Q for a Midwife.

[Mildez]

As a middy I am all for homebirths but not freebirthing.

Livinthedream is right. After 30something days in hospital unless your in intensive care or something you do have to start to pay and it is not covered by medicare. It includes includes rehab, palative care etc basically anything deamed as chronic illness over acute. Its based in your income or a percent of your pension so depending on your financial circumstances your amount you pay changes. It doesn't apply for premmie babies etc as they are classed as acute.

You also have to remember 99.5% of babies are born in hospital or birthing centre compared to 0.25-0.5% at home. I know a woman who had a HB for twins as the hospital told her they did not support her having a VBAC. She almost lost her life, lost her ability to conceive again and both her babies. And that went on the hospital statistics although she was transferred mid rupture to hospital from home. It seems to me that homebirth statisics only show the positive outcomes, the ones that are born at home and don't take any responsibility for the negative ones that then occur in hospital from transfer when things aren't going smoothly. Homebirths are only going to get good statistics when anything really wrong then gets transferred to hosital.

I recently read (and don't know how true it could possible be) that almost 50% of planned homebirths are transferred to hospital. Statistics from homebirth often says the number of transfers to hospital but not then the outcome as then its the hospitals responsibility who then cops the slack for poor outcomes and intervention. Yes there is alot of intervention but your looking at over 99% of Australias population. In the last 20-50years we have seen such a huge reduction in SBs, diasbility and maternal death and that is due to intervention. Was it 1 in 10 women died during childbirth and 30% of babies 100years ago? We now live in a time when its not acceptable for things to go wrong and when it does someone has to be blamed. Sort of getting of the topic of HomeB vs Hosbirth but working in the hospital setting sometimes intervention is neccessary to ensure a healthy baby or mother physically even if not mentally.

[Mildez]

Livinthedream if I were an IM I would be happy to attend homebirths. I'd prefer them over hospital births anyday. Although I must admit there would be a few very select women I wouldn't be happy to attend a HB for knowing the chance of a positive outcome at home would be unlikely. I'd be happy for breech, VBAC etc. I wold probably still support their decision although have to be honest that I was very concerned that the birth would not go well at home and document that I did not support it. I wont mention it on here incase a friend reads it and knows I am thinking of her situation recently.

[meow]

I recently read (and don't know how true it could possible be) that almost 50% of planned homebirths are transferred to hospital.

You probably read it in all the recent trash that has been quoted in the papers lately. It's not true at all. The ob who said is quoting birth centre transfers rates saying "50% of first time mothers transfer to hospital" when discussing HB. 50% of first time mothers who are home birthing do not transfer. IMs have their transfer rates and it is less than this.

[Mildez]

Hence why I wrote I don't know how it could be possible true. At the time of writing my above post I did not have the time to go find out what the transfer rate was.

[dialectica]

About suing midwives, I guess it depends for what - right? My homebirth midwife applied fundal pressure to expel my first baby, because she thought it was dangerous for the baby to be in the birth canal for longer than five minutes. Would I sue her for that? No. Would a hospital birth have been better? No. The outcome was fine, but applying fundal pressure is a dubious practice.

I don't think suing a homebirth midwife for not being able to do anything in cases where she truly can't do anything, when complications arise. However, causing harm though dubious medical practice is something else, I think.

[onthefly]

You probably read it in all the recent trash that has been quoted in the papers lately. It's not true at all. The ob who said is quoting birth centre transfers rates saying "50% of first time mothers transfer to hospital" when discussing HB. 50% of first time mothers who are home birthing do not transfer. IMs have their transfer rates and it is less than this.

Ah. I was wondering about that. I heard the KEMH BC has a 50%-ish transfer rate and wondered if someone had their wires crossed.