overweight and pg, am I being silly to try for a homebirth?

[RobynLou]

hello,
I posted this already but without homebirth in title, so I'm reposting with a different title in the hope of getting some advice from all you homebirth experts out there...

I found out yesterday I'm pg. I have a nearly 3yo DD.
when I was pg with DD I had a BMI of 31, and no one seemed to have a problem with that. I was induced in an awful hospital, it was a terrible experience, though my birth was actually simple - the midwife commented I shouldn't bother coming into hospital next time as my body was obviously quite good at this birth lark!

problem is I now have a BMI of 38

I've always struggled with my weight and put off getting pg for a long while because I was trying to loose it, but had PND and just really struggled.

Is there any chance (everything else being well of course) they'll allow me to have a homebirth? Last time I was left to labour on a ward where the only privacy I had was the tiny space between my bed and the curtain, I finally got to the delivery suite for 20mins of pushing at the end. If I'd been at home everything would've been so much better.

They've recently opened a clinic on our high street that does ultraounds etc, so I have fantasies of just going there and never having to go to hospital at all.

Is this pie in the sky thinking????

Hi! I'm not a homebirth-er but didnt want to leave you ignoreed

www.homebirth.org.uk seems to have a lot of info, and I have copied and pasted this from there-

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"You are too big / heavy / overweight "

• Large women are more likely to suffer from diabetes and blood pressure problems in pregnancy, which might affect your decision regarding home birth. There is also an increased risk of shoulder dystocia, but it is not clear whether this persists independently if you do not have gestational diabetes. Apart from these issues, though, weight alone should not be the deciding factor. Whatever your weight, you can still make an informed decision to plan a homebirth, as did Rachel, Helen, Genevieve and Carolyn. A wonderful site packed with information on pregnancy for large women is Plus-Size Pregnancy, by KMom. See also this discussion from the US Midwife Archives - 'Is Weight a Contraindication for Home Birth?'.

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I also would imagine its down to where you are in the UK and how supportive your midwives are?

I'm not sure whether you will be able to avoid hospital altogether, but I don't think weight is grounds for advising against a HB. The only thing they mentioned to me (my BMI was 30) was that your blood pressure is more likely to be high and this is one of the reasons they will advise against a HB.

As it was my BP was fine and I had a wonderful HB. Speak to your MW and do your research. Someone will tell you were to get the good info about your rights regarding a HB (I can't remember) or you'll find it if you look at other similar threads.

Also if it was a problem could you hire an independent midwife to oversee the homebirth?

I'm not overweight but am over 40 and when I first saw the mw she sort of avoided talking about homebirth. now I'm 32w and have had no problems and last week I said to her that this time I'd like to have homebirth and she was really enthusiastic. Maybe it's best to see how things go before you start asking, and if your BP etc is fine they can't really say no.

Hi,

I had a BMI of 33 when I was pg with both of my DCs and I was told that HB wasn't an option (although it wasn't something I particularly pushed for). In fact, I was even strongly advised against having them at a birthing centre (rather than a hospital). This was despite the fact that both pregs were trouble-free. I do suffer from white-coat hypertension but my actual BP was excellent during both pregs; however, it may have made a difference from the medical management point of view?? Both births went fine as well.

I think it depends on the prevailing attitude of the midwife/health auth in your area. If it had been something I felt strongly about, I'm sure I would have been within my rights to insist?

I hope you get what you want. Good luck x

It really depends on your area. My BMI is 35 and my MW has said there is no problem with me having a homebirth if I want one. She said I would have to be much bigger for it to be an issue - but that seems totally against some other peoples experiences.

You can but ask!

thanks everyone, feeling quite encouraged.
I think I will just mention it to gauge the reaction at my first appointment, and go from there.
the bp thing could be a problem - I normally have a v low BP - around 110/60 or something I seem to remember - but towards the end of my pg with DD it crept up, never went higher than 120/85 but they induced me one day after my due date because of it. I'm still quite bitter about that, because it was never actually dangerously high, I never had any protein in my urine etc. the doctor said they should do it 'just in case' it got higher, and that as I was past my due date there was nothing to be gained by continuing any longer. no one ever took into account it was the middle of a very hot august and my GP surgery was at the top a hill I had to walk up every time just before my bp was taken - the couple of times I was then sent into the hospital to be monitored it went right back down again and the midwives were always mystified as to why I was there.

I'm in a slightly different area now - diff gp but would still be the same hospital. where we are now is a lot 'nice' iykwim so I'm hopeful the gp might be a bit more willing to listen this time - last time when I raised the possibility of being registered at a different hospital (ours is notoriously awful - northwick park) the doctor said I didn't have any choice