gutted I can't be midwife led :(

[lilmissdanni]

Coz of my bmi and my blood clot in July, I found out at my booking in appointment that I have to be consultant led not midwife led. This also means that I can't give birth in the midwife led unit, have to give birth on the Labour ward (although my midwife told me to keep on at them coz apparently due to the scoring system they use, I'm only just in the consultant led band) I truly am gutted. I had such a bad experience on that Labour ward last time and really wanted to give birth in the more relaxed midwife led unit.

Twas a good appointment though apart from that...my community midwife is lovely. Also had my 3+ on the clear blue today so finally, it feels real!

 

[Celesse]

My last pregnancy that ended in MC I totally declined consultant care and planned to deliver at home. This time I'm seeing the consultant at 20 weeks, but fully intend on discharging myself from consultant led care unless its a super positive appointment. Its completely your choice on whether you are midwifery led care or consultant led care....... whether its a good idea to decline consultant led care is a different question though.

I think most midwifery led units have strict criteria on who is "allowed" on them, so you probably will not change that part of your birth plan. But you can plan what ever type of birth you wish. You can decline any intervention you wish. If you don't want to be monitored they can't tell you that you "have" to be, you can decline. If your not happy with a hospital birth plan you can still decide to give birth at home... Again..whether or not thats a good idea is a different question.

You also don't have to stay at the same hospital. With my second I was faced with little support for a home birth and not being allowed on the midwifery unit. The labour ward of the hospital I was due to give birth out attempted to give me strict rules. So I discharged myself from their care and booked to another hospital in the neighbouring town, where I had a lovely consultant who helped me construct a very natural birth plan like I would have had in the midwifery led unit.

 

[lilmissdanni]

That was really insightful. Thank you! I'm not happy at all about being consultant led...it was my bmi more than the blood clot that led me to be in an at risk group...yet my bmi is less than last time!

 

[baileybubs]

I agree with celesse 100% Hun, you don't have to have consultant care if you don't want to, but they probably won't let you birth on the midwife unit if they consider you to be high risk. I am gutted too but I knew I would be consultant led. My local midwife unit has double beds and several birthing pools! But as I had suspecte pre-e, and EMCS and am wanting a vbac there's no way they will let me birth anywhere but the maternity unit at the neighbouring town

BUT that doesn't mean to say they will tell me what will happen and what won't! I will be sticking to a birth plan (obviously wherever it's safe to) as much as I can and I will not let them bully me into what I don't want like when I was induced (in my eyes yet rushed my induction which caused my problems because they happened to have a room free at that time to put me in!!). So I say make sure you discuss what it is you want and don't want, make it very clear and tell them that it's YOUR choice! And if you are only just in the high risk band then just keep pushing to be allowed at the lovely midwife led unit coz you never know Hun!

 

[mummy2o]

Is it possible to go to another unit? I'm not sure where you live but if your in a remote village and have one hospital which covers a massive chunk of your area I know its not possible, but I wasn't happy where I gave birth at DS's hospital (they almost killed me) and currently on the books of another. If I don't like that one either, I still have one more hospital to try out. If not refuse to be consultant lead. Although I'm consultant lead and I'm still wondering what its all about as I still see my midwife more than the consultant and can only see her or him as an over paid midwife. Maybe once I'm giving birth they'll have a more active role, but I can't see it happening.

 

[kipkip]

Me too ;( prev ectoic, CIN3 on cervix in march this yr and a mild bicornuate unterus I'm hoping they will day all is fine and back to midwifery led ! But I'm thr same I don't want to give birth on high risk with alll that monitoring!

 

[Celesse]

I think the whole "risk" thing is very annoying. You get just two categories, High Risk and Low Risk. I'll always be high risk because of my c-section. That's the only factor. Where as other people can be high risk for a number of much more serious reasons. What we really need is medium risk, for those of us with one or two smaller risk factors.

 

[lilmissdanni]

Exactly. My blood clot was caused by antibiotics for labrynthitis. Since then, I'm obviously not on the antibiotics anymore and I've quit smoking. They told me to loose weight too but one step at a time hey!

I'm going to do everything I can to try and get myself discharged from consultant care. I WILL have the birth I want, not in that horrible hospital.

 

[dan-o]

I wasn't happy about being CLC last time, but I actually had a very good labour ward birth 2nd time round, fully active, no pain relief, totally hands off and natural, no pushing, totally in control and even picked baby up off the bed myself (I was supposed to be catching him but he kind of shot out all in one go while I was kneeling up lol!) only thing that let it down was the fact they didn't get my iv antibiotics in quick enough, so I had to stay in for 12 hours for baby to be monitored rather than going home immediately!

As a result of that birth (and knowing the CLC/hospital birth is for my own and my baby's safety) I don't mind much this at all time!
Yes water or home would have been nice, but I can't have that, so there's no point even thinking about it in my case.

Hope you can find some compromise xx

 

[mummy2o]

I think the whole "risk" thing is very annoying. You get just two categories, High Risk and Low Risk. I'll always be high risk because of my c-section. That's the only factor. Where as other people can be high risk for a number of much more serious reasons. What we really need is medium risk, for those of us with one or two smaller risk factors.

That must be different from area to area, as I'm high risk due to my weight, not due to the fact I had a c-section.

 

[lowblow1]

I was clc with Sophie but the consultant just laughed and said she hated BMI because though I was 'obese' they didn't take into account the twelve years of martial arts that padded my thighs with muscle!!! I was discharged to midwife and ended up on labour ward with midwife delivering me. That was at almost 16st (5'8) so you may be okay!!

 

[princess_1991]

I was consultant led with my last pregnancy, saw the consultant for the first time and she.discharged me back to midwife led so its always a possibility