no vacancy at the birth centre :-(

I got a letter yesterday to say that they do not have a vacancy for me with the midwifery group practice at flinders public (adelaide)

I AM SO DISSAPPOINTED :-( I woke up this morning at 230am and cried for two hours... (hormonally emotional perhaps!)

I'm really sad, because i had my first son with a midwifery led care and it was so great.

I don't think the regular OB care (or what ever) fits with what i want for my pregnancy and birth and I was really hoping to try out a water birth this time.

:-(

I want to be pro-active, do you think I should call and beg?! Or call another hospital and try there? Or am I being too uptight about it, should I just roll with it... come what may... after all, the healthy arrival of my baby is what matters most. Im 16 weeks.

I would give the WCH a call and see if there is a chance you can get in there, they have a great MW run Birth Centre as well a few friends have gone through and have had wonderful experiences.

If they can't help, even after begging and pleading ;) Perhaps you could look at an independant MW or having a Doula to support you independantly, and looked at a shared care option with your GP all separate from the hospital system. The IM and Doula would be able to provide you with the support aht I think you are looking for and can do check ups at home and be there for you. Home birth with and IM is also an option :)

There are a couple of member I could ask to pop into this thread to also help out :hug:
Take care and all the best xxoo

Similar thing happened to me with DD2. So we opted for a homebirth :)

you have access to some STUNNINGLY Wonderful midwives in the Homebirth network.
Homebirth Network of SA ~ South Australia ~ Homepage

check them out im know your 97% more likely to get the birth you want with them then the 40% chance in the birth centre :)(my figures)

Bluetree I would seriously consider a homebirth in your situation....

Thanks everyone, I had a quick look at the WCH website about their midwifery group practice (this is where i had my son), it says birth centre is only available to women in their catchment area which im not, which is why i am with FMC, so it doesnt look like they would have me.

As far as home birth goes, Im giving it some serious thought! BUT The reason that I am reluctant about it is because there were complications when my son was born and he went straight to the special care unit ... I dont know what would have happened if i had been at home having him and the thought of things going wrong scares me!

I dont think i can afford to hire a private midwife (anyone know how much they cost?)
I'm a stay at home mum on a single parent pension :-)

Tomorrow I'm going to make some calls.

Most will do payment plans or work out a deal with you for payments..
what was your sons "complications" midwives are brilliant at knowing what is normal and what isnt so will be able to know if something is out of thier scope.. but these women have decades of experience and will often know better ways to treat babies then take them away from mum :)

my son was set to be born in the birthing centre but when i arrived i had a high temperature and my son had a fast heartbeat so i was lead to believe he was in some distress, and i was put on IV antibiotics so was moved out of the birth centre suite to the regular rooms, when Danny was born he didnt make a sound and they gave him oxygen while he was on my tummy, then whisked him off to a "crash cart".. then they whisked him away to the special care unit :-( He was in a humidi-crib for a while getting extra 02 and monitoring. Eventually he was on IV antibiotics too for a chest infection - fluid in lungs! Probably GBS (group B streptococcus) that wasn';t detected in the routine screening caused us both to get sick, i had ruptured membrane for almost three days before labor started! .... My baby was the healthiest one in the special care unit and there weren't any further problems, he's a perfect healthy normal little boy, in fact I think he's gifted (but im biased cos im his mum).

Also, I caved in and had pethidine for pain relief which I totally regret - I was too sedated and I feel that there are big gaps in memory :-( Also, thats what could have affected my sons breathing, I guess he was sedated too :-(

This time I will do it differently.


What I want this time: As little intervention as possible! Prevention of GBS cos they say that can re-occur but now i know how it can be cleared up before it affects you and the baby during birth ... I DONT want antibiotics in labor and NO WAY do I want my newborn on it again.. I read the post somewhere on here about GBS - brilliant info..I DONT want drugs, I just want to be fully present, I want to be there for it!

It sounds like you are a perfect candidate for a homebirth. I didnt start researching homebirth until about 16 weeks, but as soon as I started reading, watching videos and speaking to midwives I knew it was for me. Just think of the homebirth as the same as any other kind of birth (including a birth centre). If things are not going to plan, or the midwife feels she needs more help, then you can transfer to a hospital. My biggest positive about that is you're only going to get intervention when you actually need it...otherwise all else goes to plan and you breathe your baby earthside (or roar them there as the case may be) in your own home...its just magic.

Oh and on the GBS test, my midwife doesn't push this test because things can change so quickly...meaning you have the swab at 36 weeks and things are clear, but you have the babe at 41 weeks and you might have it. Do you have your hospital notes? I am also surprised you were 'let' to go for 3 days with broken waters...my waters broke and there was immediate talk of getting labour started because of the risk of infection...my midwife knew exactly what to suggest and things got going quickly.

HTH! Good luck with the decision.

Oh hun, that really sucks.

I would beg and scream and cry until they let me in. If that doesn't work, I second the homebirth. Could you have a private Middi and still birth in their birthcenter? Is that possible? :dunno: Maybe might be worth enquiring about.

Good luck! :hug:

Your homebirth midwives would be able to take care of those sorts of problems bluetree - they bring oxygen etc, for example. I suspect the pethedine probably was a contributing factor too.
Congratulations on your pregnancy and all the best deciding on your caregivers!

A miracle happened today - I got in to the birthing centre! I'm telling you, It is a miracle, I called them to see if there was anything I could do, was willing to beg... I didnt even need to because the midwife who answered the phone just happened to have a space open up TODAY!

....Always go after what you want...

Ask.
Believe.
Recieve.
Say Thank You!

Woooo Hoooooo!!!!! What fabulous news :hug:

So happy for you :leap:

That's such great news! Well done for trying again - and can I also say thank you, for giving me a well-needed kick up the behind, because I've been kind of floating along and not really thinking about the Birth Centre, and your post made me sit up and take notice, and call them to find out when I need to get stuff ready to go in... I would be lost without them too... not sure what I would do either.

Good luck for the rest of your pregnancy and wishing you an awesome birth!

Woooohoooo!!! :cheer:

That's great! I'm so happy for you :hug: Persistency, I tell you ;)

Aww fantastic news!! I was going to suggest to keep ringing. I too have been accepted at FMC birthing centre, and my midwife told me that even if I wasnt accepted to begin with to keep on trying because low risk pregnancies can easily change to a high risk one. Great persistence on your behalf - High 5 and good luck through your pregnancy!! :D

That's great!