sneaky or perfectly acceptable...???

[widgetsmummy]

some of the ladies in my antenatal class are booking in for home births with the intention of getting the midwife to come out to them, then to go into the hosiptal. this means they get checked over at home - no false trips to the maternity unit - and some were saying that then the midwife will come into the hospital with you and stay through til deivery.

am I naive to think this is a bit off? or is fine because I guess no-one really knows how they will cope with labour until it is happening?

most of us end up pleading for the epidural and forgetting we demanded no male/student midwives and as for the Whale Song music, that gets canned while the lovely drugs flow through your nethers

I am right ladies or am I right?

lol yes you're right suzywong. I happily laid there, legs akimbo, for all and sundry to see. A marching band could have marched through my room playing Rule Britannia and I'd just ahve pushed along to the music

I think this is a bit off because people (like me) who genuinely wanted to have baby at home may well be refused a homebirth and guided to go in whilst a community midwife was dealing with someone who wanted to be in hospital anyway.

does your NHS trust offer DOMINO care, if so, then this is not right and the MW will not come with you to the hospital

rather than 'cheating' the system, they might be better learning more about the signs of true labour and getting to know their own cervix, so they know themselves when it is time to go in

i wonder if they do this, how many of them will actually have a homebirth unintentionally??

i might as well chucked my birth plan out the window..silly cow!(me that is)...nothing goes to plan, i wanted no drugs and to be mother nature wandering around panting through it all...i was laid on bed, two straps round bump, syntocin in one arm, entinox in other hand and the occasional jab of pethadine in my arse!

sneaky. IMVHO.

there is no way to get a midwife to your home, you just call the maternity unit and they assess if you should come in or not, risking that you might get sent home again if its too early.

then, yes, if not DOMINO, then very sneaky and diverting resources unecessarily

Think it is sneaky.

And v v unfair on women who genuinely want a homebirth.

Sneaky and downright selfish. I'm shocked that people behave like that, but perhaps I'm naive.

Think this is shocking and I'd say what I thought if I met someone doing that. Anyway, I don't really see how it would work in practice.

Suzywong I was the other way round. Gave birth with 0 pain relief both times much to my surprise. There could have been a herd of elephants in the room though and I wouldn't have noticed.

Its a bit dishonest

petitfilou - first baby I had epidural, second baby nothing at all!

A home birth means three midwives on call for two weeks either side of due date. What a horrible attitude, especially when in some cases women really have to fight for their home birth.

Very unfair - as others have said, diverts resources, leaves poor midwives on call unecessarily.

Perhaps you should point out that the midwives will probably assume that they DO want to have a home birth (pretty sensibly) so may encourage them to continue labouring at home. Then they will be transfering to hospital whilst in late labour - no fun at all I'd have thought. With no pain relief available....

MamaG Even more respect then, if I knew what it was like with pain relief I doubt I'd have chosen to go without 2nd time! But I did love the fact I knew exactly when dd was coming without anyone having to tell me!