Midwifery supervisor homebirth assessment - what's the bloody point of that then?

[whomovedmychocolate]

Other than to give them another opportunity to try and talk me out of a HBAC? Judging from the UK homebirth group the general concept is to find reasons why your house is unsuitable.

Ironically we don't want to have the baby in the house, we are planning to use the studio next door, big room, easily temperature controlled, double doored access (for ambulance etc. in emergency) single level bathroom, disabled access etc, beds/birthpool can be installed and still bags of room, controllable lights, it's ideal. It'll just freak them out because at the end of the day it's a recording studio (complete with grand piano in the corner).

I plan to use the 'now hang on, wasn't Jesus, apparently, born in a stable'. argument, in any case. Ho hum.

• have wonderful visions of you giving birth leaning over the grand piano LOL.

I think it's to make sure that your house isn't really, really manky.
and that it's safe for them to be there.

they didn't seem to mind that my front garden was a death trap when they came here.

it'll be fine.

You can refuse!

But I know the conflict and feeling it may create is not what you want right now.

I've never heard of such a visit being conducted - it does sound like an opportunity for them to find 'problems' IMO, but then if there are none then maybe it'll shut them up. Why a supervisor anyway?

Oh FAQ I plan to sing my way through early labour, the entire building is soundproofed and camera'ed so the midwives can quite happily sit in the lounge drinking tea and eating cake while I get on with things till I need them, they can keep an eye and an ear on things without even having to be on the same floor if they like.

I have a horrible feeling there may be Queen songs being murdered though

I had HB assessment- it was just my normal midwife (don't think she's a supervisor) and checking things like hot water ( or way of heating water), temp controlled environment (i.e. some form of heating), nothing controvertial except asking WHERE I intended giving birth. I just said where I feel like it at the time, which was fine, they jut wrote it down. They didn't look around upstairs at all (or even ask) and as I'd mentioned possibly being in the bath a lot I thought they'd want to see how big the bathroom was, but no.
I;ve also had a review with a supervisory midwife, but that was about blood loss last time around ( mostly going through notes, etc), nothing about my home!
HTH and hope your assessment isn't anything taxing!

I would imagine the Supervisor of Midwives is coming because you are planning a homebirth after Caesarean. The reason for the visit is to ensure that you have made an informed choice and are aware of any problems that may occur.

If you have made an informed choice and are happy with it, then the Supervisor will document that you are well informed and will accept any risk involved.

Supervisors must discuss any decisions for homebirth that are are made in the absence of normal, low risk pregnancy. She is also there to support women in their choices and to support midwives delivering care.

Mears - apparently it's standard practice up here for all homebirths. You first get the midwife discussing risks, then the midwifery supervisor and then the consultant tries to talk you out of it but then they reluctantly support you (well obviously nothing will convince the consultant it's a good plan but then you wouldn't ask expert the garage mechanic to find nothing wrong with your car either would you?

Which is nice actually. It's nice not to have a battle. I really do feel that I can be honest with them now and I've said that if on the day I want to go to hospital I will and if things go wrong in the pregnancy (they did last time) I will go to hospital and I'm really happy because it doesn't feel like a personal battle.

You wouldn't expect the garage mechanic....I mean (brain gone fuzzy!)

wmmc, glad you aren't having a fight, and that its been 'de-personalised'.
Due to them losing my notes from last time they wanted me to go see a consultant as well (nobody knows how I got anaemic enough for a transfusion, but discussing my blood loss with lots of people in great detail I DIDN'T have a PPH, or even a 'long slow leak' as one mw put it). I've discussed things with supervisor midwife and 3 or 4 members of the midwife team, but refused to talk to the consultant- my experience of Drs is, with lack of information they tend to assume the worst and then would tell me scary stories that I don't want to hear! The consultant has reviewed my notes (or lack thereof) and offered a suggestion, in line with their protocols anyway, that if I was very anaemic they wouldn't advise a homebirth, but I could still go MWL. I figure I'll have that arguement (if needed) at the time- I'll let them take blood at 39 weeks. At the end of the day, I'd rather avoid feeling as crap as I did after having DD, but only if I feel being in hospital would actually make a difference will I agree (but birth pool will tempt me, I know!).
Anyway, really glad you're not having scary battles, aren't they putting a lot of resources into making homebirth hard work?! If I didn't have 'issues' it would have just been my community midwife team assessing, and dropping of the pack (still grrrr i've got mouthpiece for G&A but they only bring the gases when they come!)

mumofk - I'm having bloods done at 36 weeks - that way if anything shows up I can have supplements BEFORE I get to the birth so that excuse isn't used

WIth docs their experience of birth is:

• running into crisis situations where women are already having trouble
• being taught to control and mitigate risks as much as possible to avoid death, injury and litigation.

It's hardly surprising therefore they are drawn to problem solving rather than listening.

We do 'assessments' in our area simply to make sure the house isn't manky!!! I work in quite a deprived area with a very transient population and an awful lot of our women live in 'bedsit land'. A shared bathroom isn't exactly ideal for a homebirth!!!

Nice. I live in the sticks, there are no bedsits round here (unless you count the very pampered chickens down the road).

Out of interest middymee, what conditions woud you feel were unsuitable for a homebirth? Are there any sort of guidelines?

I ask because my friend has recently had a homebirth in a wood (she lives there in a yurt) with no running water and no bathroom, just a communal compost toilet - the local community midwives had no problem with that whatsoever.

They didn't even suggest having an assessment for mine

i whomovedychocolate.

just wanted to say that my friend had a brilliant home (almost water) birth after 2 em c sections...she did have to be firm about her choice, but was suported al the way!

my mw checked my home before my hb....hav no idea why, but i id cean like mad before she came, just in case!!!
good luck.

sorry for bad spelling and mssing letters...keyboard on its way out....

stripeymama - would you dare agrue against a homebirth with someone who lived in a yurt?