I've booked an IM for a homebirth (fx). We're meeting her in Jan, so I'll ask a bunch of questions then. Just some questions for homebirthers who had to transfer - what was it for, how long did the transfer take, were Mum & bub OK, did you go by car or ambulance?
I've been reading stories and things like prolapsed cords or bub getting stuck or PPH have got me asking questions.
We had a homebirth and ended up transferring due to a PPH.
My labour was very rapid (waters broke almost without warning and bub was born 1.5 hours later).
After she was born, while I was still in the pool, I felt a huge gush of blood. MW got me out of the pool and onto the lounge, and gave me some synto and got me onto the IV. The bleeding died down and all seemed OK until I got a bit lightheaded. MW called the ambulance and off we went.
Has it discouraged me from another HB? Not a chance
not my own experience, but i have had similar concerns too, my midwife lent us "Labour of Love" a collection of aussie midwives experiences, not all strawberries and cream stories, but there's lots of ones where complications arose and how the midwives coped, from hospital, to the outback, to homebirth, to shoulder dystocia, to waterbirth, to stillborns, everything, and i found it so reassuring to read! Hope that helps you, if you can get a copy to read!
We planned a homebirth with a midwife and transferred after a long labour at home which didn't progress beyond 8cm dilation. Our midwife figured out the baby was lying asynclitic (with the head slightly to the left of centre on my cervix), and we tried all sorts of methods to move her, with no luck. We had a few group discussions at the time to decide what the best options were, and eventually (after 30 hours) decided to transfer to a public hospital for assistance. My husband drove me there, with my midwife and doula following us, since there was no medical emergency. We arrived at midnight and were admitted, given a syntocinin drip with an epidural and then a ventouse delivery.
I am so glad that I had my own team with me at the hospital to advocate for my wishes. I was so tired, but still coherent enough to make decisions if people addressed me to my face (which wasn't what was happening with the hospital staff most of the time). My midwife sat with me to explain every procedure fully, including the benefits and drawbacks of each intervention offered, and then ensured I had time to make a decision. I cannot imagine not having them there to support me. In the end, we got the best outcome possible given the situation we had to deal with. And mostly because of the care I received from my midwife and doula.
I have planned another homebirth for our second child who is due within a week from now. Our plan in case of transfer is to drive ourselves (if medically stable) or call an ambulance. My midwife has all the medical equipment we need to assist baby or me if there is an emergency- to cover the time it might take for an ambulance arrive. The only real risk of an emergency transfer is if I were to lose blood after the birth (I have a syntocinin script with my midwife in case this happens) or if baby was having trouble breathing (she has oxygen for this). The truth is there are very few risks to myself or to my baby having a homebirth because I am with medical professionals who have what I need to make it safe.
Good luck making your own decision! It's not easy.
We are planning our HB with an IM, and have had our first few appointments (at home on the couch, how awesome!).
This is something we have discussed a LOT (DH has no experience with HB, while it's more common in my family) - the safety elements, with DH asking loads of questions.
Our IM books us in at the Royal Womens as a backup. She does this with all her women - it's just a formality, and in fact she does ALL the paperwork! It's already done and I didn't even know about it til she mentioned it.
She is possibly a more 'conservative' HB MW, but that sits really well with me. She has told a few stories of times when a transfer was required, and there was always ample warning, discussion etc. DH is really feeling very safe now. Having a MW with yeaaaaaars of experience IMO has helped me feel really calm about it. I trust her completely to know if something is not right, before it becomes a problem (she was the MW for 2 cousins, and my little sister).
I really recommend asking your IM what she would do in all those situations (PPH, prolapse, breech etc) because I found the calm and sensible answers from ours to be most reassuring!
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Homebirth/ hosptial transfer experiences
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