Home Birthers & Hopefuls!

[christinelle]

Hi ladies, I'm pregnant with my first baby and I switched doctors in the 3rd trimester because my previous one didn't pay attention to my needs/requests and his midwife was poorly trained and hurt me.
Our new birth plan involves a hospital birth but on a special room that looks like a house bedroom and hopefully without medications (we don't live very close to a hospital and being my first child, I don't feel safe with a home birth at this moment). I think this is the next best thing and I hope I can stick it out and do without any pain meds.

 

[2ndtimeAbz]

hello ladies!
I was a big follower of this thread when pregnant with my little boy back in 2011....well a lot has happened since then, my marriage ended and after being with my current OH for a while and us all settled into our new family routines we had decided to try for number 3! not concieved yet but being relaxed about it all. Definitely planning a home birth, wouldn't have it any other way.
Glad to be back

 

[NDH]

Guess who's back as a home birth hopeful this time instead of as a home birth dreamer (far out of our reach do to expense the last two times)? I'm still not sure how we'll afford it this time either, but we're in a slightly better position with no debt and at least regular income - even if it isn't much - so I'm bound and determined to make it work...

 

[2ndtimeAbz]

Hi ndh,
How much does a home birth cost over in Australia? We brits are far to cosy with our nhs.

 

[NDH]

There's no cut and dry answer, but I'm looking at about $4500. There are a few hospital run home birth programs that are publically but theyre few and far between (nearest hospital to me that has one is 3 hours away lol) and in some states midwives who are registered with medicare (our public heath care here) mean medicare can give you a rebate for a significant chunk of the birth (if not all of it. Not sure as my state doesn't offer a rebate for any birth related costs with an independent midwife). Australia wide any midwife registered with medicare means you can get a rebate for antenatal and postnatal care, or approximately $1000 of the total cost, if a GP signs off for a home birth, but we only have one independent midwife in our area and she has chosen to sever government ties so isn't medicare registered. Meaning I'd be out of pocket for her entire fee.

 

[Button#]

Can I join in? I'm hoping for a home birth this time. I tried for a water birth in a birth centre last time but despite dilating really quickly I wa unable to push him out as my contractions became too short. I'm hoping it'll be easier this time and I'll manage to get baby out without intervention, I'm determined not to end up in hospital if I don't need to be!

 

[NDH]

Good luck button

 

[Button#]

Thanks, you too!

 

[Dumpling]

Hello! I'm hoping for a home water birth with baby 2 in Feb next year. 1st baby was a positive hospital birth but wanting to do it a bit differently this time around!

 

[Button#]

Good luck dumpling!

 

[2ndtimeAbz]

wow NDH that's a lot of money! We take the nhs for granted over here totally. My midwife last time told me it's around half the price for the government if I stay at home lol.

 

[2ndtimeAbz]

Hi button
Hi dumpling

 

[NDH]

Ya governments that publically fund hospital births but not homebirths make no sense to me. Hello do you really want to spend twice as much as you have to? Lol. Calling the midwifenon tuesday to get a better cost estimate, and I heard from a locals doula friend yesterday that the midwife may have recently become medicare eligible, which will be awesome as it will save me $1000 or so.

 

[NDH]

((Originally posted in my journal, copying it here without editing))

Having a preggo cry. I didn't call the midwife yet as I can't find her number. Messaged my chiropractor who knows I'm pregnant and asked for her number ( macca was her midwife twice and they're on yhe maternity coalition together) she just gave me her number but told me macca isn't taking new clients, but that I should contact her anyway for suggestions of other Midwives - 2-3 hours away! Now I can't stop envisioning an unplanned freebirth as the Midwives won't arrive fast enough, or else being pushed back into hospital again. Their birth suite with a birth pool that excess medical equipmenthas been removed from is how operational, but I just have this feeling I'm not going to be classed low enough risk to be able to use it. I'm absolutely petrified of having another breech in hospital, and I don't want to have to fight for a natural birth again.
For months I've been daydreaming of a midwife coming to my home for appointments and having the kids he involved rather than drag them along to wait for an hour for a 5 minute appointment, and turning my dining room into a lovely ambient birth space with a pool. Feels like that will never happen now. Silly to get so despondent when I dont even have the facts from the midwife, but theres no reasoning with hormones.

 

[2ndtimeAbz]

Ah ndh try to stay positive you never know until you ring and think about how much better you know your body this time around, maybe a midwife taking 2 hours to get to yours will be plenty of time. Don't lose hope!

 

[Button#]

I'm sorry you've got this added stress ndh. I hope something can be sorted out for you.

 

[NDH]

My last labour was only an hour and a half, and I feel like my first one was only 6 hours cause I listened to the hospital midwife who told me not to push for 2 hours which not only kept me from dilating but exhausted me for second stage. I was definitely pushy around the two hour mark.

I know thats absolutely no indication of how subsequent Labours will go but it doesn't help the worry of a midwife having to travel.

 

[NDH]

Well my choices are now officially freebirth or hospital again. I'm not at peace with either option, but I'm not going to a hospital again unless its an emergency so I guess I'm free birthing.

I know there are some freebirthers who have visited this thread, I would desperately like to hear from you, either in here or via PM. Looking for links and resources for preparing for a free birth. And also tips for how to convince my husband...

 

[ljo1984]

I got my hb I can't believe it after over three years of planning and a transfer with my last I got the birth I've been dreaming of! Isabelle rose arrived on 6/10/14 at 18.57 in the pool at home after a 17 hour labour. I was planning BBA but decided I wanted g&a at the end (transition!!!) so rand two hours before and they got there one hours before. They were amazing though and stayed in another room to let me carry on doing it my way. A week on I've finally forgotten how hard it was at the end and want to do it again! Lol

 

[Button#]

Congratulations! What's BBA?