Gas, air, home births etc...

[motherinferior]

I am a total wuss when it comes to pain, and leapt at the chance of an epidural last time round (quite honestly, about 5 mins after positive test results). And in the event I was very glad I did - nightmare labour, BUT also all the stop-start elements you'd associated with an epidural (which didn't work very well anyway). I'm contemplating a home birth for my second, just to stay out of hospital; but I really don't know how effective gas and air will be. And I'm scared. 3 months to go. Any advice?

motherinferior - I can't really comment on home births, as both of mine were in hospital, but I can say that I found gas and air to be great with my second - for some reason I was never given it with my first, as I was told it was not the right time! You may find, like me, that the second will be a lot quicker, and probably nothing like the first. I was all set for an epidural the second time around, but found that because I was managing with the gas and air, and also because my labour was so much quicker, I never needed the epidural. I did find that my jaw ached afterwards though, as I had been biting on the mouthpiece so hard!! Dh admitted to me afterwards that he kept standing over me, so that he could get a whiff of the gas and air from the vent!

Well 4 or 5 cm will be the perfect time to test the pain relief effect of the birthing pool! Yes ABC (but I hear they are expensive) I just did a search on google : birthing pool and got loads more....
Just so that you know.... if you get in at 5cm.... (or there about) as it is your 2nd baby.... it might only last another 1hour, 1 1/2h baby is born..... exciting isn't it???

Where abouts in london are you - I had home water birth with the albany practice in se london, I think cost £50 for the loan of the pool and a new liner,
got in at 7cm dilated and baby born 1.5hrs later, no pain relief, wonderful....

I'm just outside the albany area - believe me, I've tried to get them to take me; I had the Oakwood practice before (Peckham) but now I've moved to Catford and am at mercy of Lewisham community midwifery team...

I know the Albany MW practice manager ... she is also a colleague doula.... maybe you could ring them and ask where/how you could rent a pool.... worth a try !
Albany has a 37% home birth rate and a 77% completely natural vaginal birth (no intervention or help!)

Albany pool, apparently, belongs to the practice. Actually ABC is pretty damn reasonable compared to the others on offer, and I hear good things of it; a friend did very thorough research recently.

Motherinferior - the ABC is expensive.... for a weeks hire it can come to 287£!!!! They say £107 for a week and then it's per day...

I rented mine (the oval - most expensive) for £150/5 weeks !

And then there is an additional £35 or £45 for delivery! No wonder some people can't afford it.
The cheapest option (and it's not a bad one) - not with ABC- is £120 for 4 weeks.

I've googled but can't track that one down...could you point me in the right direction? Having just got our bank statement, £120 is a MUCH better idea - especially since I still know there's a strong chance I'll end up in the same situation to last time. I am very, very, very bad with pain.

Well £120 is via our two labour wards which rent out two ABC pools for a 4 week period.
www.waterbirth.co.uk is where I rented my first one (with DS) and it was FAR cheaper then (£140)... it is still cheaper than ABC.
What about Albany? Have you asked your labour ward.... maybe they do rent one out as our does but few people know...
what about birthworks which starts at £200 for 4 weeks.
www.birthworks.co.uk/pricing.shtml

WORTH asking around....

Splashdown looks like £195 all in, doesn't it; and is collectable from SE27. My midwife is OK with this, although she's sensibly warned me I may go nowhere near it!

Cha, what do you think?

True but you can use it in the last days before baby arrives, it is SO much better than a bath! You need to practice filling it up and emptying it at least once anyway. Emptying takes 10 minutes, filling up varies greatly on your hot water supply.... My first birth was in a different house from second baby and it probably took 45 minutes to fill in for first house and a good 2 hours for the 2nd house.

Just found this. I had my first at home and I wanted it that way. I had gas and air, which I didn't think did much, and pethadine which I wasn't sure whether I wanted to have. The pethadine I think just took away the major 'hurtyness' and I also felt like wickedwaterwitch, that I wasn't sober enough to 'care'. We're planning on having another next year, and if possible I will definitely do the same again!! It's just so relaxed, you can make your own drink, bath, watch telly, have music as loud as you like or even go out without anyone asking questions. Then after have a nice bath and a drink of Jack Daniels and coke!!
Good Luck!

Pupuce
Where did you hire your birth pool from for £150 for 5 weeks? I am based in SW11 in London and am looking for a birth pool to hire...

I've just checked with ABC: the cheapest pool is £107, and that covers a week, and THEN it's £5.95 per day. Thing is, if you kept it for say 3 weeks you'd still be under £200...but not if you were much later!

Will post this on other thread as well...