Anyone planning a homebirth?

[hunkermunker]

Thought it might be an idea to start a thread about requesting and having a homebirth - hope there isn't already one running!

I'm pregnant with my second child. My first baby was born in the water at our local hospital and (until I got to the postnatal ward) was a very straightforward and pleasant experience.

However, I have since realised how lucky I was - the labour ward wasn't busy, there was nobody in the pool, etc. Next time I might not be as lucky, so I have decided that a homebirth may well be the answer. Thinking of hiring a pool too.

So, anyone else pregnant and planning a homebirth? I think there are a couple of MNers who are (Jessicaandbumpsmummy and Sweetkitty, I think), but wondered how many!

I so agree about making sure they bring enough gas and air, my first labour it ran out (leaking cannister) and it really wasn't nice.

Hi everyone

I am pregnant with no. 2 and we want another home birth. The home birth with dd went really well. I don´t know what painkillers the midwife had because I did not have any.

Will have to ask her!

Gotta dash, just wanted to say hi Thanks HM for starting this thread. Nice to have some pregnant mummies to talk about our home births

I had 2 of our boys at home. Ds2 was an unplanned HB, with 2yr old ds1 as my birth partner (well almost) as Dh had gone to get my mum. Paramedics delivered him 9 minutes after arriving!
Ds3 was a planned HB, but very late on in the PG. We changed to the domino scheme at 36 weeks and the MW asked if I wanted another HB, I did but DH was nervous about it. They came to talk to him abaout it and so the HB was planned.

Apart from everything else(own bed, surroundings etc) I'm really proud of myself for doing at home.

(WWW, gas and air running out would have been nice for delivering DS3 but they forgot it! lucky it was all over in just over 2 hrs)

I'm going for a homebirth in September and I've had a bit of flak about it, to be honest. My GP was supportive, but basically said that I didn't meet the criteria, whilst acknowledging that it is my right. I got all the stuff about my 'untried pelvis' (i.e. it's a first delivery) and how if anything went wrong, I'd be 'blue-lighting' all the way to hospital. Also that it's a 'very privileged position' because you have two midwives in attendance. When I saw the midwife, she was even more uncertain and gave me no confidence that she would support me in my choices when push came to shove. They also said that these plans aren't put in place until week 37 (when presumably they've exhausted all the plans to get you into hospital, apart from telling you there are no midwives available when you're actually in labour...) and frankly I don't really want to wait until that point in uncertainty.

I should point out that the other reason that I don't meet 'the criteria' is because I have raised antiphospholipid antibodies and am taking low dose anticoagulants until week 36. Basically, it's an autoimmune clotting disorder which means that I'm extra clotty whilst pregnant. As I have ranted elsewhere, however, I fail to see how this makes me 'high risk' in labour - as surely I'm minimising my risk of DVT by having an active labour with hopefully little intervention - and therefore low risk of Caesarian (because would you want to have your movement restricted when you're at higher risk of DVT??). Also it does clearly say on the RCOG website that women with my condition should receive extra care in pregnancy due to the slightly higher risk of pre-eclampsia, premature delivery and low platelet count. I haven't been offered any of this - and while I haven't sought or demanded extra monitoring, it does get my goat that the notion of 'risk' can be cherry-picked like this. I'm even going back to the GP under my own steam to request the advised course of anticoagulants for the post-partum period.

Anyway. Good luck with your homebirth plans, if that's what you decide. I think being quite determined is probably necessary - and being confident in your own assessment of 'risk'.

I'm thinking of buying one of these Birth Pool in a Box about which I've read good reports. You can also put together yourself the accessories pack - at a cost much cheaper than they suggest.

RZ, have you joined the Yahoo Homebirth mailing list? I'm sure you will get lots and lots of good advice and reassurance there - you can post any questions you have and will get sensible replies from Independant midwives and experienced homebirthers. mmh, what's the addy... groups.yahoo.com/group/homebirthUK/

Reading the emails daily and having my questions answered by people who know what they are talking about gave me so much confidence in my ability to homebirth.

I'm only 16 wks and I'm torn between the vision of what I'd like it to be - relaxed, own space, own environment, 1 to 1 midwife and being a total baby and crying for an epidural! All 3 of my births have been induced one way or another (2 wks late) and I feel this has triggered a whole load of horrible interventions. The question is, how to go into labour on my own!

Thanks, RP - yes, I did join that group when I was first considering what sort of birth I wanted / hoped for. The only problem is that there's not a HUGE proportion of the population with antiphospholipid problems (although it is, apparently, the biggest single cause of recurrent miscarriage: which makes it - if I have my sums correct - a problem for approximately 0.0015% of the female population trying to have a child. I may be corrected on this...) and there wasn't anyone on there at the time who had experience of arranging homebirth in these circumstances. I did have a discussion with one woman, however, who has Factor V Leiden - which was quite useful.

I should have said, though, that we were so unreassured by the attitude of the CMW that we decided to hire an independent midwife. I feel lucky that we are able to do that - although it does mean that our bathroom stays manky for another year. At least this way I know that if I need to transfer in during labour, it will be for good reasons and not because of blanket guidelines. It also means that I can relax a bit more, without feeling that I've got a fight on my hands from week 37 onwards.

Rachey1969: Perhaps you just naturally have a long gestation and you would go into labour if left a little longer? Can you not discuss monitoring the pregnancy past a certain point (fluid levels etc)? The risk of unexplained stillbirth does increase after week 40, but it's still much much lower risk than procedures such as amniocentesis. My IM told me about one woman who went to 48 weeks and spontaneously delivered a perfectly healthy child - and while this would make me personally a little twitchy, it does suggest that the fixation with 40 weeks is not universally applicable. Any more than all women have a 28 day cycle...

I would dearly love a homebirth this time ( my fifth) For all the reasons you ladies mention plus I have no family help and do not want to lean on friends for childcare etc.....

But....will they alow it 5th time?

I bled soon after finding out pg so will that matter?

I dont DARE mention in to midwives cos I cant bare a battle!

Any help or advise?

Barefootmama, I know of ladies having homebirths with their fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth babies at home! Some MWs / Doctors may try to use this as an excuse, but it really shouldn't be. I think, to be honest, that sometimes the best way to go about having a homebirth is to put your assertive boots on and TELL them that you are planning a homebirth. Often, I think if they see you mean business and know your rights they won't try and stand in your way. Because it's not a question of them "allowing" you, it is your right to have a homebirth if you wish. Easier said than done I know! You may be pleasantly surprised and find the MW's are supportive of you anyway - many of them are .

hi just started my own thread about lack of support from friends and family re homebirth. I want one with this baby, have seen my booking in midwife who wasn't overly keen but did say i was an ideal candidate, normal vaginal fast delivery last time, plus I only had gas and air so know how much it hurts!

DP very unsupportive and worried in case anything goes wrong, he won't budge neither will I yet I feel I should have the final say as it's my body and I'm the one going through it all.

Problem is we are in the middle of moving to a different area so don't know what the midwives up there will be like.

Barefoot mama - I am 20 weeks pg with my fourth and I have had 3mc and I am planning to have this one at home. All others have been home biths including my first one Redzul except dd (number2) as she was breach but all was fine with her after all. So I am sure that you will be an ideal candidate for a HB with number 5 and I would not have it any other way!!

Sweetkitty - keep working on your dp. I have been lucky as my dp has agreed with the HB choice. Do you know any other fathers that have had HB that he could talk to about it?

It's hilarious isn't it? The specific circumstances under which healthcare professionals are comfortable with home birth- not too fat, not too thin, not your first baby, not your fifth, not too big a baby, not too little... it's just ridiculous. Their obsessive search for the statistically normal, "safe" pregnancy and birth for home birthing is, in my opinion, abnormal! I would much rather we were treated as individual cases than a point on a bell curve as I suspect that would be a great deal less misleading on outcomes. But then they'd have to commit the cardinal sin and judge the normality of pregnancy before it was over- the HORROR! Why is Obstetrics the only area of medicine where the doctors aren't allowed to comment on the normality of a health condition until after the fact? They certainly aren't shy about deciding normality for every other specialism. Or does the Oncologist only decide on the normality of the cancer patient after they die? "Oh yes, now Jim is dead we can definately say he had cancer." Ridiculous!

RZ, I'm frankly horrified by your doctors response. To call the presence of two midwives at your birth a "privileged position" is outrageous. It's not a privilege, it's actually meant to be procedure except that hospitals can get away with cutting corners!

As far as crying for an epi is concerned, I'm looking at it like this- if it all gets too much and I really think I need more pain relief than I can get at home then I can just transfer to hospital. It's not as if I wouldn't have to travel in labour if I were having a hospital birth anyway !

BTW, I have a birth pool in a box. Trial run went well, the "Deluxe" version is a very good size only two inches shallower than the more expensive rental pools and it is actually very sturdy when inflated and filled.

I am going for a homebirth in October. The midwives have all been very positive about it but the GP sucks her teeth a lot. She is concerned because ds was 9lb7 which according to her is big, but as I didn't have any problems whatsoever having him why on earth should this baby be more trouble?

I tried for a homebirth last time but was forced into hospital for an induction after my waters broke early. I am not going to tell them if my waters break early this time as I have read up on it and do not consider it to be a risk for at least 48 hours.

I think the official line for water's breaking is 96 hours

Hunker I'm not pg but have had four homebirths and would recommend it to anyone.

Yes, I agree that 'privileged' was entirely the wrong word to use. To be fair to the GP, though, it was a comment made at the end of a conversation in which she lamented the 'appalling' state of midwifery services in the UK, calling them 'a national scandal'. She wonders why there isn't more of an outcry about this, when there is about (say) some granny waiting two years for a hip replacement. I do like her, as a GP, because she respects your opinion, even when she doesn't agree with you - and discusses the other viewpoints without trying to undermine your own.

"Why is Obstetrics the only area of medicine where the doctors aren't allowed to comment on the normality of a health condition until after the fact?"
Because then they'd be putting themselves out of a job. A 'normal' pregnancy can be managed by a midwife.

I do think it's ridiculous the number of issues one can fall foul of which pathologise one's pregnancy. Take the weight issue for instance: I was reading recently on another message board of a woman refused access to a birth centre because her BMI was slightly higher than Trust guidelines allowed. This was her fourth pregnancy and she'd had the other three quite cheerfully in this same birth centre. Of course, weighing someone at the beginning of their pregnancy doesn't take into account the amount of weight that different individuals will put on during the pregnancy - which makes it fairly meaningless, in my opinion.

dizietsma: Can I ask how tall you are? I'm a bit of a shortie and considering getting the non-deluxe version of the Birth Pool in a Box. Actually, I've just noticed that you've mentioned the weight issue previously. I'll just got and make another cup of tea then...

Thanks rosieposie and all of you for your strong comments and encouragement. My dp is not at all keen and has said 'no' in the past 9 for what thats worth!) but after the crap treatment in the last couple of births and the filthy and scant ( if any) aftercare in the hours following delivery I think he has come round.
Dont know when to tell my ( already fairly fierce) midwife.
Any advice?

How pregnant are you again?

I only ask because they seem to have this thing about waiting until 37 weeks to confirm a home birth (or until you can prove you can stand on one leg, singing 'She'll be coming round the mountain...', whilst cracking walnuts with your toes and holding a daisy up your wotsit...).

I think if it's what you want, you just tell her. No hesitation, no prevarication, no discussion. They might say you don't meet the criteria because it's your fifth. Don't enter into a discussion on the subject. If she continues to be obstructive, contact the Head of Midwifery. If anyone continues to give you grief, say that you will consider further discussion on the subject to be harrassment and ask for their NMC registration numbers. Contact AIMS, if necessary.

The main thing to remember, I would say, is that it's your choice and you don't have to do anything to please them.

RZ, I'm 5'8" tall, just under the max height for the deluxe so I couldn't really comment on the smaller one.

Hi, just wanted to join in the thread. I'm 31 weeks and planning a homebirth. This is my first pregnancy.

So far the CMW has been supportive - or at least hasn't been openly unsupportive. But I've had a normal pregnancy - apart from bleeding in week 7. So there hasn't been any cause for concern so far.

However, just getting to see a community midwife was a total nightmare. I was having most appointments with my GP. GP is good but just couldnt answer any questions about the hospital. Also I found out in week 20 that if I wanted midwife led care I should have chosen a different hospital as these were the only CMW's that operated out of my GPs surgery. So i got on the phone with the hospital. Spoke to 2 different midwives. One told me I couldn't see the CMW and hence wasn't eligible for a homebirth because my GPs surgery was out of their catchment area. (not true my GP gave me the choice of giong to their hospital.) The other told me I couldn't see CMWs and hence couldn't have a homebirth or even a use the birthing centre because my home address was out of the hospital's catchment area. (I can see the hospital from my bedroom window, so, again, not true!)

After that I went straight to the head of midwifery who was brilliant and brutaly honest about poor maternity care in the NHS and the appalling lack of post natal care in the wards and who got me booked in with a CMW immediately.

So now it's just fingers crossed that everything goes to plan. I'm expecting any week now to have the battle where the midwife says I can't have a home birth because of they are short staffed. But will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Sounds like there are a lot of battlers on here, though that may read 'battle-axes' in some people's language

I am a battle axe, and proud of it, though so far haven't had to put my talents to use in the homebirth debate as people here have been pretty supportive so far.

Maybe we should start to develop a list of answers to have ready for stroppy NHS employees when they try to threaten our rights!

Another proud battleaxe here! (If only I could stay awake and get off the couch...)

Btw - dizietsma - thanks for letting me know. You're quite a bit taller than me, so what would have been my next question doesn't apply. I think I'll probably go for the standard version.

OK, had my booking appointment and the midwife was extremely positive re homebirth - said she'd have had them with her two if she'd had the option and that she'll write to the community midwife to say I want to be considered for one. She said that since my first labour was a natural waterbirth without pain relief, there shouldn't be any problems with having a homebirth, but did mention staff shortages and availability at the time, which worried me a bit.

Still, v positive overall. Heard the heartbeat too, which was amazing! Still can't quite believe I'm having another baby...!