Distance from hospital??

[sammiwry]

I would really like a home birth but the hospital I am at have said no as I'm out of areas and there midwives dont cover that far (13.1 miles from my parents house or 17.8miles from my house). How close do I have to live to the hospital to be allowed to have a home birth?? I really cannot stand hospitals I wouldn't relax or feel comfortable at all, but at the moment don't see any other option than a hospital birth as they wont allow me a home birth

 

[Rmar]

I am not sure about your area but there isn't much of a restriction on it in most places.

I asked around a few of my midwife friends regarding safety and the answer I got (along with a few research papers to back it up) was a drive of around half and hour as if you are in the hospital and an emergency arises where you need a c-section the prep is around half an hour anyways and the outcome either does not make any difference, and in some cases, has better outcomes for both mother and baby if the wait is between half an hour to an hour.

Is that the only hospital in your area? Could you afford to check out independent midwives, maybe even if you worked around a payment plan that could continue after the birth? Would their answer change if you refused to come into the hospital and said if nobody came to you, you would birth without a midwife?

 

[trumpetbum]

They cannot allow or disallow a homebirth. This is your choice.
How long timewise would it take to get to hospital via ambulance or car if you had a quick labour with a planned hospital birth? I take it there are community midwives in your area due to the distance from the hospital.
Are there Independent midwives in your area who provide a homebirth service? What are the homebirth statistics for your area? What happens when someone in your area has a fast labour at home and is unable to make it to the hospital? Try to find a few of these things out, then write to the supervisor of midwives for your area/trust giving plenty of notice detailing your intention to have a homebirth and that you expect to be facilitated in this. The more informed and firm you are the less they can fob you off, and IF nearer the time a hospital birth is indicated or you change your mind, it is never difficult to change to a hospital birth.
Here are some good resources:
https://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ds95d3n_3cbrvzr72 (local support groups including quite a few in Surrey area.
https://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homebirthuk/
https://www.aims.org.uk/
https://www.homebirth.org.uk/

Good luck, i hope you have the birth you would want

 

[sammiwry]

I'm not sure to be honest what would happen if I refused to go to hospital, the drive from my parents house is 15 mins as its down a main A road and my OH did the drive from our house in 20 mins.

There is another hospital close to my parents house but they are the reason I detest hospitals due to mishaps with my health so wont go there and not sure where is local to my house as I've only just moved there.

Unfortunately privately doing it isnt an option as money is tight

 

[Rmar]

Wow, 20 minutes. I don't understand why that is out of there area. Just make your needs known at your next appointment. There isn't much of a reason to not send someone over to you unless they have a really small number of midwives.

 

[sammiwry]

My parents house is in the hospitals county whereas my house isn't its the the next county along. It's frustrating as I explained at my booking in appointment I get so aggiated at hospitals and it can be seen from my blood pressure that its true and not just me saying it.

 

[Blob]

My house is 20-30 mins away from hospital and nobody has said anything about it??

 

[sammiwry]

My house is 20-30 mins away from hospital and nobody has said anything about it??

But are you classed as being in that hospital's area?? I've found a hospital which is in my new county and will ring them tomorrow to see if they will have a quick discussion with me but I don't hold much luck

 

[Blob]

I have no idea TBH our hospital is moving even further away...its now going to be covering a massive place (3 got merged into 1) its quite worrying really.

 

[sammiwry]

ooo not good for you!! I'm wondering if I was to ring them today there would be someone I could talk to??

 

[Blob]

I know i'm booked in and i know my MWs and thats the hospital i go to but it sucks how far away its gone

Hope it all works out for you

 

[sammiwry]

Thanks, hope everything goes ok for you too