Home birth - did you know your midwife?

[chickenmommy]

Hi - I am planning a home birth and live in the Newbury area. I have been told by my midwife that none of the midwives from my doctors surgery are on call so I will not have met the midwife who attends my home birth. Is this normal? Has anyone else had a home birth where they had not met the midwife previously? How did you get on with them? Did it feel impersonal? I'd be very interested to hear about other's experiences

With DS1 had never met the MW before. Nor with DS2 but this time she didn't actually present herself in time for the birth, sigh.

It didn't bother me in the least. You could never guarantee a certain MW would be on call when you go into labour anyway.

chickenmommy mine was only 7 weks ago, here's a link to the full story if you want it

"comfortable and lovely" that sounds like what I'm looking for - I'm sold on the home birth if I know the mw or not!

ooh PeachyWontLieToYou could you try the link again, I would love to read your story

here

sorry!

thanks Peachy - lovely story I love birth stories like this - wonderful to see how women keep their sense of humour even during such a momentous event

chickenmommy is there a homebirth support group near you? they're great for helping to reassure you and for meeting other like-minded people. if you're in kent i run the maidstone group and we're very friendly!

i knew my maiin MW very well, the 2nd one i hadnt met but she wasnt very involved iyswim.

HB was the BEST thing ever!

ignore that, just read your OP properly! there's a support group in newbury here www.newburyhomebirth.co.uk/ if you haven't already come across it!

thanks, I will check out the Newbury support group. I think what is most helpful about all your messages is that although women didn't necessarily know their mw they still found home birth to be a positive experience. This is really reassuring me that I have made a good choice

Our midwife happened to be the same one who ran the antenatal group but that was just chance it could have been any one of 12 of which I'd met about 3. I wouldn't have minded at all though who came.

I'd never met the MW who delivered DS2 before, but she was fabulous and I wanted to kiss her when he was born

I've had 2 hbs. Didn't know any of the three mw who attended me. They were all amazing, particularly the one who turned up to the birth of dd2 - only 20 minutes before she was born and completely took control, calmed me down and enabled another fantastic experience. With the second birth, my 'plan' went out of the window but for the first, I had information for the mws about the kind of birth I would like and how I wanted them to approach me. I made this as polite as I could but essentially, it said - please leave me alone to get on with it. And they did. They were fab and their images are preserved forever on the photos taken immediately after dds births.

nope - completely different to the MW's that had treated me throughout my pregnancy and I'm glad!! lol.

Had 3 hb's, and didn't know any of the 8 mw's that attended, but 'twas all fine and they were lovely competent people.