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Original poster

Home birth

142 replies

shaky · 11/05/2012 16:59

Hi, I am a community midwife and mother to a 2 1/2 yr old boy. The team of midwives that I work with are desperately trying to increase our home birth rate for low risk women. Do you have any ideas on how we can promote home birth? Have you had a home birth yourself or are you considering delivering your baby at home? I would love to hear your comments and suggestions please, many thanks in advance!

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nutellaontoast · 14/05/2012 14:04

Hi shaky - you sound fab! The marketing you're doing sounds good. But actually you're going to be reaching all your potential customers directly when they come to you, so in a way ads and so on aren't maybe where you main focus should be IMO.

What I'd suggest is that you target low-risk mothers at their booking-in appointment and say "I think you'd be a great candidate for home birth, which we encourage in our area". Have an information sheet or leaflet made up giving info and answering the concerns raised by people on this board - mess, safety etc and setting out the advantages. Ask them to read it and bring it up on the second appointment "So, have you considered the various options for where to give birth? Any worries?" An open-ended question will give the woman a chance to discuss the issue with you.

panpipe · 14/05/2012 14:32

I'm planning a homebirth with my first who is due in August. I'm not sure exactly why I made the decision but it was certainly down to my own independent research before seeing the midwife. The main appeal to me was the continuity of care - in my area you get the same MW for all your antenatal appointments and birth, where she's joined by 1 other - and the chance to be in a more relaxed and familiar environment than in hospital.

As nutella says it would definitely be a good idea to have a leaflet available right from your booking-in appointment with more information, then to follow that up at subsequent appointments when you've had the opportunity to consider your options further. Alternatively try to make contacts with other antenatal care/activity providers (NCT, exercise groups and similar) who could be another avenue to distribute this information.

Another good initiative that the HB team in my area run is monthly coffee mornings where you can meet them all (there are 4 homebirth MWs) as well as prospective HB parents and those who have been through it. This extra perspective has definitely been useful!

EdlessAllenPoe · 14/05/2012 18:30

look at the section on group B strep

a reasonable portion of all women who have homebirths have group b strep - they just don't know. there are ways round it.

openerofjars · 14/05/2012 19:22

Nickel, I remember your thread, I was lurking like mad! I would actually prefer to be shipped out in the middle of the night: it would be being carried down our hugely steep front steps at 4 pm in front of all the neighbours and their children -they play football in the street a lot here - that would bother me.

Especially now the evenings are getting longer.

Yorky · 14/05/2012 19:41

Gnocchi - I have had 4 HBs, I tested +ve for GBS during my 2nd pg, and am fairly confident I would have been +ve during my 1st as well but just didn't know it. I was tested, and again found +ve during pg3, so didn't bother testing during pg4.
Treatment with ABx is a choice, but they will only give you the ABx in hospital because they are worried about you having a bad reaction to them. I chose not to have ABx after talking to a lovely MW at the MLU, whose reaction when I explained I was GB+ was that they couldn't give me the drugs at the MLU so I might as well stay at home. I v nearly burst into tears on the phone as her response was so different to that of 'my' MW who had told me I would have to give birth in hospital, with continuous monitoring, no water birth... I left that appt in tears (hormones! Blush)
Through my 2nd pg (the 1st time I knew I was GB+) I clung to a line from an NHS website which advises that if the mum has previously had a baby without ill effects from the GBS then ABx are not recommended - will try and find the link for you

Original poster
shaky · 14/05/2012 20:38

nutellaontoast - the rational for the cards and posters is to get the message out there to women who aren't even pregnant yet, we are sowing the seeds for the homebirths of the future. we see it as a small way of starting to normalise homebirth so people know that is an option before they start planning their family. I hope that makes sense, we do discuss homebirth at booking but at present do not give out any written info, however this is going to change as a direct result of these discussions, thank you ladies!

OP posts:
GnocchiNineDoors · 14/05/2012 22:09

Thanks Yorkie. I really really wanted a water birth and was told that wouldn't be an option for me Sad

I don't know how i'd feel about not having the ABs in the future, as I tested +ve during labour too, and worry what could have been had I not had the ABs.

AliceHurled · 15/05/2012 09:37

Someone mentioned earlier about sharing birth stories and birth buddies.

This website does this. I think it's very new.

In my area we also have peer support HB groups where women who have had a home birth or are planning one can support one another.

raininginbaltimore · 15/05/2012 12:59

Ok, ladies. I have decided that I want a home birth and dh is on board too. My midwives run a home birth information evening at the local hospital once a month, which is this weds (ie tomorrow). We can't get a babysitter that soon (have tried). I could go on my own. The next one will be when I am 32 weeks. Do I need to go? Will they tell me anything that I don't already know from my research?

Have any of you been to one/run one?

nickelhasababy · 15/05/2012 13:01

they probably won't tell you much more, but it'll be nice to go along, if you can. :)

AliceHurled · 15/05/2012 13:15

I'm not planning on going. Cos my mind is made up, I've done my own research and I have a doula to ask. My understanding is that's the kind of thing they cover, helping you make up your mind and telling you about the info/research.

WantAnOrange · 15/05/2012 14:03

I've been reading up on wwwhomebirth.org.uk

It's brilliant, in particular, there is a page called The Seven Secrets of Being a Home Birth Dad which is really good and written from a Dad's point of view.

Wigeon · 15/05/2012 15:46

AliceHurled - that's a very interesting website (Tell me a good birth story) - do you know who set it up? I would be interested in contributing to the site but it's hard to tell whether it's legitimate or not!

Wigeon · 15/05/2012 15:50

raininginbaltimore - that's great! I think if you've done your research already, you won't learn that much extra by going to the info evening, but what it might tell you, which you can't learn from www.homebirth.org.uk / Mumsnet etc is how homebirth works in your specific area. Eg is there a separate homebirth team? How likely is it that you will be denied a homebirth because of staff shortages (do ask this - my homebirth was thwarted at the very last minute because of staff shortages), do they do home visits before the birth, what equipment do they ask that you have in advance, what pain relief can you arrange in advance (eg some areas drop off gas and air canisters at your house near your due date). I reckon all that info on what happens locally to you might be quite useful.

AliceHurled · 15/05/2012 15:58

Wigeon I don't know but I know about it from my doula who knows everything and everyone so that makes me think it is legit.

PinkChampagneandStrawberries · 15/05/2012 16:00

It was never even mentioned to me when I had my son but I would definitely be interested when/if I have my second child

Original poster
shaky · 15/05/2012 17:36

I really, really like the idea of a home birth evening or coffee morning, it sounds like something that would be relatively easy to organise. We would invite dads too and do questions and answers, maybe get a homebirth DVD, take the homebirth kit with us and gas and air etc, give out some written info and also ask a mum who has had a homebirth to come along too. This idea is taking shape very nicely, thank you for the inspiration!

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Wigeon · 15/05/2012 17:51

I would definitely have gone to a homebirth info session run by my local NHS, if they'd done this. I think that's a really good idea. I did go to an informal homebirth support group run by a local mum who, out of the goodness of her own heart, had set up regular meetings, but there was a lot of doctor-bashing and general anti-hospital sentiment, which I felt was supremely unhelpful considering some people planning homebirths will end up in hospital!

I think you'd need to do at least some evening events, because many pregnant women will be working, and by the time they're on mat leave (36+ weeks) some people will feel it's a bit late to still be deciding about birth place. And most fathers won't be available in the day time either.

I think people will only go to a face to face information event once they've started thinking seriously about homebirth though, so the other things you are planning will help to plant the seed of the idea (eg mentioning it at booking in, giving out written info early on etc).

EdlessAllenPoe · 15/05/2012 18:23

unfortunately widgeon i thinkmany second timers will be choosing HB precisely because they had a crap time in hospital, and are therefore are not going to rave about it.

my sister was quite happy to transfer in, still had a crap time there though.

emski1972 · 15/05/2012 19:20

I should first read what everyone else had to say but here are a few of my thoughts..

  1. When I was pregnant the first time round the midwife asked me if I had considered Home Birth. I niavely didnt even realise I could so step one would be to ask the expectant mother at the first appointment.
  1. The NCT teacher I had was a great advocate of Home Birth and I went to one of the afternoons which was really informative.
  1. I had baby number one at home and the NCT asked me to come in and talk about it.
  1. I had the opportnity to go into the ward and meet all the community midwifes. I now live outside London and this is sadly not offered.
  1. My local community midwife who I see at each appointment is very pro and also struggles to discuss homebith seriuosly, she asked if I would come along to her group as she is trying to set one up.
  1. Use the Dads. My partner was busy useful and the midwifes loved him as he had a job to do and helped them clean up..apparently this sometimes doesnt happen??
  1. The midwifes that came to me said they hadnt even got the gas and air out in 3 months...its so much more relaxed.
  1. I did however see another midwife who advised against it - therefore you rmessage has to be consistent amongst all.
  1. Midwife also said look if I put you down for a home birth you can always chaneg your mind its easier than the other way round.

I had never considered it until I was asked, best decision I have made and it was peaceful relaxing and comfortable experience. I loved the midwifes and would burst into tears when they cam to visit post birth, with JOY obviously. I cant think of anything worse than being in a hospital BUT having said that aproached it with the thought in mind that if I needed to go I would trust their judgement..that said the idea of leaving the house in my nightie in December and all that snow was the ultimate decider. Why wouldnt you?

Original poster
shaky · 15/05/2012 20:46

Emski - thank you for your comments. I agree about us all needing to be on the same page
Widgeon - I was thinking of a Saturday morning, say 10 till 12 which would accommodate working mums. We do our antenatal classes on a Saturday and find that more people are able to come due to it being at the weekend

OP posts:
nickelhasababy · 16/05/2012 10:35

Wigeon - that's one of their bullshit excuses.
I was told no staff as well. funny how when i managed to get a secondment from another PCT i was flooded with available MWs.

nickelhasababy · 16/05/2012 10:40

shaky that wouldn't accommodate me - i work in a shop. So you'd need to do an evening one as well.

McKayz · 16/05/2012 10:43

Also for people with children already it could be hard. I could get someone to babysit 99% of the time on a weekday evening but weekends are much harder.

raininginbaltimore · 16/05/2012 12:25

Same McKayz- I wouldn;t be able to do Sat morning as no way of getting a babysitter.

I am not going to evening tonight as think it will mostly be about if you are interested. I am going to talk to my midwife more and if necessary can go to the next one in a month.