choice where to give birth

babs

Sorry George.

All so had to comment about Midwife Led Units and Home Births. If you look at the statistics they have an excellent outcome. In one area in London Home Births account for 30% of all deliveries and women tend to suffer less postnatal depression and continue to breastfeed longer.

Childbirth is a normal process and a healthy woman would be not need to see ANY doctors during their pregnancy, delivery or postpartum care. They would be seen solely by the midwife. If this same midwife, as in caseload midwifery follows that woman through all this, a very unique bond of trust builds up and the women tend to have normal unintervened with experience of childbirth. Those fancy machines and doctors often cause problems which don't exist!

Of course, some women are deemed high risk and for them the safest place is a hospital, but our midwife led unit and our midwifes who do home births very rarely have to transfer anyone and if they do they are trained to spot potential problems and act on them which may result in a transfer, where everything would be set up the other end to deal with that.

For the record, I had two all singing all dancing high risk hospital birth and one home birth - give me the home birth anyday!

Justie

Curious_George wrote: »

on the other side of that, i didnt have an epidural and still ended up with a forceps delivery with episiotomy and stitches thrown in for free...

she wants an epidural, thats good enough reason for her to get one in my opinion! everyone is different...

there's always the chance that intervention will be needed and I'm not against having epidurals or anything else I was just asking because at the start of my pregnancy I was after a 'give me all the drugs' birth but the more I've learnt the more I can see that there are downsides to that as well and I've gone full circle to wanting, if possible, to do it as 'naturally' as I can. Every woman is different and should have the birth of her choice as much as is possible but it should be informed choice - which is why I suggested magali needs a good long chat with her midwife about all the issues she's worried about.

Ms_Piggy_2

Have you considered a home birth?

Curious_George_2

Justie wrote: »

there's always the chance that intervention will be needed and I'm not against having epidurals or anything else I was just asking because at the start of my pregnancy I was after a 'give me all the drugs' birth but the more I've learnt the more I can see that there are downsides to that as well and I've gone full circle to wanting, if possible, to do it as 'naturally' as I can. Every woman is different and should have the birth of her choice as much as is possible but it should be informed choice - which is why I suggested magali needs a good long chat with her midwife about all the issues she's worried about.

Im not against anyone having any kind of birth, if thats what they want, then thats fair enough!
i see my DDs birth as being as natural as i coud have managed it, i did the whole thing on nothing but gas and air, the fact that baby got stuck in the last few moments and needed to be tugged out with salad tongs couldnt have been foreseen by a midwife OR a doc!

Babs - i understand what your saying and im sure that midwife units are fantastic, but they are not for me,
im just too paranoid (and this applys to home births too)
and as much as i keep hearing about this 'very unique bond' your supposed to have with your midwife from having many appointments with the same person, ive found that it just doesnt happen,
the MW i had all the way through my last pregnancy was nowhere to be seen during the birth and i had 2 women id never met before (but i couldnt have cared less to be honest!) and this time ive seen different MWs at every single appointment, never the same one twice, it doesnt bother me but there is no relationship to speak of with any of them.

the major thing that worries me is if anything happened this time, even something as small as needing another forceps delivery at the last moment... they would have to get me in an ambulance to the nearest "proper" hospital (20 mins drive away)
and we were told that my OH would not be allowed in the ambulance, he would have to follow in the car (at normal speed, battling with normal traffic while in a complete panic etc) park up, find out where i am and get there all before i give birth....
and im just not comfortable with it,

its not that i dont trust the midwives to do thier jobs, i truly do think they are fantastic people who know everything about thier subject
its more that if me or the baby need medical help NOW i want it right there, not in the closest big town.
This was a subject i was really worried about, but since asking a MW about it at my last appointment and her saying my quote above about productive labouring and booking me into the big hospital, ive been pretty much care free about it....
and with everything else we have to worry about, one more thing off your mind has got to be worth it!

mrcow

magali wrote: »

I told my GP and she told me that unless I had better excuses I had to go to the hospital the closest, the one I want to avoid.

I would say this is rubbish.

I've had 3 children all at a non local hospital due to personal preference.

Speak to your midwife about it, they'll be more in the know than the GP in all probability and can get you booked into where you want.

Don't be worrying about it all, just be firm with your decision.


(And congratulations!)

Nicki

Ms_Piggy wrote: »

Have you considered a home birth?

Apparently so!

As for a home birth I won't consider because of epidural.

The OP has set out her position very clearly. She knows exactly what she wants from her birth experience, and wants to choose her hospital accordingly. She specifically is a bit freaked out by the natural birth movement in this country. On that basis posts about avoiding epidurals, home births, etc are not relevant information for her, and are probably adding to rather than relieving her stress.

Could we show a little understanding for a foreign women about to give birth in an alien culture and respect her decisions please. After all if any of us were suddenly transplanted to for example the United States where all childbirth is attended by consultants, home births are rare and there are numerous invasive internal examinations as routine prior to birth, we might also want a birth as close to what we would experience here as we can.

Sorry to rant, but somehow childbirth became very political somewhere along the line, and no sooner do you have a positive pregnancy test than people are ramming their opinions as to how you should labour and deliver down your throats, and mothers who do end up having an epidural or a section feel that they have in some way failed, when the reality is that they have in fact succeeded in producing a beautiful new baby and the manner of the delivery is wholly irrelevant after this.

gravitytolls

If you want an epidural, you'll get one, there's no question of that ~ though you may have to endure a wait (it won't be very long, but may seem like it LOL) for the anaesthetist.

Ask if they run a tour of the hospital you're currently booked into ~ to meet some staff, see the facilities, and get the feel of the place may help comfort you.

You do indeed, theoretically, have the option of choosing which hospital you wish to have your baby in. But before making any decision, you should tour both, and research both thoroughly.

On balance, you'll probably find they're much of a muchness. In my experience 'conveyor belt birth' is pretty much the norm these days (gosh that makes me sound old), but the staff are generally professional, kind, supportive and understanding. I doubt there are many variations of this theme across the country.

Remember, as soon as you announce you're pregnant, amongst the congrats, someone will always have a scare story, whether their own, or second hand!

themaccas

Just wanted to add that although women have choice these days, going to a hospital other than your local one puts added pressure on that hospital. It's like applying for school places, you have a right to apply for any school you want but when places are full they are full and priority will be given to those in the catchment area. Our hospital is very popular and people travel for miles around to give birth there but recently they had to write to a couple of hundred women to tell them they would not be able to deliver there as their projected birth numbers were unsustainable.

Please try and book for your local hospital/birth centre or even better a homebirth. By booking elsewhere you are adding to the pressure on midwives.

Curious_George_2

just have to add that the hospital i have 'relocated' too in still in my local area, and is printed on the maternity notes as an option, but as i live nearer to the other place, they automatically assumed i would go there,
most of the people i know delivered in the bigger hospital, not where i had my daughter, so im not adding extra pressure on anyone elses health care area.

also, re-reading my posts in this thread so far i just had to clarify one thing that i dont think i got across (especially in my first post)
im fully expecting to be delivered by midwives only and hopefully i wont see a doctor at all... but if I should need a doc for another forceps delivery, or an emergency c section or if the baby needs a little help after the birth, i want all the mod cons at hand, not for it all to be an ambulance ride away that may not be that far... but could still take too long when all you have is minutes.

suzukibabe

I'd echo what a few posters have said and book a tour of these hospitals, it could really put you at ease.
I did'nt have the most pleasent of experiences in my local hospital when having my son and i am looking into a home birth for this one, would be practical espicially if baby comes early and i'm in the middle of cooking christmas dinner:D :rotfl:

On a serious note, it is your baby, your birth and up to you to decide where you will be most comfortable giving birth.

Good luck