Homebirth: is maternal age an issue?

[AliceAyers]

Hello,

I have only just found out I am pregnant, and I am considering homebirth. This would be my first child if all goes well ( I have had 2 miscarriages).

I will be 39 by the time of the birth, and had I feeling this might be an issue. Could anyone tell me if my age would be a reason to not do HB and if not then why?

Thanks.

Are you thinking of employing an Independent Midwife? I posted on here about a work colleague wanting a home birth with first baby at same age and she has decided to use an IM as they were much more supportive of her than NHS team. She felt that she would feel better supported by seeing the same midwives throughout pg and should she end up in hospital they will go with her. Also they will support post natally and she feels more relaxed knowing the small team and not having to deal with a constant stream of strangers. Other posters have said that an IM is money well spent and even at this early stage my colleague would agree wholeheartedly!

I've been okayed for a homebirth and I'm 43.

Have a look here, and look under "Can I have a homebirth if..?"

Some PCT's may have a guideline that says HB is not recommended for women over a certain age - but, as a mentally competent adult, it is ultimately up to you where you choose to birth your baby. The NHS have no power to "let" or "allow" you to have a HB - it isn't their choice!

There are risks that increase with maternal age, but that doesn't mean that they are risks that would be increased by being in a home environment - if hospital doesn't mitigate the risk, its no safer!

When I was expecting DD1 I found the local NHS community MW to be unsupportive of HB for a 1st mother (I was 32 at the time) and in the end we turned to IMs. The continuity of care did make a huge difference and when we found I was expecting DD2 our IM was the first person we called (I think we let the GP know at about 12 weeks that he'd be getting some blood results soon...). However, the structure CMW's work under is different in each and every PCT so unless you have very strong feelings already its worth testing the water and seeing what response you get within the NHS - IMs are fantastic, but they aren't cheap.

Good luck for a happy healthy pregnancy and a good birth

Tangle - I'm interested to know what happens if you go overdue with an IM? Are they able to do any induction proceedures at home?

IMs can do a sweep, but that's about it - if the decision is taken that a chemical induction is the best course of action then it would probably necessitate going into hospital, at which point most IMs would be unable to act as a MW (unless they have a contract with that hospital in place) but would become a very well qualified doula for the duration.

That said, a lot of IMs are a lot more comfortable to support a woman beyond the point where the NHS would be pushing hard for induction.

You'd need to have an in-depth discussion with your IM about whether or not an induction is right for you and your baby and/or at what point an induction would become right for you and your baby. My experience is not that IMs supported me regardless, but that they were much more interested in providing me with/talking through balanced information to allow me to make an informed decision. Once they knew I'd done that then they supported me in it (rather than re-hashing it at every appointment) until such time as they felt circumstances meant we needed to start thinking about alternatives.

Hope that helps

Some IM might be able to do acupuncture for induction - or could recommend acupuncturist.

Hi there folks...thanks for your responses, and sorry to have not replied sooner...I have just been away for a week.

I am a bit concerned that my GP might be a bit of a pain about this....as soon as I suggested HB he muttered that it might not be a good idea due to my history (ie. 4yrs IF + 2 m/c)...I said I did not know what that had to do with it, and that I would do my research before finalising a decision.

Another question I have is...does choosing to have HB in anyway effect the level of antenatal care you receive?

Remember, it is your choice wether to accept medical adice and opinion or not.
Choosing a homebirth will not effect your antenatal care in any way.
You will still be offered the same tests and scans, have the same community care (either in clinics or midwives will visit at your home).
Selina

Thanks Selina.

I will certainly make my decision based on my own research rather than that of my GP...frankly, as soon as he said that I knew he was casting around for a reason to discourage me, but I didn't rise to it, I just said "could you write down 'homebirth' and I will let you know if I decide to change.

It was clear that he had no interest whatsoever and just felt that he should counsel against it...he didn't even 'process' my words...just immediately opened his mouth and let his negative response fall out!