk pregnancy to 42 weeks? Anecdotally of course but without fail every single person I know who had had sweeps or IOL had complications; accidental rupture of membranes during sweep leading to IOL due to infection risk, another had her baby become distressed due to malpresentation because her baby had been forced to drop down in an overextended position as a result of a sweep (before 41 weeks) Another repeatedly having inductions at term + 10 leading to emcs each time despite having a long cycle and probably just gestates for a bit longer. I could go on and on. Most who have synto have an epidural. Most who have epidural have forceps/prolonged labour, baby in distress, emcs....it's not rocket science. At the end of the day we want better outcomes for mothers and babies but I don't think we're getting it right.

[ispymincepie]

As if we don't already go to hell and back every day wondering if every little decision we made during the pregnancy or the labour might have made any difference (which in a lot of cases it wouldn't).
Guilt is an interesting thing though. Nobody can make you feel guilty for something you are confident you're right about. The fact you wonder about all the decisions you did/didn't make would suggest to me that you're not certain you played it right. Maybe you are one of those for whom nothing would have made a difference. Maybe you could have done something differently which might have changed the outcome.
Getting really off topic for the poor OP. Birth is a terribly personal thing and for me, retreating to my safe, dark space away from everyone was absolutely the right thing to do. You can't tell me it's wrong.

[PotteringAlong]

I'm afraid I am rather smug because I have had perfect births and while I accept a small element of that is luck, I genuinely believe it's mostly down to my approach.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

[ComputerUserNumptyTwit]

I would hazard a guess that obstetricians have more experience of "normal" childbirth than you, mince. Pushing babies out hasn't made you an expert, has it?

And yes, you sound incredibly smug and more than a little ignorant.

[ComputerUserNumptyTwit]

Going back to the op

I think in most cases it's the postnatal accommodation and care that's lacking. I very much appreciated the corner bath in my room though, when I was in labour. G&A on tap was awesome.

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

The fact you wonder about all the decisions you did/didn't make would suggest to me that you're not certain you played it right.

ODFOD. Clearly you have little to no understanding of MH issues. Besides, feeling guilty is not the same as being guilty.

Why do you assume I was failed by the system? Although that particular labour was very painful (back labour) it was actually going fairly well until the very last stretch. This is despite the fact that my waters broke a full 4 days before I went into labour, by which time I was already 10 days overdue (baby was eventually born bang on 42 weeks). No intervention. I did my research and explained that I'd rather let nature take its course. Got through labour with just gas and air, no interventions. Had been pushing for 90mins and midwives were taking bets at 11:40pm whether the baby would be born before midnight or not. And then it went spectacularly wrong. Out of nowhere. Everything was fine, until it really wasn't. I was not let down by the system. The system saved my baby's life, and probably mine as well.

I agree that many hospitals are too rigid with their policies and many unnecessary interventions do take place. This is clearly not good for mums or babies. But if you are genuinely interested in better outcomes for mums and babies, and not just interested in being a goady fucker, then it's best to stick to facts. Because making sweeping generalisations and assumptions, whilst talking about how smug you are and how it's all down to you that your labours were "perfect" whilst the rest of us are to blame for our poor decision making...Well that's just not the way to have a meaningful or sensible conversation about the topic. The fact that it's an emotive subject for me doesn't mean I'm not capable of having a discussion about it - I am, and have done so on many occasions - but it is impossible to have such a discussion in the face of such breathtaking ignorance as you are displaying.

[Daisypopslop]

Theatres and neonatal unit attached for easy emergency access. Big buzzers on walls for if it all goes wrong. Large enough that the emergency team can get in.
Sorry but that's what I consider a safe and relaxing environment for having a baby as thing do and can go wrong.

Yep I'm on the neonatal team and even wonderful hypnobirths in birthing pools to classical music go wrong and we are called!!

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

You can't tell me it's wrong.

Did anybody tell you that your choices were wrong? Because the only one I can see casting judgement on anybody else's decisions here is you.

[Prettybaffled]

Homebirther and hospital waterbirther here - for me the key things would be presence of a birthing pool and a home-like (not institutional) feel

I would like a room that could morph with the seasons to be:

warm and cosy in winter with twinkling fairy lights, church candle like feel, safe, enclosed, dark sanctuary. A bit like a log cabin lit by an open fire.

A cool safe calm feeling shady space in summer, with low glowing light. A bit like a mossy calm space under trees with cool white fabric to provide shade.

The most important things to me were the birthing pool being there, privacy, dark, cool but warm enough to labour naked in the pool.

[Prettybaffled]

Having now rtft as someone who has two pphs one major, yes access to good health back up is vital - in sort of taking that as read in my fantasy

[ispymincepie]

I agree that many hospitals are too rigid with their policies and many unnecessary interventions do take place. This is clearly not good for mums or babies. That's all I'm getting at really. I didn't mean to offend.

[Minispringroll]

I had DS (FTM) a few weeks ago. Right up until the end I was classed as having a low-risk pregnancy. It was textbook, really, and we had no issues whatsoever. For that reason, I was given the choice between local MLU or the MLU at our larger hospital (about 50 minutes away) and adjacent to a consultant-led unit. I booked to have DS at the larger hospital and even most of the midwives I saw considered that a better option, just in case (the transfer time would have been quite long, had anything happened). I made the choice to have an epidural quite early on, which neither MLU offered, so I anticipated starting at the MLU and then transferring. It was my only request on my birth plan, since I have any image of a "perfect birth" in my head. I wasn't interested in having fairy lights, iPod docking stations, aromatherapy or beanbags and floor mats. All I wanted was for DS to arrive safely...the surroundings were pretty unimportant.
As it happened, DS took his merry time to arrive and I was induced, which meant I had him in the central delivery suite. They found meconium when my waters were broken and his heartrate dropped, so I think I was in the best place. I have to say, the team in the delivery suite were brilliant, as were the midwives on the post-natal ward. Despite the problems, it was a calm birth...and thanks to the epidural, it was also a comparatively painless one.

[Minispringroll]

didn't have an image of a perfect birth