Home birth assessment

[babies7777]

Apologies for this is likely to sound like a rant, there will be questions in there for anyone who has the patience to bear with me.

So the midwife came today with a student to do the home assessment. The whole time she was so negative about everything, i understand they have to tell you the risks but the way its done without any kind of balance, just reaming off a list of things i cant do, would love some responses on whether this is correct?

- I can't have a natural third stage in the water, i have to get out
-I can't have gas and air whilst in the water, i have to get out
- If a midwife is on holiday or sick i have to go to the hospital,
- The baby must be bought up from the water immediately
- If the cord is around the neck i have to stand up out of the water
- They will only let u go 10 days overdue then u have to go into hospital.

She kept making a point of saying they would have to call 999 if i needed to be transfered to the hospital an that they cant guarantee response times.

She was put out by me wanting a natural third stage as im anemic an kept saying about increased blood loss etc, tho i have read that with a managed u still have blood loss its just more after rather than during so to me it sounds the same. My hb was 10.4 an she kept saying that they want a minimum of 10.5 an when she called to check my repeat bloods an found out they were now 10.5 even that she looked at negatively, they are only up 0.1 yet to me considering that first test was done at 28 weeks, i wasnt told the results till 30 weeks an i barely took iron tabs for a week due to side effects an just altered diet i thought that was pretty good. I am now requesting liquid iron as she said they will re check my bloods at 36 weeks. To me its though they are looking for any excuse to decline me, i just dont get it. Sad thing is, when the student tested my urine there was a bit of glucose in it so i have to do the gtt test and i know she will be jumping for joy if that stops me from having a home birth, keeping everything crossed it was just as i had just eaten fruit an juice, and not gd. I just felt like all she wanted to do was control everything about my birth an i have no say in it. Its so sad when it should be the most natural thing ever yet they just want to stick u flat on a bed, with monitors, drips, an every intervention known to man.

Thanks for reading if u got this far.

 

[Pixles]

=( All the videos ive seen if water births and home births they all deliver the placenta in the water, I was told less bleeding if natural 3rd stage, why cant you have gas&air in the pool. =S is there an eletric pump to it? She sounds really really unsuportive! She wants you to get GD! =S thats just wrong! she should be wishing you the easyers best pregnancy and birth possible, not hopeing you get complcations so she dosent have to attend you! you shure the midwife on holiday comment wasent her saying im booking holiday around your due date so i can hopefuly not attend you?

If our homebirthing midwife is on holiday we get another sent. She sounds horid! Sorry

Personaly i would be asking for another midwife and putting in a complaint.
Im high risk, and my midwife said to me, the only reason im insisting you go to hospital with is if you get pre-eclampsia at any stage, your carring twins or you get GD and start mesuring weeks and weeks ahead!

good luck hun! what a horid midwife!

 

[disneyleanne]

I would not be comfortable with this midwife attending me at home. She is incredibly negative and that can have a huge impact on the atmosphere during your birth. I would be asking for another midwife who is supportive of home birth.

Quite frankly, its your home and your rules. Gas and air is perfectly fine while you are in the pool. Bringing the baby straight up would be a good idea as you dont want them to breath underwater. It is important that the baby's head comes up first. If a midwife is on holiday you DO NOT have to go to hospital they will need to make provisions to provide you with someone else. I have 4 midwives on call for me due to holidays etc so that 2 can attend me at home regardless of when I go into labour.
You DO NOT have to go to hospital if you are 10 days over, its your call. If the cord is around the neck(very common), your midwife can just remove it when the baby is born. I dont really understand why you would need to stand up.
The only one I am not experienced with is the natural third stage in the water. I'm not sure on that one. But she should have explained her reason for that so you could then do your own research and make your own decision.

Please dont be forced into things you are not happy with in your own home. The whole point of home birth is that you feel comfortable and in control of your own birth. You call the shots.

 

[babies7777]

Thanks for your replies some of the things she said made sense but i thought i would ask anyway to compare with other peoples experiences but some of them sound crazy to me, like the no gas and air in the pool etc and not letting u have a home birth if u are 10 days overdue, i dont get that.

Can anyone tell me who i ask to request another midwife? she also does the antenatals at my doctors but to be honest i really don't want to see her again but not sure how that would work other than not going to my doctors antenatals but that doesnt seem a good choice. Im so upset about the whole thing and feel like i have no control over any of it and now im worried about the glucose in my urine as she said if u have gd they wont let u have a home birth. Im going to buy a blood glucose monitor an check myself as i was only a borderline ++ and had just eaten a lot of sugar from apricots and juice. I have none of the other symptoms for gd and my baby isnt measuring big for my dates.

The midwife told me to get liquid iron as the tablets were causing horrible side effects, as again if my blood levels change they wont do a home birth, my hb has gone up without iron!! to 10.5 so im hoping to maintain that but my gp refused to prescribe liquid iron without me coming into an appointment to 'discuss it' god knows why.

Thanks for your replies and help

 

[booflebump]

You CAN have gas and air in the pool - why on earth wouldn't you?

You CAN go further than 10 days overdue - you have to consent to induction, and they can't arrest you if you don't. You make your own decisions - you don't have to be 'allowed' to do anything

You DO NOT have to go to the hospital - they have a duty of care to provide you with a midwife, so if you say you are staying at home, they have to send someone

xxx

 

[booflebump]

And yes, you can refuse care from a particular midwife - just contact the head of midwifery for your area

xxx

 

[babies7777]

Thank u so much for the replies I have found the name of the head of midwifery at my hospital and written a letter asking for a new midwife for delivery and antenatal, not sure how that will work but i can't trust someone who is just looking for things to be wrong to deny my home birth, plus half the things she said were either wrong as they are reccommendations not absolutes or completely crazy. The whole point of having a home birth is to feel comfortable an she made me feel so uncomfortable in my own home hope i can have a better one.

 

[booflebump]

The head of midwifery will be able to help

So many women use gas and air in the pool - you can't have an epidural, morphine or use tens while you are in there, it's a ridiculous suggestion!

xxx

 

[tinytabby]

Good luck Babies777, I hope you get it sorted out.

 

[chattyB]

I had a hospital water birth with #2 (hoping for a home WB this time), the midwife at hospital was perfectly happy with me using G&A and letting me have a 3rd stage in water. As it happened, the placenta took its time and she asked me to get out of the pool so she could properly check me for blood loss. As I stood up to exit the pool, the placenta appeared and fell into the pool ... It was just waiting for me to change position.

This time, I'm hoping to have a natural 3rd stage and will give it some time in the pool but will get out and deliver the placenta in a bowl on the loo if needed