Home Birth and Hospital Birth on the NHS:discussion[SPLIT TOPIC]

I had great care under the NHS here in Yorkshire.  Midwives are worth their weight in gold.  My midwife was really on top of things with my last delivery and it is a good thing she was because things went bad fast at the end of what was a normal labour.  If anything starts to look like it is going to go bad, those midwifes have an OBGYN and a Pediatrician in the delivery room faster than you can say baby.  Of course maternity units vary across the country and in some places staffing  problems.

 I am one of those people who liked sharing the ward with other moms and babies.  More people to show my little cutie off too and vice versa.  I would have been lonely in a private room.

I don't know of any private maternity hospitals in Yorkshire (doesn't mean there aren't any) but there may be some private birthing centers.

It's good to hear positives stories.  I took a look at some private birthing centers but since my first baby was born with c-section I might end up with an other c-section and I am not sure if a birthing center is equiped for that. Also I don't like pain I deifinally want an epidural.  I guess you are right I shouldn't worry so much.
Thank you
Marilena

I would probably be OK sharing a ward after the baby is born but not during labour. I am pretty sure they have private labour rooms    Right?

Yes!!!!!!!!!! you don't give birth in a public ward!!!!! 

I know you don't give birth in a public ward,   but labour can last 12-20 hours .  Are you in a private room for the entire labour time or they put you in a separate room just at the end?

27 hours for me! I can't answer that I did most of my labouring at home and only went to the hospital at the last minute so went straight to a labour room,  but I don't think so.  I had a water birth room booked for me though so if I had gone in earlier I would have gone there.  They do encourage you to stay at home in the early stages though, as you say it can go on for a long time, some people go on for days.

They put me in a private room to labour as soon as I went in.  I was in there for another 13 hours before baby was born with my first!!

27 hours for me! I can't answer that I did most of my labouring at home and only went to the hospital at the last minute so went straight to a labour room,  but I don't think so.  I had a water birth room booked for me though so if I had gone in earlier I would have gone there.  They do encourage you to stay at home in the early stages though, as you say it can go on for a long time, some people go on for days.

I was also in a labour room on my own for about 18 hours.  I laboured at home for the first 6 hours.  Some places will send you home if you are not 2cm+ dilated - that is, if you fell into labour naturally - no induction procedures.

I've never heard of anyone labouring on a public ward b/c the only wards there are are for post-natal care. 

I'm hoping for a water birth this time round. 

I feel better able to cope w/the pain than first time round - mainly b/c I now it will end eventually and also b/c this is our second and last child, so my mind is in a better place with a 'one more time and you're done' approach. 

We watched the international news here the other week, and they reported that more and more women give birth at home now in the UK due to the conditions in the hospitals. Do you find that’s true? Is it really that bad?

We watched the international news here the other week, and they reported that more and more women give birth at home now in the UK due to the conditions in the hospitals. Do you find that’s true? Is it really that bad?

I'd like to give birth at home just b/c I NEVER sleep well in hospitals - here or stateside.  But b/c I had a forceps delivery last time w/a huge episiotomy I'm aiming for the waterbirth instead.  I'd like to be discharged straight from the delivery suite, however, just b/c I find hospitals uncomfortable and noisy.  At home, there will only be one crying baby to hear! 

The little man just came to cut my grass (not a euphemism for anything dirty, I promise). His name is, no lie, Yuri Lamb. Anyway, he told me that his wife just had her baby last weekend. I knew she was pregnant, so it was nice to hear that she's had a little girl. He said that she was sent home from the hospital SIX HOURS after giving birth!!! Is that right?!? Is that how quickly they move you along over here?? I was shocked! I don't plan on having children, but it was still really stunned to hear that!

He said that she was sent home from the hospital SIX HOURS after giving birth!!! Is that right?!? Is that how quickly they move you along over here?? I was shocked! I don't plan on having children, but it was still really stunned to hear that!

You can leave after six hours provided that you and baby are ok.  You can also stay longer if needed.  I would imagine this may vary region to region depending upon bed shortage.

Trust me, after six hours on a noisy ward you'd want to go home to peace and quiet if at all possible.

exactly if both mother and baby are well it's best but they will be checked by Community team (Midwife , Health Visitor) so it's not like they are discharged and it's "out sight out of mind" sorta thing. 

The little man just came to cut my grass (not a euphemism for anything dirty, I promise). His name is, no lie, Yuri Lamb. Anyway, he told me that his wife just had her baby last weekend. I knew she was pregnant, so it was nice to hear that she's had a little girl. He said that she was sent home from the hospital SIX HOURS after giving birth!!! Is that right?!? Is that how quickly they move you along over here?? I was shocked! I don't plan on having children, but it was still really stunned to hear that!

Yep, 6 hours for an uncomplicated delivery - if that's what the mother wants.  I'm really, really hoping to be out in 6 hours this time round and am discharged right from the delivery suite w/o having to go onto the maternity ward.  Both the GP and the midwife visit you at home on the first day back.  The midwife then comes along every day for 10 days and one will come by your house if you phone them w/any trouble.  After the 10 days, the health visitor takes over.  So it's not like you're left w/no care at all.

I'm hoping to be able to go home and just get on w/our lives.  Hospitals suck and our one charges an arm and a leg for phone calls and TV.

Plus, at home I have a support network of spouse, family and friends - no visiting hours.  And I can eat whenever I want - good food, too.

I just want to step in here and be annoying and give unsolicited advice re: home births.  Of course it is the mother's decision to give birth wherever she feels the most comfortable and I respect that.

When I had baby number three in March my community midwife told assured my that I would be a good candidate to have a home birth if I wanted.  My other two deliveries were painful but un-complicated.  I was really excited about this and wanted to give birth at home.  The day I went into labour I was doing really well at home, dealing with the pain well etc etc. When I phoned the ward they said that one of the two community midwives that was supposed to be on duty that day was off sick.  Therefore I would need to come into the hospital because they need  two community midwives available to do a homebirth.  I was starting to get pretty uncomfortable so I was cool with that.

So I get to the ward and they check me and I was abotu 4cm.  Went on gas and air but was still pretty comfortable considering the situation and was doing much better than my previous labours where I looked like the exorcist and was screaming for an epidural.  Baby's heart rate was great.

About 20 minutes later I started to see stars.  Midwife checked me and I was at 10cm.  Baby's heart rate went from being perfect to being at a very dangerous slow rate in just a matter of mintues.  Because I had progressed so quickly he had gone into shock.  Found out later that the cord was around his neck and the fast labour had nearly done him in by strangling him and sending him into shock.  As soon as his heart rate showed he was in distress the midwives paged the OB and the Pediatrician.  They were there in about a minute and delivered him by emergency forceps quickly (they didn't want to wait until I pushed him out).  He was blue and limp and the Pediatrician grabbed him right away and they spent a few minutes working on him and were able to resusitate him.  At one point they took him out of the room and into the hall to work on him  because when I saw them doing chest compressions I FREAKED OUT. 

I'm thinking that if I had continued on at home and things would have gone bad there is no way we would have got to the hospital in time to get him out before he suffered from lack of  O2.

He is absolutely fine now and doing great.  I really don't want to scare anyone and keep in mind that this kind of thing is rare and you are most likely to have a normal umcomplicated delivery wherever you are.   But this experience did alter my view about ever having a homebirth.

Just my 2 cents.