Did anyone give birth at home or in a midwife-led unit after having a previous post-partum haemorrhage?

[artichokes]

After my first birth I bled heavily and had to have a transfusion. It was a very medicalised birth - induction, 36 hours of labour, epidural, forceps, episiotomy and then the bleed. I understand I was at high risk of the bleed due to the induction and forceps.

This time I really want to go to the midwife led unit at the same hospital in order to mazimise my chances of a "natural birth". However, they have said I cannot as I do not meet their criteria. This is despite the fact that they agree I am at lower risk this time and the doctors are one floor away in the same hospital.

I am appealing to the Manager of the Birth Centre and she is calling me this afternoon. Anyone got any experience or advice that might be helpful to me when I speak to her?

4 years ago i asked for a home birth after having a PPH and i was refused, no questions asked i wasnt allowed and that was that, now i know that there are routes that i could have went down to insist on a home birth, i think you have to keep really pushing for it, when i had my baby in hospital (just) there was no complications at all the delivery was quick and easy and i was out a few hours later.

Good Luck x

I'm planning a homebirth after a PPH last time. I had a ventouse and a 3rd degree tear so its more than likely that the bleed was from the tear more than anything. Is it likely the same occured to you as you said you had an episiotomy? Your notes should state how much the tear was bleeding and if it immediately stopped after being sutured. The blood all ends up in the same bucket so its hard to tell where its come from but a good midwife should have noted this. This would be my first question when you talk to the manager.

I'm having an IM this time who is confident at dealing with PPH's and bleeding after the birth. I've made a fairly radical decision that I'd have to be near enough unconscious to get my into hospital for PPH reasons. My reason being that despite having a very low heamaglobin (sp?) level I refused a transfusion and therefore there was no benefit to me being in hospital as compared to home.

I've got a huge issue with blood transfusions after my mum had one 25 years ago after the birth of my brother and got a rare tropical skin disease from it which she has suffered with badly ever since. So I really would have to be in total dire circumstances to agree to one.

At the end of the day its your birth and if you really want to go into that birth centre then start threatening them with a homebirth if they don't comply. Refuse to go to the consultant led unit at all costs and you'll find they normally start changing their minds. It would also help if you could find a midwife thats confident in dealing with this issue so you've got a professional to back you up.

Just wanted to add that I didn't PPH in my first birth (emergency csection) so its less likely I PPH'd the 2nd time and it therefore points more to the tear as the cause because of that.

I had a significant PPH after my first labour which was v short (2 hours) and needed two units transfused (I lost 2 litres in the bleed).

There was no issue with having ds2 in MLU.

No issue with ds3 in MLU though they monitored my iron levels closely through the pg as there is a significant risk of a PPH in a 3rd labour and they wanted me to be as well as poss should it happen. The only other thing was agreeing to have a managed placental delivery as that reduces the PPH risk and that was absolutely fine with me.

Hospital fab throughout.

How did it go walking to the Manager, artichokes?

Slightly late but for what its worth, I had a PPH with DD, who was my first and born at home. I transferred into hospital because of it - blood loss was estimated at somewhere between 1 and 2L and I wasn't handling it too well. I declined a transfusion for similar reasons to babymt, although without the personal element.

I know that a significant proportion of my blood loss came from a tear rather than my uterus. It also took a good 2 to 4 hours from the birth till we decided that calling an ambulance might be a sensible move - not really a case of my life being at risk because I was at home. It wouldn't put me off going for another home birth.

I wouldn't plan a managed 3rd stage, although I'd be prepared to have the jab to help slow a PPH if it was recommended at the time.

Fingers crossed for you