Reasons midwives won’t ‘let’ me use a birth pool?

[NordicNoirRocks]

I’ll start by saying I’m mistrustful of midwives following horrible hospital birth of DC1. DC2 was a homebirth, and I’d really like a water birth this time. The local birth centre has a pool in each room, and it seems easier to go there than hire a home birth pool (I’m lazy!)

Now at 37 weeks I’m getting myself all worked up thinking that the midwives won’t let me use the pool, for whatever reason, even an invented one. As I said, I struggle to trust them.

Can they refuse you if your blood pressure is slightly high, if you won’t have internal examinations, if you’re 41-42weeks?

If your seriously obese , have mobility problems or are at risk of fainting. Basically MWs don't want to be having to pull somebody out of the pool

avoidingDM, no, none of those apply to me.

honestly? I think going into labour with the preconception you are going into battle is a bad move

Obviously there are reasons why they wouldn't let you use the pool but you'd have to assume that if they have them in every room, a refusal wouldn't be for frivalous reasons. Why don't you ask the birthing centre for a list of their criteria then you'll know what to expect.

Basically anything that would make your delivery high risk would generally mean you wouldn’t be able to labour in the pool. This could be something that is present before labour eg a baby estimated under 10th centile, significantly high BP, diabetes or it could be something that happens during labour eg baby passing meconium, abnormalities in the fetal heart rate or you developing a fever

If they're happy for you to have a home birth, I don't see why they wouldn't let you labour in a pool?

Declining internals shouldn't be a factor, I declined all but one and nothing was really said.

Have you spoken to the midwives? I know you don't trust them, but perhaps if they talk to you about it you might feel better? Some hospitals and birthing centres have midwives who specialise in helping women who have had previous trauma that makes birth more difficult for them.

Thanks for all your replies, I do need to stop fretting and speak to the midwives. soapboxqueen asking about the criteria is a good suggestion.

blueA4 the midwives at the birth centre has been nice but impersonal. I see a new person each time, tick off the questions but there’s no time for chatting or asking about ‘me’. And they’re all so young! (I’m 38).

I wanted to go in the pool and was told no when I got there as the baby’s heartbeat was too fast and needed monitoring, wasn’t anything to worry about but just be prepared for things to change.

Lucky you that there’s one in each room! I was beaten to the only pool in my hospital with dc1, used the pool with dc2 but got out for the birth, dc3 was born in the pool.

I had to get out with dc2 so the baby could be monitored - I then was just about ready to give birth so stayed out.

I think you need to be ready to go with the flow of your labour, don’t get fixated on what you want to happen.

At out mlu birth centre they were all for us using the birthing pools.
People with iv inductions, iv antibiotics or other complications were whisked upstairs to the labour ward so basically if you were in the mlu you could he in the pool.
I had to get out at the end due to tons of meconium but even though I’d not consciously pushed I knew ds was just one push away (don’t ask me how I knew I just did) so I got out and one push he was out.

I was high risk until 36 weeks when I was signed back to MW led care. Then doing the checklist with the MW I was low risk at that point and signed off for the birthing unit. On my due date my blood pressure was up on six readings, they were happy to leave me for a few days, I popped at 40+5 and had my DAD on the midwife led unit. I found them to be quite reasonable, so am sorry you had a bad experience x

*DD

I wasnt allowed one as my blood pressure was too low. I was gutted but mw said given my ds was 11lb 0.5oz it was perhaps a good thing i wasnt in the water whereas i thought it would of helped. Delivery was totally fine albeit an "on land" one lol

I wasn't allowed a pool birth due to be induced with a drip (gel induction is fine).

Also, just to add - I had three midwifes during my long labour, they were all fantastic, but my favourite was the last one who was around 28 - age really doesn't matter. The older ones in the days after ended up being the worse (leaving me for a day without any pain killers, not helping with different issues) I think it depends on the person and not the age.