Home Birthers & Hopefuls!

[cupcake23]

Nicola, Ive just read your whole post...you are a star!

 

[Bournefree]

Nicola, Ive just read your whole post...you are a star!

I've just re-read it - Bit long hey!!>?? Sorry everyone!

I feel confident the mw's will be on-side to support her.

BTW - Anyone watching the Wright Stuff on 5 this morning. They are talking about letting your children watch you give birth? Must be from the "one born every minute" programme
xx

 

[Mervs Mum]

Thanks Cupcake. It's great to get a MW's perspective too. I dont think you can underestimate the point you made about OB Dr's only seeing 'abnormal' or complicated (for want of a a better term) births - this is bound to cloud their view. I'm not saying I dont have the utmost respect for them but for me, a normal, healthy woman with an uncomplicated pregnancy and fairly straight forward obstetric history, I personally trust the judgement of a MW. MW's look after well women having 'normal' pregnancies - the Dr's only get called or involved when things are out of the ordinary.

 

[EternalRose]

The support on this thread is absolutely amazing. I need to call my blinds company and find out where Abi's blinds have gone I ordered them over a week ago now , and then I will come back and give a decent reply to you all ( BourneFree you are a star my love )

 

[Celesse]

Sorry you are having a rubbish time of it ER. It seems very unfair.

I have added those of you with facebook links. (Large red bump pic is my profile pic!)

 

[Mervs Mum]

I dont really like to put too much very obvious info on here (although it doesnt take a detective to work out who I am TBH) so I've not added my FB info to the thread but if you want to add me you'll find me on ER's quite easily....I'm on Rodeo Drive in the worlds most ridiculously large sunglasses on my pic ATM

 

[EternalRose]

Was the site down a minute ago or was my comp on the blink?

MervsMum - Yes I was wondering where my book had got too I am looking forward to having a good read through....

BourneFree - You are an absolute inspiration! I have decided that I am going to 'crack on' ( Mervs Mum's words ) with my plans for a homebirth, final decision. But I am going to follow the guidelines you have listed in your REALLY helpful post. I called the consultant back this morning, and told him I will agree to go to this appointment with the senior midwives, and community midwive manager e.t.c I said that I would still like my homebirth, and he said thats fine but he needs to let the midwifes know the risks involved e.t.c Fine. Like you said Nicola, hopefully I might be able to get one of the midwives on my side at that appointment and they may put me under the care of one or two very experienced midwifes untill the time comes for me to give birth as up untill now I havent seen anybody twice. So, I will follow your steps one step at a time because I think its a very wise way of doing things, I really did need a plan of action but I didnt know how to go about it. Thank you so much for taking the time to write all that out for me, I have bookmarked it so I can tick it off as I go along. I need to get organised.

I will definately be asking for your help when it comes to writing the letter to the MP/health authority but for now I will get this meeting out of the way and report back to you all. I had a read about the PPH on the homebirth.org site and as much as it is scary, looking at both sides of the coin its nowhere near as scary as the consultant made it out to be.

I am so lucky to have my fiance as he has been supportive all the way, and your right if I dont at least TRY I will be back here saying that I wont be bullied into a hospital birth next time round.

Cupcake - Thanks ever so much for your post, I am booked in with Kingston hospital. Your right Obstetricians only seem to deal with the complicated pregnancies or labours that go wrong. Funnily enough he didnt mention the shoulder dystocia, just the bleeding after birth as he said its more common in women with a higher BMI but I dont know if these women he is talking about have other issues as well as I dont have any medical conditions , and my baby is healthy at the moment.

The way the consultant is making a big deal out of things makes me sad to think that no one above my size in my area has wanted a homebirth or had one without a fight. You can tell this is a BIG thing, because of the way things are going for me. When Shifter looked up statistics, the homebirth rate for my hospital was 0.8% . The national average is 2% but Shifter rightly pointed out that if you are within a pro homebirth area, the take up rate is 10% which is still low but it puts things in perspective.

Cupcake - I need to make it clear that I want two pro home birth midwives coming out to me when the time comes rather than someone who is just going to transfer me for anything. I am really glad you mentioned that in your post as I was a bit concerned about that as well, seeing as the consultant is going to let everyone know his feelings on the matter. Any ideas how I go about that, because they may play the whole staff shortages card on me when the time comes..?

So now...I am just waiting for the consultant or community midwife manager to call me back to let me know when this meeting will take place...

WOW, I sure know how to talk!

 

[MandaAnda]

ER, I wish you the best of luck in this.

When Shifter looked up statistics, the homebirth rate for my hospital was 0.8% . The national average is 2% but Shifter rightly pointed out that if you are within a pro homebirth area, the take up rate is 10% which is still low but it puts things in perspective.

Did I miss this post? Just curious, as I'd like to see what the rate is for the Trust I'm booked in with. I was told by my midwife that I'm one of the first to book a home birth that lives centrally for a long while; most that book home births in my PCT are in the more rural, and affluent, areas.

 

[EternalRose]

Manda - This was discussed in PM. I searched in google, Healthcare Commission's Survey Results for
Kingston Hospital NHS Trust"

https://www.birthchoiceuk.com/Birth...k.com/HealthCareCommissionTrustSurvey/RAX.htm

So, I think you could do the same for your hospital x x

 

[Mervs Mum]

Thanks for sharing that ER. My hospital HB rate is 2.6%

The person forwarding the book to you told me she sent it yesterday so let me know when it lands darling xx

 

[MandaAnda]

My hospital's HB rate is 1.2%, so about half the national average. I like that just over a quarter of those were first-time mums though (about 22 a year out of 86 - so that averages to about a couple of first-time mums a month giving birth at home in my area, which doesn't sound so bad to me).

 

[Mervs Mum]

That's good Manda - 16% were 1st time mum's in my area.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Hey Manda what does yours say for '% women not offered home birth because of medical reasons'........11.2% here....

 

[Mervs Mum]

ER - when you look at your hospital's report compared to others it's obvious that they are not at all pro HB! The stats are crap so you can assume that they are succeeding in bullying women into the hospital......

 

[EternalRose]

I know when I looked at all the figures overall, it wasnt very reassuring which explains a lot of things but 0.8% that is piss poor. How much homebirths did your hospital have for the year? I think mine is 52.

Edit: It said the percentage of first time mothers wanting homebirth was 28% out of the 52 for the year which is a good percentage in that respect I guess...x

 

[LolaAnn]

Wow EternalRose I am so sorry you have had to go through all of this SOunds to me like they are bullying you very unfairly. Personally, in your situation (Because I am a complete wus) I wouldn't go to the meeting but would absolutely still have a homebirth. There is nothing they can FORCE you to do, so really you can just say I'm having a homebirth and that is that.

I've had a fairly average experience so far but absolutely nothing compared to you. My DR basically laughed in my face when I mentioned home births and went on to share the joys of how wonderful her hospital births have all been and how silly and immature I am (OK so I am kind of young, 23 but still.. fairly far from immature just shy.).

Then when I eventually got my booking in appointment with my midwife she asked where would you like your baby born King George hospital or Queens. And I said at home, preferably and she gave me this look that was like, girl, you are kidding me. And then she said, OK, that's fine if that's what you want but I refuse to talk to you about it until you get to 36 weeks. So we don't see eye to eye, and I pray she won't be the midwife attending my birth LOL!!

I've been trying to call her for 2 weeks as well and her phone has been off everytime and mailbox full lol... nothing urgent but I needed to make my net appointment, so I finally got through to her today and my appointment is now 2 weeks late haha. I do feel sorry because obviously they are understaffed and under a lot of pressure, It just makes me sad because I am from New Zealand and the midwife/home birth experience their is just sooo much nicer and friendlier. I wish the government could do something to change the situation here so many women just get scared off - I have met so many who were starting out wanting a homebirth but got convinced out of it for the most ridiculous reasons - one because her fundal measurements were too large but growth scans completely normal!! Which is ridiculous as they are known to be inaccurate, and she just carries differently.


Woops long and pointless rant. I couldn't find the homebirth stats for my hospital they seem to be incomplete.

 

[EternalRose]

Wow, you seem to have got some preety awful treatment as well Lola They called you immature for wanting a homebirth? I am 23 as well..

 

[Mervs Mum]

174 HBs or 2.6% at mine.
54% of women given the choice of a HB - yours was 38%......

Kingston has significantly higher % of sections and instrumental births.....this plus the poor stats on HB tells you why you are having the problems you are hun x

 

[BabyHaines]

Wow....in 2007, my hospital (Ipswich) had a HB rate of 8% !! that seems very high??
It says on the report that the national average (2007) was 6%.

 

[EternalRose]

174 HBs or 2.6% at mine.
54% of women given the choice of a HB - yours was 38%......

Kingston has significantly higher % of sections and instrumental births.....this plus the poor stats on HB tells you why you are having the problems you are hun x

Ah, I see your point. 174 homebirths compared to my hospital's crappy 52 a year..its almost laughable isnt it.