"Spontaneous" home birth?? UK

[Amygdala]

Hi all! I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me as to my rights and the regulations about home birth inn the uk. I'm very much hoping for a hospital water birth. If a birthing pool isn't available at the time though, my next choice would be for a home water birth (over a hospital birth on dry land). Can I phone them in labour and if there's no pool just say "I'm staying home"??? I don't mean to be awkward for the sake of it but I do very much want another water birth and importantly I'm not confident I could go natural without water. Has anyone got any info or experiences for me?

 

[Creative]

Having a home birth organised is one thing, but to suddenly at the last minute change your mind to a home birth, would mean that you would really be having an unplanned homebirth. In preparation for homebirth, equipment etc is left at your home in the run up to the expected birth. Your community midwives would know what you want and how you want your birth managed. You would risk a lot by suddenly refusing to go in. You may be better planning the other way round and opting initially for a home water birth and then when in labour "changing your mind and phoning the hospital to see if the pool is available."

 

[Amygdala]

Good point, I hadn't thought of actually planning for a home birth. I guess it's a very small chance that a pool won't be available though and I don't know if its worth bothering people just for that "emergency" option. Hmm. Food for thought anyway. I also didn't realise equipment would be left in advance. Didn't think they bring much?

 

[Creative]

Delivery pack, disposal bags, gas and air. You also need to make sure you have plastic sheets, towels, bucket etc.

 

[summer rain]

It depends on your area. In London they only leave the delivery pack with you, the disposal items and gas and air they bring on the day. Most MWs who attend homebirths do have a
spare delivery pack in the car and some have canisters of gas and air too. I have been told its better to book a homebirth though and then change my mind if I decide to go into hospital as opposed to vice versa. Again it varies but I have been told that in this area if you book a home birth and then during labour decide to transfer while still remaining low risk (so not transferring due to a medical emergency) the two homebirth midwives are obliged to accompany you into the hospital and to open up a room in the birth centre if you wish whereas if you are not booked for a homebirth if the birth centre or pool rooms are closed due to staffing issues then you can't use them. Xx

 

[sarahh]

Are there any midwife led birthing units near you with birth pools, you could go to. I started my labour at a midwife led unit in the pool but if the pool was being used when I went in they would have phoned round the other local midwife units to find a free birthing pool for me to go to.

 

[MindUtopia]

If it were me, I think I might approach it from the perspective of planning for a home birth with the intention of going in to hospital if a pool is available. That way you have the supplies (both from the midwives and things you need on your own, like the pool, things to cover the floor, towels, drinks, etc.) but you still have the option to go in if that's what feels right.

If it makes you feel any better, I had a home birth and completely planned to have a water birth. In fact, it was one of the reasons why I wanted to birth at home (my hospital only has one pool room). I actually ended up not labouring much at all in the pool (only got in when I started pushing for about 30 min, it didn't feel right and slowed me up, so got out) and gave birth on dry land. I obviously can't compare because this was my only birth, so I never had a water birth but even with 4 hours of pushing (most of it on dry land), it was totally manageable. I never would have guessed it would be and I was really attached to the idea of water birth, but actually birthing on dry land worked great for me, so you never know!

 

[MandaAnda]

I definitely agree with the other ladies. It's much easier to plan a home birth (you can buy or hire a pool, and the few other bits you'd want/need are easy to come by as well) and decide to or need to transfer to hospital at any stage than the other way around. I got my pool (secondhand but only blown up to test, never used) for £25 off eBay, so there are definitely bargains to be had in that area. And I can always sell it on later...if I want.

 

[Blah11]

I think its a pretty bad idea really. I assume your first choice is hospital in case anything happens you'd feel safer but an unplanned hb would mean no oxygen cannister or resus kit let alone an available midwife.

 

[Blah11]

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/blah11/IMAG0266.jpg have a pic of the stuff they delivered to me a few weeks before due date. The box looks smaller than it was

.

 

[Creative]

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/blah11/IMAG0266.jpg have a pic of the stuff they delivered to me a few weeks before due date. The box looks smaller than it was

.

that looks very similar to the set up I had.

 

[summer rain]

It honestly depends on area though. In my area and I know many others they only bring the g&a and oxygen on the day and the kit they deliver beforehand is a small cube shaped cardboard box with a sealed plastic bag inside (which you are instructed not to open or touch as it is only sterile until opened) they bring most of the stuff on the day and its either kept just in case in the back of their car or at wherever the midwives are based which usually isn't far at all. This is one reason they send two midwives one can quickly pop to their bade and get more entonox or anything else they need if it runs out. Before the changeover of NHS trust they didn't even do a home visit at 36 weeks in a lot of cases especially if they had done other home births where you live so they knew parking and access, they'd just bring everything on the day. Not suggesting having an unplanned homebirth is a good idea, just that how they set things up can differ so much from area to area. Xx

 

[solitaire89]

As the pp says, I'm not advocating an unplanned home birth, but I only had 1 home visit and nothing was delivered beforehand.
Personally, I'd plan for a home water birth over a hospital one. As another poster has said that way you're guaranteed a pool will be available to you - i know that was certainly a consideration for me when i was thinking about where i wanted to birth my baby. It is certainly easier to switch from a home birth to a hospital birth than vice versa, and you'll annoy a lot fewer people along the way!

 

[Pearls18]

Thing is though the OP doesn't know what her area may be like, it could be that she needs the equipment that Blah put up in which case it would need to be discussed first. It would be putting the midwives in a really awkward position. I understand your desire for a water birth, it is why I am giving birth at home, but as the others said I would do it the other way around. Perhaps even look into the benefits of home birth? If I am honest I would probably prefer a hospital water birth as I had last time, but for me the most important thing is a water birth so I am compromising by trying to do it at home, fingers crossed.

 

[summer rain]

I was only saying as I didn't want ladies other than the OP to worry that their midwives haven't dropped off the equipment blah's midwife left and think that this is something they are meant to do. I know in this area they'd never leave gas canisters of any type (highly flammable) or any type of needles, scissors etc in an unsealed box or container in someone's home for a few weeks beforehand, because of health and safety concerns. To be fair myself and the other posters who said that it varies from area to area did stress strongly that an unplanned home birth is probably not a good idea. I would think if you had a birth pool set up and the midwives came along not knowing you planned a homebirth they may well be rather ticked off! Xx

 

[Blah11]

Surely if you're safe enough to take a baby home you're safe enough to have scissors in the house?! The mw alerts the fire brigade about the gases and a fire crew sometimes do a home visit risk assessment. The only thing I was told to lock away in a high place was the syntometrine.

 

[solitaire89]

As the pp says, I'm not advocating an unplanned home birth

I just wanted to clarify, I do not support the notion of a home birth where the authorities have not been notified of the intention to do so. However, as someone who was planning a home birth it worried me when everyone spoke about lots of home visits and kit delivered. I didn't have that, and it worried me that I wouldn't get my home birth.

My previous post also states that I would plan for a home water birth, and then the op would have the option of going in if the facilities were available. I'm sorry if my post was poorly worded. I do not support the idea of just staying at home if the wished for facilities are not available.

 

[summer rain]

I am talking more about the fact the scissors are single use and need to be kept sterile. But it would be a bit ridiculous for it to be expected that MWs in London or other large heavily populated areas who tend to deal with a lot of homebirths (perhaps not percentage wise but by sheer numbers) would have to notify the fire brigade about leaving gas cylinders in someone's house or flat, it just wouldn't be possible. Fire crews and midwifery teams are very stretched down here as it is. Also a lot of people around here live in flats or other social housing and they have their own rules about keeping gas cylinders in the home overnight let alone for a longer period. One of my friends her son needs oxygen all the time but she had to have special permission to keep the cylinders in her house and she has to have fire extinguishers etc xx

 

[Blah11]

I think they're stretchedd everywhere tbh and even though london is more heavily populated, there will be a larger number of firemen/doctors/nurses/police etc to account for that. For example in london the nhs is split into 31 primary trusts which would make each trust serve the same number of people as anywhere else in the country.

 

[Blah11]

Ps. I know pct don't exist anymore it was just an example!