accomodation unsuitable for home birth and baby?

[cheeky]

My partner's sister is pregnant and at the moment her and her dp are living in a bedsit. She is desperate for a home birth but will this be possible?

She is also looking further ahead and worried that the place may be unsuitable for bringing up a baby up in? She is afraid that although the place is clean and tidy, the baby will suffer from living in a bedsit

Any ideas?

[susanmt]

My Mum had a homebirth with my youngest sister - in a caravan. She had left my Dad and run off with his best friend and they had a baby (now 16 gulp!) and the midwife delivered her ina little caravan in the middle of a field. THe HV only came once! I think my exceptionally competent mother scared her off! But it was her 4th child. Mum said the midwife was marvelllous and said it was wonderful to have the chance to do such an 'unusual' delivery!
And they lived in the caravan until my sis went to school!

[pie]

Living in a small space (my DH, DD and I and one on the way will be in our one bedroom until probably Xmas 2004) will not hurt a small child, infact they will probably relish the closeness. However it may drive the parents mad...personal experience here.

If her place is clean and tidy then there surely can't be a health reason to refuse a home birth on that front. In fact I've just remembered that my Aunt had a home birth with her first and was homeless, she used my grans spare room at the last minute. So its not as if she had to have approval before hand, just went ahead and did it!

[Katherine]

HV will probably disapprove if shes anything like mine but look at some of the other threads on HV - nobody seems to like them and they don't half dish out some twaddle. If the baby is cared for well and loved the amount of space isn't really an issue although long term I hope they can get some more space simply to give them a bit of privacy etc.

As for the homebirth - well can't really comment. I think they like you to have access to a bathroom - there might be a privacy issue here, for comfort as much as anything but otherwise as long as she has space to move around and its warm enough I don't really see a problem. As someone else said, babies are born in much worse places.

However if it does prove to be a problem then the alternative is a midwive run unit. Next best thing to a homebirth, much smaller, friendlier and less hospital like but with a few more facilities. Actually thinking about the amount of space you get in the delivery rooms out our main hospital I bet she'll still have more room at home!

[kaz33]

I agree, babies like being close to mum and dad anyway - so in lots of ways they will be happier being in one room.

[whymummy]

as long as the baby is cared for there is no reason for the hv to disapprove,once the baby grows they`ll obviously need more space but in the meantime a bedsit in my opinion is just as good as any other house

[cheeky]

She is wondering if the health visitor might be concerned

[whymummy]

hi cheeky,i think she`s worrying for nothing,kids all over the world are born and grow up in worse places