Home Birthers & Hopefuls!

[pimento1979]

Hahaha - I'm not that strange after all!, knew you were all weirdos too!
What are the changes when you are trying to conceive or not?

Oh, and check out that fantastic bump Cathy! - looking good!
XxX

Aww, thanks babe!

During ovulation, your cervix, is what they call "high, open and wet" and you can get cervical mucus too, from which you tell how fertile you are depending on whether it is sticky, egg-white like, etc. It feels a little bit like your lips and can be so high that you may not even be able to reach it . If you're not ovulating, then the cervix is low, dry and closed; feels like the tip of your nose.

 

[SimplyRhi]

I've noticed!!! With your 20,000 odd posts!!!!!!! hehe

 

[Mervs Mum]

 

[pimento1979]

Just had a friend over who gave birth to her baby 2 weeks before Christmas. She was hoping to go to the MLU here in Oxford, but when push came to shove, it was full so she had to go to normal delivery suite, where she was left alone most of the time on a synto drip. She said that I am absolutely making the right decision in having the baby at home. AND she said the next time she does it, she will seriously consider a HB!

 

[2ndtimeAbz]

This may be me being weird, but I think it is such a shame so many people have had a bad hospital experience before deciding on a HB next time. Why isn't there enough information out there to educate epople for the first time round!? (I know there wasn't for me!)

Damn just realised I havent put a timer on for the fairy cakes............

 

[SimplyRhi]

Totally agree... why is it always AFTER a bad experience that people come to the realisation that HB is the better choice..!!?

Cathy my darling - you are going to have a wonderful homebirth.. I can't wait to share stories with you!! x

 

[pimento1979]

Yeah, it is weird. Especially since I lent her a bunch of my books (Ina May, Michel Odent) and she knew I trained as a doula and was preparing for a home birth and talked to her at length about physiological births and positions and coping technques. She and her partner were "afraid" (of what, I don't know). I also think people have unrealistic expectations about their MLUs- I know that the MLU here in Oxford has to close very often, and people just don't think it will happen to them when it comes to their time to birth.

 

[chuck]

While I was waiting in the antenatal clinic today i had a look at the 2 big racks of leaflets on the wall of infor for mums to be...there's loads there about pain relief, rhesus factors/Anti-D, screening etc but I couldnt see any of the leaflets there wer last time on water births and nothing about homebirths.

Seems strange after talking to the MW's who are so supportive of HB...despite (and I liked her honesty) "we all take it in turns to be on call for HB because who wants to be woken up in the middle of the night!"

 

[chuck]

One of the biggest eye openers for me was something someone here said about HB's and MLU.

There's nothing s MW can do in a birth centre that cannot be done at home. The only difference would be the on tap gas and Air rather than bottled?!

 

[pimento1979]

Cathy my darling - you are going to have a wonderful homebirth.. I can't wait to share stories with you!! x

Ditto my dear!

 

[Bournefree]

While I was waiting in the antenatal clinic today i had a look at the 2 big racks of leaflets on the wall of infor for mums to be...there's loads there about pain relief, rhesus factors/Anti-D, screening etc but I couldnt see any of the leaflets there were last time on water births and nothing about homebirths.

The waterbirth and homebirth leaflets must have all been taken by... positive birthing mamas!
xXx

 

[chuck]

While I was waiting in the antenatal clinic today i had a look at the 2 big racks of leaflets on the wall of infor for mums to be...there's loads there about pain relief, rhesus factors/Anti-D, screening etc but I couldnt see any of the leaflets there were last time on water births and nothing about homebirths.

The waterbirth and homebirth leaflets, must have all been taken - by positive birthing mamas!
xXx

|Here's hoping eh? LOL

They're closing the birth centre here though...boo...although there are BC's attached to the 2 hospitals with OB units.

Still boo.

 

[Bournefree]

|Here's hoping eh? LOL

They're closing the birth centre here though...boo...although there are BC's attached to the 2 hospitals with OB units.

Still boo.

Fingers crossed! x

That is a shame, they closed one in my old local area too - I joined the campaign to stop it - but nope, it's gone.

I confess to being an avid bbc radio4 listener (I know!), anyways on another women's hour program about birthing centres and homebirths - one of the interviewees brought up some points and questions about Trust funding that I never knew about!
Basically the point was that the Trust gets more money by having a birthing unit within the hospital than if it is separate. This was because more transfers to Obst care happens (whether that is for Induction, Epis, C-sections), as the Obst cost more money and the procedures they perform cost more money. Also, the running cost of the MLU are lower (they are not in a separate building, MWs can be stretched across the whole of the maternity services of the trust etc) Let alone homebirths.. which are the cheapest of all the birthing options.

It's a very clear financial dis-incentive to have birthing centres and homebirths... Don't know about you - but that makes me have some serious questions¬!

I'm not saying that any intervention is performed just to get the Trust more money.. (that would be a terrible insult to the day to day staff attending mothers) but the further funds are used to invest in ever yet more machinery and medical equipment (as like local councils, they have to use all there money, or they will have a budget cut next time).. this just perpetuates the use of this "brand spanking new" equipment.. and leads right down the (you've guessed it) medicalised road, which in turn, means that statistically more women are using (trust would argue needing) the medical services, hence more money is needed in the budget!
Scary!
This increase in ever more medicalised births is having a greater damaging effect (imo) on the training, expertise, and confidence of our healthcare professionals.

We will end up like the states (this isn't to offend our friends state-side), but the US spends the MOST money per birth in the "developed" world, and has the worst maternal and infant mortality rates.?!?! Does that make sense - to anyone>?

Sorry - I'm not trying to be all dome and gloom today! Just feeling a bit sad and helpless! I really wanted to join my local Homebirth group and get involved, and it seems it has disbanded!

 

[2ndtimeAbz]

Wales are leading the increase in home birth at the moment https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6177207.stm think I may have to move back to the motherland!
Although I'm not surprised more women are choosing it there. . . they're shutting down maternity wards left right and centre, at least the North where I've still got family.

 

[PeanutBean]

Abz I planned a homebirth last time but ended up with the dreadful hospital birth.

My mum was telling me about the Welsh scheme. She heard it on that guest editor thing on R4. (I'm normally an avid listener but much less when preg as I'm not in rooms with radios as much!). I was pleased as though she's had two HBs and two hospital births she was surprisingly pro-intervention when I first sat down and let out how I've really been feeling but the R4 articles seemed to help her see more clearly.

 

[Mervs Mum]

I was nosing at the hb stats in my area and I'm pleased and not a all surprised to see us well above the national average at an impressive 3.3%. Wales are around the 4% mark which is amazing when you think a lot of trusts struggle to scrape 1%

 

[Bournefree]

I listened to that too! It was really good. So another radio 4 listener is out!

The Welsh are doing brilliantly at raising standards and awareness of choice.

Though my in-laws are like the Welsh national party, so they like to rub my nose in how wonderful Wales is and the Welsh, and how the English are rubbish!! hahaha! Thankfully my OH is only nutty about Welsh Rugby, oh and teaching our daughter to speak Welsh - which is really cool.
Christmas is all ways interesting, when I have no idea what anyone is saying! I hoping my 14month old daughter will teach me!
X

 

[LuckyD]

Interesting to hear the stats for the UK in terms of homebirth...

According to the NZ Homebirth website, it has been hard to find an accurate % here as the information has been badly collected in the past..but I think they are working on getting some more accurate statistics. It says that the homebirth rate here is around 7% but also depends on what area you live in - is about 10% in some areas.

I would hope that homebirth in NZ is on the rise...we do have a good system here and I know that my local District Health Board has a policy of actively encouraging homebirths (because it is cheaper for them! ) but according to my antenatal class facilitator the % isn't really rising....hmmmmm....

Last day of work for me! I have annual leave saved up, so one last holiday before baby is due, then I start my parental leave.

I won't be missing the birth horror stories from work...so many people have shared every negative experience that has occured to them or someone they know...why do people do this?

Someone told me yesterday that I will probably need a c-section as I am short and my partner is tall.....grrrr......

 

[2ndtimeAbz]

i love how people come up with all these genius words of wisdom!!!

 

[PeanutBean]

Our national (English I think) average is under 3%.