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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Home birth V hospital. Still on the fence.

92 replies

littleraysofsunshine · 23/11/2013 22:48

Third baby.
Uncomplicated super fast deliveries, I'm currently 31 weeks and thinking about my birth plan. I think it's best to hope I can get to the pool room at MLU, but been told to have things ready at home.

So home jut and hospital bag. What would you advise?

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bundaberg · 26/11/2013 14:41

re: filling the pool... have your thermostat turned right up for the hot water. that way you need less of it to get the pool up to temperature.

we managed to inflate and fill the pool in under 30 mins for DS3.

you can get a submersible pump which will basically get all the water out. we diverted ours out into the front garden, but you could equally do it into the shower/bath/kitchen sink/into an outside drain. They generally come with a nice long pipe for filling/emptying.

thecakeisalie · 26/11/2013 14:53

Filling it - we won't have be able to afford a heated one so would need to fill it/top it up when I'm actually in labour - not sure this would be possible time wise or not really. Looks to me like you need a decent amount of money to hire a heated one with a filter?

DH is Squeamish - faints at the sight of his own blood and not keen on other peoples. I'm assuming the water becomes fairly mucky afterwards with the blood etc. I did do some reading up after I posted that post so I've got a better idea of what's involved, i.e that you can pump the water out. Still not convinced it would be worth the money/hassle but I've not been in water while labouring before so no experience.

I should probably have just looked it up in the first place but I'd kind of ruled a birth pool out of the equation so hadn't done any research.

PenguinsDontEatPancakes · 26/11/2013 16:04

If you aren't bothered about a pool it's probably an unnecessary hassle, I agree. For me, it's central to my planning about how I intend to cope with labour. Horses for courses and all that.

Filling it - we didn't have a heated one, just a hired inflatable one. You can blow it up in advance if you have space (we didn't, though we did a trial run). We didn't need to top up or anything. We just started to fill and i got in as soon as it was ready. If you do need to top up, you just scoop out some water and add some more really hot. It's not that difficult. Your main issue is if you have a small boiler without an immersion. We had a combi boiler last time so it wasn't an issue.

Emptying - well my toddler peered in an announced that there was red play-doh in the paddling pool, so I'm guessing it was a bit icky. However, you do pump it out so not as if you have to scoop it all out yourself.

Bakingtins · 26/11/2013 16:22

I'm with moreis I had a completely uncomplicated delivery (birth pool in MLU) for my first baby and considered a homebirth for second. Didn't in the end as DH wasn't comfortable with it, and lost 2 litres of blood in about 5 minutes with a PPH after delivery. The room was full of doctors in about 30 seconds and I was in theatre within 10 minutes. If I had been at home with no fluids, only 2 medical staff, maybe half an hour to get to hospital by the time we'd called an ambulance then got there I would be dead. What happened to me is rare but impossible to predict. As it was I was lucky to get away without a hysterectomy and needed a blood transfusion.

thecakeisalie · 26/11/2013 17:27

Bakingtins - that must of been a traumatic experience to say the least. It's risks like this that put doubts in my mind but at the same time a major pph is very rare. It did make me look it up and thought I'd share this link on it www.homebirth.org.uk/pph.htm which has gone some way to putting my mind at rest.

The other point I'll be discussing with the midwife is what happens in the event that baby has difficulty breathing.

bundaberg · 26/11/2013 17:39

thecakeis... we didn't have a heated one either. i had a la bassine.

it's fine to fill it once your labour is in full swing, it doesn't take too long. it won't cool down that fast, and if it does you can just top up with more hot.

the midwives do have things with them for helping baby breathe, treating pph etc... an ambulance should get with you in a few mins if necessary and would treat on the way to hospital and of course will get you there super quick if you're being blue-lighted.

i think there are risks either way tbh, it's one of those things that you just can never know how it would have gone if you'd done it the other way.

misskatamari · 26/11/2013 17:44

I was speaking to my midwife and she told me that they bring along everything that you would have available in a midwife led unit. Hearing that is what made me feel lots more confident in my home birth decision

PenguinsDontEatPancakes · 26/11/2013 17:46

thecake - the homebirth site also has a page on resuscitation. Essentially, most of what they can do in hospital they can do at home. They set up an area before the baby is born (or they do if you aren't BBA...) just in case.

Original poster

littleraysofsunshine · 27/11/2013 07:36

I had both fast latent and fast active. This is my worry is that chances are I'm going to have another super speedy baby... Hence not enough warning to fill a wanted birth pool.

OP posts:

lovelilies · 27/11/2013 17:14

I'm keen on an hb too, just need to convince dp..

PenguinsDontEatPancakes · 27/11/2013 17:39

Is it your first lilies? DH wouldn't have been keen with DD1, but after experiencing hospital he was easily convinced for no. 2 and would, I think, have been quite shocked if I'd suggested anything else for no. 3

RosebudTheCat · 27/11/2013 17:58

I had DS (first child) in hospital, DD (second child) in hospital birthing centre (i.e. within hospital but on a different floor to traditional 'labour ward'). I was low-risk both times, first labour uncomplicated so no problems anticipated second time.

I had a PPH followed by rapid onset maternal sepsis (due to an undiagnosed infection I contracted prior to going into labour). It was like being in the TV programme 'Casualty' - really scary, lots of staff, lots of rapid interventions. I think having to wait for an ambulance at home, then travel in ambulance would have had an effect on the outcome. I am glad to be here and healthy to enjoy my gorgeous, gorgeous children.

Fair enough, the risk of anything going wrong is low. But that wouldn't be any consolation if it happened to you as it happened to me, completely unexpectedly. In my opinion, childbirth shouldn't be all about the 'experience', more about mother and child making it through safe and well.

lovelilies · 27/11/2013 18:18

my second but dp's first, and he's a doctor so thinks hospital is best

bundaberg · 27/11/2013 18:23

ultimately it's your choice though, you're the one actually giving birth!

PenguinsDontEatPancakes · 27/11/2013 18:59

Yes, ultimately it's your choice.

Why does he think hospital is best. Because if it's stuff about needing to be near the technology, etc, he is simply showing confirmation bias from seeing bad things in his work. It's not supported by the studies.

thecakeisalie · 27/11/2013 20:02

Trust me Rosebud this is not about the 'experience' for me. I have the same opinion that it is about a healthy baby and a healthy mother at the end of it.

However I feel let down with the standard of care I received while in labour with my ds2. I was on my own with just DH for all but 10-15 minutes of my labour. Anything could have gone wrong during my labour and there was no one there to check. I feel even with the risks I will receive better care from a 1 to 1 midwife who will stay with me as soon as I reach 3cms. This coupled with feelings of anxiety about hospitals/unnecessary intervention and the risk of a roadside birth mean I will be calmer at home. I don't think any of us take on these risks lightly.

lovelilies · 27/11/2013 20:03

He's away til Sunday, but we'll have a proper talk then. I did mention it ages ago and he wasn't keen then but now it's getting nearer (and after spending a night on the ward on a monitor this week ) I know I don't want to be in hospital.

Bakingtins · 27/11/2013 20:06

Father of baby is not entitled to an opinion?
Worth considering a MLU as a halfway house that might give you both what you want - hands off, natural birth, with immediate access to the bells and whistles if needed.

PenguinsDontEatPancakes · 27/11/2013 20:14

Where did anyone say he's not entitled to an opinion? He's not entitled to make the decision, and there's a big difference.

A MLU is, I agree, a wonderful option for many women. Of course, 'immediate accesss to the bells and whistles' only applies if you are talking about an MLU attached to a CLU. A standalone MLU, as my local one is, really has very few facilities that a homebirth midwife doesn't carry.

Also, for many women an MLU doesn't address many of the central problems of care and attitudes which they may have experienced in hospital previously. I had my first DD in hospital. I didn't see why you wouldn't. Having been through what I went though, and the emotional after effects I suffered, I wouldn't have another in hospital unless I was high risk. It has feck all to do with me wanting a nice experience, and a hell of a lot to do with mental health. In fact, many of the issues are the same ones that lead other women down the path to a planned section.

lovelilies · 27/11/2013 20:32

MLU was the.original plan, got a lovely one at.our local hospital, but unfortunately it's standing empty due to government cuts. Ridiculous

rememberingnothing · 27/11/2013 20:34

I had 2 HB with my DC. I don't have anything to compare to but I knew I didn't want to go to hospital unless I had to.

I laboured and birthed DD1 in a pool. I laboured pretty quickly (4 hours start to baby). I loved being in the water.

DD2 happened just as fast and in the middle of the night. The pool was ready but I was in transition and growled at anyone if they suggested I might move or if they touched me.

I gave birth on all fours on the floor.

Both births were great. Highly recommend a pool but don't hang about getting it ready or tell your DH that "it will be ages" ;)

thecakeisalie · 27/11/2013 21:10

I'm not even eligible to use MLU myself as I actually am considered high risk due a raised bmi. I didn't mention this further up the thread as it leads to judgement.

My problem with hospital is being high risk they try even harder to force intervention on me (as with my ds1) which in itself leads to higher risk of a PHP and so on. I have had straight forward pregnancies and so I refuse to accept my bmi as the only thing making me high risk (I have low blood pressure, will have GTT to check for diabetes and change my plans if anything makes me higher risk.

I didn't read it as people suggesting the father shouldn't have an opinion more that regardless how the father or HCP's feel its ultimately the mother's choice. It's a very big deal not feeling in control of the choices about your own body.

mercibucket · 27/11/2013 21:58

i always felt it was about passing the buck.
if you need someone else to blame if things go wrong, hospital is best
if you are happy to 'own'decisions, homebirth is good

both are equally safe as proved by scientific research (for second births, low risk pregnancy) so there is no point in anecdotal stories or silly comments about 'experiences'. for every 'i nearly died without hospital treatment' there is a balancing ' i nearly died because of hospital treatment' story.

jammiedonut · 27/11/2013 22:16

Just to even things out, I had a fabulous birth in hospital, with three lovely midwives who stayed with me throughout the 23hours I was there. I had planned a hb but changed my mind when they told me that in an emergency I'd be transferred to a hospital with a very questionable history. Tbh I was so consumed by my labour that I didn't notice where I was, and was very glad not to have to clean up after (as was dh!). Hospital doesn't always have to mean a highly medicalised birth. I think I'll go for a home birth at some point, but didn't regret my choice with ds.

Original poster

littleraysofsunshine · 27/11/2013 22:22

What tips would you give for two previous super fast labours? As in how best to prep in a short time. As I said before, my second was 1 hour to the exact minute. Waters broke 10:53pm, instant 5 minute contractions, left mine at about 11:20, got to hospital about 11:30, I was even trying to not position myself and midwife didn't examine me as she knew if I opened my legs baby would come out... I wanted to try and wait for dp to arrive! But I got on the bed, and then started to push and bam .. 11:53pm she was born back to back but amazing. I didn't know she was back to back cheeky thing.

But I suppose I just don't know how best to prepare before (as in weeks before ... I'm 8.5 weeks away now) and then the best way to prep when labour starts as in my mind I am expecting it to be fast, and not have enough time to run a pool? They just both happened out the blue, no warning. At all. Both overdue but who knows this time

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