Homebirth General Discussion #1

[Smoke Jaguar]

Lori, you ARE a homebirther now, huh?? I'm so, so glad you got to experience it and the whole 'oh, puhlease, I so don't believe I'll be safer in hospital' to your DH Please don't regret the transfer - it happens from time to time in planned homebirths (Tracy Bartram had to transfer after hers!), doesn't make it less of a homebirth
I never worried about DS seeing me birth. His birth was not a loud, vocalised affair (just the way it worked out, and the way I visualised it was for serenity, I do know vocalisation is an important part of it for others!) - I worked through all the sensations using the HypnoBirthing. I guess I'm assuming it will be the same this time round! If it's not, I'm not worried, still - the midwives and DP will talk him through it and I'll give him tranced-out snuggles to let him know I'm ok. The environment will be too nurturing for him to think I'm in danger, so he might just be confused if things get vocal, but hopefully not alarmed.
Yeah, it's not so weird and foreign to plan a homebirth...even 'normal' people do it Not that I'm one of them...

[Lolli]

Bimboo, thanks for sharing your story. Here's to hoping you get a much better birth this time round

And Maya, I saw your piccies on FB- absolutley beautiful hun, you should be very proud

[Tegam]

wow bimboo....if you need any extra support anytime just PM me. If it feels right to you then its right for your family!

[Smoke Jaguar]

Oh, Bimboo I hope the HB network up where you are can get you in contact with a great middie!
I can relate to not enjoying pregnancy and feeling like the pregnancy grinch - so many people bang on about how wonderful it is to be pregnant...last thing I want to hear when my pelvis is screaming at me and I have to prematurely stop normal activity that keeps me sane (horse-riding!) etc. In a big way, I think being so hellbent on a peaceful, water and home-setting birth is my way of reclaiming my pregnancy experience for feeling ripped off during the pregnancy. Apart from always feeling that my births would not be the medicalised, traumatic version of birth peddled by contemporary society.
Hey, if you want it and set the wheels in motion to get it, you're so much more likely to achieve it than if you don't dream it at all Good luck, babe xxx

[Tegam]

went to an OB/Gyno yesterday for a routine pap and boy did i get a lecture on homebirth. (went to an Gyno as i had a few medical questions i wanted to ask him rather than a clueless GP).

The lecture went for 10mins, and he used the statement 4 times "Well you got away with it once".... Then said if i was to have another baby i could negotiated from 35/36weeks when (not if) he would induce me..... using figures like 3-5% chance on Csec and 10% Special Care nursery...."but risk SO much safer than homebirth"....

He even said it again in the waiting room in front of everyone else! DH (who was in the waiting room) and i were ****ed off but just not surpriseded.

Like i would ever risk setting into a place like that when/if i got pregnant again! The private hospital that the Drs rooms are attached to have a 70% Csec rate!

[Smoke Jaguar]

Oh, man! I had this happen to me, too - go to a doc (in my case it was a GP) for something unrelated, they notice I'm pg and ask about my plans, then spout all their RANZCOG crap about risk and safety and 'life and death in a matter of minutes'...then it's too late an hour later when I want to go back and tell them that with skilled midwives it's so very rarely a matter of minutes for life and death to be determined because they know NORMAL birth and pick up on problems far sooner than medicos who only really see the tail end of birth...and usually medicalised birth, anyway! How frustrating for you - it's not easy to put it out of your head when you've been assaulted with that kind of negativity.
Like I say to people who tell me I was 'brave' - I'd be braver to take my chances in hospital!

[~kaos~]

HI all, it's been a while.

Has everyone heard about the new amendments to the bill? The ones that say that MW's must collaborate with GP/OB? And considering RANZCOG don't support homebirth (they have a formal statement that says so), that's really gonna work out well

Anyway, there are rallies in Brisbane (outside Rudd's office) and Melbourne (not sure, I'm in Brisbane ) on Monday, so if you want to share your disgust, please come along. It's very important!

If you want more details about the rallies let me know, I'll post them. They may already be a thread about them...

[Smoke Jaguar]

Going tomorrow to Julia Gillard's office if my headcold is better, or I'll be too shattered to parent my children for the rest of the week if I go and I'm still feeling rotten!

[LionsandBears]

hi Bimboo, I was wondering if you'd found a midwife to help you yet. Have you thought of contacting Alan (one of the BB support people)? I understand he's a very good midwife and works out of QLD.

GL

[bec-s]

Hi all who are considering home birth!

Firstly I would like to congratulate u all on one of the most exciting times of your life!

I had my first at home. He was still born. Had we been at hospital we would have had access to all the equiptment needed to prevent this. Instead we waited 10 minutes for the abulance, then another 10 minutes watching my 'grey' lifeless son being revived. Thank god he was, but with all the complications we had we were then in hospital for the next week anyway, and 2yrs later are continuing with spicialist and surgery as a result of his birth complications.
Because I wasnt at hospital what should have been the best day of my life was the most traumatic.
And before you ask... yes I am young (in my mid 20's), fit, healthy and had no concerns throughout my pregnancy... the PERFECT homebirth candidate. I had midwife pre natal care, I wish i didnt as the midwife was also incompetent enough not to realise that my son was breech before the birth. so yes, a disaster breech homebirth.
So these are some of the risks you are taking by having a home birth. We are now trying for our second, and I can tell you now that I will never put the life of my child and my own at risk like that again.
I hope you all make the decision that is right for you, but it is likely that after you give birth you will need to rush to hospital anyway.

[Smoke Jaguar]

Thanks for sharing your planned homebirth outcome here
Stillbirths, unfortunately, happen at any planned birthing venue When discussing my birth plan, my middie and I talked about what would happen in the case of a stillbirth and if we had any religious preferences etc, so we were well prepped. Our midwives also had the resuc equipment that they set up as soon as they got here. They said they could count on one hand the number of times they'd had to use it in their homebirth careers.
Homebirthing didn't give rise to your stillborn, Bec, that was going to happen - it's the skill of a midwife that will determine how soon a complication is picked up. A breech shouldn't even be a complication for a good middie.
It's important to allow private MW's to continue practicing with their qualifications because they are more up to date in their professional development than hospital midwives and are able to mentor student midwives who otherwise would never see a homebirth (and often, never see a normal labour and birth). Word of mouth recommendations are good at the moment, but will deteriorate in reliability if private MW's are stripped of their credentials. Over the years what will be the benchmark of a good 'unofficial' midwife for the freebirths women will be forced to have?
Midwives who work in with other midwives are the best option for 'risk management' because you've got collective skill and experience. Yes, it's more expensive - we can't afford it, but we did it anyway.
Bec - you can't be sure that a hospital would have been able to revive your baby with any better success, and it would be great to think that they would have. It's just not based in fact. Hospitals can claim higher perinatal morbidity rates than homebirths or homebirth transfers. Homebirth in itself is not to blame.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that us in this thread are already made more than aware of this kind of risk of birth (not just homebirth, but a risk of giving birth and carrying a child). I'm tipping that those of us in this thread are also aware of the far more plentiful risks of giving birth in a hospital if there is no clinical need for it. For some of us that awareness may have come from previous experience, for others anecdotally.
This thread is a nice haven from the barrage of "geez, you're brave" (on the mild side) to the "you are risking your child's life", "your child could die", "leave it to the doctors" attitude we cop from many angles. I would just assume that we have weighed up the risks and benefits. Your assertion that being rushed to hospital is 'likely' is vague - hospital transfer for a homebirth in Australia is low. I know a lot of homebirthers and only one had to transfer for a c-section. Her first was a c-section transfer from a birth centre. She gave it a red hot go and had an ace midwife team for her homebirth who recognised in a timely fashion that things weren't going to go to plan.
Again, thanks for telling us the outcome of your planned homebirth. Have you debriefed your experience? There's a good thread for birthing debriefs on BB
How's everyone else going? Bimboo? Tashy - congrats!!
DS still talk about the birth! He talks now about when he was born in water and assumes other babies are born peacefully at home

[LionsandBears]

Thanks Mayaness. We've booked an IM for a homebirth. I've had a few fear issues with this pg that relate to my previous m/c, so may need to consult with an OB anyway. Which I guess is what I think they're for - consulting on possible complications. My IM is pretty risk averse and would transfer for twins or breech. I'm OK with this, as it's our first and at least she'd still be with us at hospy. I hate hospitals though, so hoping it doesn't get that far.

[Schmickers]

Hi there Bec, and welcome to the homebirth general discussion thread.

First of all, I'd like to offer my condolences to you on what must have been a very traumatic experience for you, and for what I can see is something that obviously still affects you today.

I guess the most important thing that any of us who are planning a homebirth can glean from the research out there is that, while the risk of major complications is lower in homebirth than in hospital birth, that does not mean it is non-existent. Tragedy strikes, rarely thankfully, at home as it does in hospital.

I can see you carry a lot of the guilt over your son's condition, and also a lot of anger towards your midwife. The mother-midwife relationship is a very important part of the birth, and when something like this damages it, it causes much pain and anguish. One of the great advantages of seeking a homebirth is having the ability to choose your midwife, unlike the conventional hospital system where one (or more than one, often) is simply allocated to you. It is an important part of that process that we are satisfied that our midwives have the requisite skills and experience to perform their tasks. I am so sorry that in this event, it seems that was not the case.

One thing I would give you, to take away and think about, though, is what you think might have happened differently in hospital? If we discount the breech birth factor, what about the post-birth activities might have been different in hospital that could have given your little one a better outcome? I assume your midwife had the appropriate emergency equipment - oxygen, a bag and mask resuscitator - because if so, the resuscitation of your baby would have commenced at home in exactly that same way as it would have done in hospital.

I can very much understand your reluctance to birth at home for your next birth - obviously the trauma of your first birth would not allow you to be comfortable birthing at home this time. I wish you the very best for your next birth, and I hope that it brings with it all of the happiness you should have experienced during your first birth.

Just a note to avoid confusing our members: "stillbirth" refers to a baby that has died in utero and is born. Bec's baby was not "stillborn".

[Tegam]

Oh Bec, what a horrible time you have had! I hope that you did get and are still getting the support you need. Like someone else said, i dont think that there is a homebirther out there that has not heard EVERY bad or negative story out there. Like you yourself claim, you were young fit and the perfect candidate. You were also probably well educated and informed.

I ask with the biggest respect but what were you hoping from your post? To stop others from homebirthing or to just open a line of support. Because we (the BB community) are very tight and will be there every step of the way if you need it.

I suggest you go to the debreifing site and tell your story as many times as you need to.

I would also ask that you respect others informed decisions. None of us take birthing lightly and we are all doing what is right for our families.

I hope that this next birth allows you to forgive yourself for all those things that were out of your control.

[aprel]

hi everyone,

i just wanted to jump in and introduce myself, after a traumatic m/c in june, i'm very happily pregnant again with a good heartbeat and healthy first scan... phew

I'm really lucky to be involved in the Sunshine Hospital Homebirth program starting this year, where i'll get continunity of care with the same midwive (including if transfer if necessary) all for free!!!

thank you sunshine for being one of the more progressive hospitals in melbourne.... it's too scary to think where we would be without proper choices for birthing in this country. Got to keep up the fight to keep homebirthing alive in this country.

I'm sorry for your tramautic story, bec, I hope you find the comfort and support you need.

[Lolli]

DS still talk about the birth! He talks now about when he was born in water and assumes other babies are born peacefully at home

Hehe so very cute

Aprel, that is fantastic, you lucky woman

[aprel]

thanks lorirae, I was quite amazed at how close to the private model the homebirth program is. Total continuity of care, reasons for transfer were very close to reasons under the private model, and I won't be forced into hospital if i'm overdue either (like in bc's)... i was amazed, if the baby is fine, then i'm allowed to wait and see under their model of care....

even the birthing pool is free....

unfortunately, there are restrictions with VBAC and women who are overweight, but hopefully one day that will change...

[Schmickers]

Welcome aboard, Aprel. Good luck for a happy and healthy pregnancy and an awesome homebirth.