Home birth

[shaky]

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!

Just like to say thanks all on this thread. Hearing all the hb stories I spoke with my midwife 2day about having a hb (I'm 28wks) she was all up for it :) Also reading some people's post to my dp he is up for it :). Only thing is I was measured 2day for the 1st time and I'm above the top line midwife has said if I'm still measuring big next time I see her then will have to have a growth scan if it is big baby then I may not be able to have a hb :( so fingers crossed it was just a one off.

That isn't necessarily true handsarefull

Have a look at the homebirth.org.UK website. Some medical people like to put blanket bans on hb, but that isn't always the case.

www.homebirth.org.uk/youcant.htm

Here is a good link.

That's crap Handsarefull my baby is measuring on the 95th centile and I am having a homebirth.

DS2 was born at home and he was 10lb 5oz.

Hmmm maybe we will have to offer an evening session one month and then a saturday session the next month....

most babies are fine, even big ones.
your pelvis grows...

shaky - you could offer two groups - one group session on the weekend evening and the other on a saturday.
speaking to different women.

I would LOVE the option of having a home birth!! Sadly for me it is not going to happen.

I had a hospital waterbirth with DD and would love a home water birth experience this time, or even just a regular home birth. I think as someone earlier mentioned if you make sure people know about thier options from the start, especially with first time Mums you will encourage them. I had no idea when pregnant with DD what options were out there, having a helpful midwife who breifed me on all of them would have probably made me have a home birth.

This time sadly hubby is posted int he states and we are stuck with stateside healthcare. His job pays our insurance, and the options are what the insurance company deem best. They don't believe in home birth - if I wanted one it would be much in excess of $2000, $4000 if I wanted the water birth. No gas and air, its is basically intervention - or suffer. So I am not looking forward to my delivery here. :(

Nickel babe - I will have to see what the powers that be will let us do as this is something that we haven't done before, I'm not sure how much time they would allow me. I will definitely take your comments to the bosses and tell them that this is what women want us to do!

shark :(

is there no way you can arrange to be in the uk for the birth?

US births scare me rigid (sorry that doesn't help)

i wonder if there's a way of getting entonox in the US?
even if you have to hire it in?
they must have it over there!

just found this on google

and you could take a tens machine with you - i used mine through most of my labour, and only started gas and air about 2 hours before pushing.

more on entonox use

also, someone on a chat board has said they don't "have the pipework set up" - now, you can get gas and air in canisters - otherwise how would they take them to homebirths?
you should definitely do as much research into it as possible and make them listen.

a us site about entonox. i bet you could make them get it in for you.

Nickelbabe,

Thanks so much. Sadly they will not let me do the gas and air thing. Just for wanting a water birth my specialist treats me like I am a complete hippy lunatic. With that and the fact that they think - and actually vocalise the fact that they think British Medicine is tantamount to 3rd world it is bleak! I have to restrain myself from boarding a plane believe me - I want to come home so badly!! The whole thing scares me to death. It is just not fair on hubby to bugger off for a few months then come back with a baby. He is in the Armed forces and eh can't just drop everything to come to England and wait for baby to come in his own sweet time. DD was 2 weeks over due, so with the fact the latest you can fly is 36 wks, but most long haul airlines won't let you fly after 29 for insurance purposes I'd literally have to pull DD out of school and come home now.

I have a high risk specialist OBGYN assigned to me because I am over 35. Believe me I have had a completely normal pregnancy but this guy has spent his whole time from 12 weeks onwards trying to put the fear of god into me about possible risks, (Thank goodness I am taking him with a pinch of salt). At 12 weeks he tried to tell me I would need to have a c-section because my placenta was low, obviously it migrated up and by the end of the 2nd trimester all was well. Then he told me I had diabetes as the baby is fairly big (so was DD and I did not have it then, he told me that obviously the Drs in England had misdiagnosed me last time, so I had the test (which was completely normal) and now he is looking for something else to panic about. It is driving me mad. He says ominous things like "I would really like you to deliver before 39 weeks".... etc. He thinks water births are the work of the devil, when I asked him why he stated some statistic about 4 near death experiences with water births in the US over the last 5 years, so when I asked what were the statistics for c-sections, induced deliveries and forceps deliveries he went quiet then told me water birth was an aids risk for his staff. You can imagine how I feel!

Fortunately on base (hubby is in US Airforce) I see a midwife who is fab, she served in the UK and had one of her kids there and is in awe of the woman centred maternity care we get there. She can't offer everything I want -- but at least she is not going to force me to do something I don't want to.

I would do anything to be able to have a lovely home birth like Shaky is describing!!

jesus , you poor woman!

Try though, to push them on that gas and air, and definitely get a tens machine.

also, leave it as late as possible before going into the hospital!
less chance of intervention then.
I wonder if you could hire your own gas and air to use at home before you go into the hospital (and then take the thing in with you!)

Tell your OBGYN to get to fuck as well.
Do you want me to beat him up for you?

I woner if you could get that MW to come to you (at home) when things kick off and get her to go with you to hospital when you go in at the last minute?

Sharklet

I'm guessing your insurance won't cover you to go to the farm and Ina may gaskin? I don't know how this stuff works but I wonder whether they could help in any way?

Have been nosing about and discovered that (although they keep it very secret) there is a chance I might be able to get a home birth on Tricare my insurance. Got DH looking into it (he understands how to speak to them).

The only thing is it seems the midwife I sue has to recognised by them to be covered. The only one recognised by them is due the saem day as me - and is on Mat leave!!!!! AAArrrgggghhhh..... very peeved. Trsut my luck. She said to coem and speak to her though as there may be "alternatives" so keeo your fingers crossed for me.

And you are right my high risk OBGYN is an ARSE!!!!!!

you might be able to find another MW in your area who is.