Home birth in Edinburgh? Please share your experiences!

[Kyuri]

Am considering the HB option for my first child, due in November. We're based in Edinburgh and would really appreciate hearing about any local experiences of the HB service, whether positive or negative.

Thank you for sharing!

[Also posted in Pregnancy Threads]

I'm not in Edinburgh but close by. I know someone who had a home birth in Edinburgh and found the mw's were supportive of it.

Can't help any more than that I'm afraid.

I'm in west lothian, midwife is fine about it, gonna come and discuss it at hoem when I am 35 weeks, they don't give you the box of stuff at your house untill 38 weeks as before that you are considered pre-term and have to go to hospital, also she did a glucose tolerance test to make sure I diodn't have gestational diabetes and sent me for a growth scan but my baby measured average I think If you have a big baby they discourage you and if you get diabetes its considered high risk. also if you start to get really tired get tested for anaemia as they can use that as an excuse too. I'll let you know how it goes my baby is due in the next 6 weeks.

Thanks very much for your replies ladies. Jenny would love to hear how you get on in a couple of weeks time, good luck!

after week 38 is arrived they brought the gas and air which we have to store in the shed or any locked area, and a fire officer came to talk to us about storing and handling the gas and air as very flammable.

the midwives brought 2 plastic boxes of stuff, then they go on call for you and you get a list of who is on call for you for each day, if it happens in the day you call the health centre if it happens outwith after 5.00 you call the labour ward and they call them out for you. they meant to call adn check you a lot but only my main midwife I get for ante natal checks has been in touch. you have to get palstic sheeting and a few things but not much really. Will let you know how it goes, my waters borke yesterday and I have been getting some contractions but has slowed since I came down to try not to wake my family.

oh you can get a prescription for pethidine, for pain relief but I'm trying without as had bad reaction to it previously. you can do a water birth, but you need to hire or get your own pool, birthing ball if you want that stuff. i'm not into that so is fine. will see how it goes as still nto sure uim doing the right thing.

Thanks for the update Jenny, really good luck for the next few hours will be thinking of you! Looking forward to hearing how it all went and about your beautiful new baby

Have you been to the Pregnancy and Parents Centre? (used to be the birth resource centre). Their website is:
pregnancyandparents.org.uk/

They have a homebirth support group and i'm sure would be able to give you lots of information and support. I've no practical experience of them as I had two sections but have heard good things of them from other people.

The PPC are awesome - they do birth support groups, active birth workshops, post birth counselling, la leche league, antenatal and postnatal yoga and all with lots of cups of tea and chances to meet other mums to be. They also hire out birth pools and balls I think, plus they have a library stocked with useful books, links to doulas, and lots of secondhand baby gear for sale, plus other classes on massage, baby music etc. Made most of my baby mates through the place - can't praise it enough!

Great tip lyra and poppet thanks very much!

I'm in central Edinburgh and have two friends who've had home births in the last couple of years; both had very positive birth experiences and seemed to find the community midwifes supportive and good to deal with. Which team are you with?

Where abouts in Edinburgh are you? I think it can differ depending on the midwife team. I had two homebirths in Leith and the service I got was AMAZING!

Hi strawberrie and floury. I'm think I'm with the South Central Edinburgh team, at least they work out of Tollcross Health Centre. Great to hear of the positive experiences.

Meeting community MW for first time a week tomorrow so will have a proper chat then and see what the vibes are. The MW at booking appt (Lauriston Pl) didn't seem fussed one way or the other when we mentioned we were thinking of HB.

Floury did you have a HB with your first?

Yes with my first and second. Midwives were a bit "make sure you are sure" with my first, but I completely understood that. Funnily enough they didn't want to waste their time with someone who wanted to go into hospital on the first contraction. One advised me to read as much as I can and do active birth classes. Are you going to any yoga classes? Caitlin Heavey's class at Mulberry House is fantastic. She is very pro home birth and there is lots of time before and after for discussion so you become really informed. the only thing to be aware off is that she can give you unrealistic expectations of how much you can control what happens during birth. You can influence things, but babies have minds of their own and a lot of the time things are our of your hands. One girl I know who went ot her ended up being depressed because she had expected a lovely natural birth adn eneded up being induced and having a section. HOWEVER, she is very very fabulous, you just have to bear that in mind.

Someone else i knew in caitlin's class had a HB with that team and were very positive.

If you would like to meet up for a coffee and chat just let me know. It can be nice to talk to someone who did it. I am very normal - not a scary earth mother.

Good luck xx