Homebirths

aoife13/01/2008

Thanks for all the replies,it has shed light on my question also i think if i was to have a homebirth i feel the polish tenants ne:xt door would feel the pain i would be feeling as the walls are that thin i can hear them making a cuppa so imagine what they would hear if i was giving birth at home.:D.
I am very scared at the thought of giving birth and have heard the good stories along with the bad but thats just the person i am i worry about the smallest things.I did find a website about homebirths in ireland and as the last person said it is expensive and sounds like alot of hassle setting up so portlaoise hospital here i come.

Kildrought

imagine what they would hear if i was giving birth at home

About as much as they heard when baby was conceived!

Home birth does require a fair level of motivation and commitment; as I said before it's not for everyone. Good luck w. your baby.

littlebug

aoife13/01/2008 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies,it has shed light on my question also i think if i was to have a homebirth i feel the polish tenants ne:xt door would feel the pain i would be feeling as the walls are that thin i can hear them making a cuppa so imagine what they would hear if i was giving birth at home.:D.
I am very scared at the thought of giving birth and have heard the good stories along with the bad but thats just the person i am i worry about the smallest things.I did find a website about homebirths in ireland and as the last person said it is expensive and sounds like alot of hassle setting up so portlaoise hospital here i come.

It's always good to get all the information so you can make the decision that suits you best. Remember though that it is possible to have a completely natural childbirth in hospital if that is what you want... and not everybody makes a lot of noise when they're giving birth!

JuliusCaesar

Bethany wrote: »

Not one of my medical or nursing colleagues would have a home delivery and male medical colleagues have told me they would under no circumstance allow home delivery for their wives!!!!

Hmmm. Bit of over-generalising, here? Medical professional, mid-30s, first child - and I opted for a home delivery. Unfortunately labour was prolonged, baby went into distress & so I was transferred to the maternity unit where a midwife delivered me. I discharged myself an hour after the birth. (They suggested that I stay for 'the rest'. I told them I'd been working in general hospitals for 10 years and knew I'd get more rest at home)

Bethany

I said in my post that none of my medical or nursing colleagues would have a home delivery. Please note I was talking about MY colleagues . I was not making a general comment about all medical and nursing staff so I was NOT generalising. Incidentallly I practised midwifery both in maternity hospitals where all facilities were available and in situations where nothing except me as the experienced midwife was available .I have been a nurse and midwife for thirty years and feel that my comments have validity .

tallaght01

Homebirths are very popular, and lots of people have good experiences of them. That's fine. And homebirths are fine, as long as people make an informed decision to have a homebirth. The problems arise when the deciion i made on the basis of misinformation.

Most babies are born healthy, with no intervention. However, a few will be born in a bad way. It's fair to say that most of these kiddies can eiter be identified during the pregnancy, or during labour.

However, some can't.

Some weeks I am "hot paged" every single day from the neonatal unit were I work, to a delivery were a baby has come out flat/not breathing/poor colour/floppy etc.

It's actually fair to say that many of these babies would actually be ok if they were left alone. But people panic, and it's very easy to call the neonatal doc in that situation.

However, there is a small cohort of babies who will be born dreadfully unwell and take everyone by surprise.

Midwives are trained to handle a lot of newborn problems. However, they can't intubate a baby and insert lines into their umbilicus to give emergency drugs. Sometimes that's what's needed. And when it is, it's needed fast.

LIke I said before, there are a lot of babies born unwell. But most of them will be expected.
If you have a home birth you just need to be aware that there's a really small possibility that your baby will need emergency intervention that simply has to be provided by the nonatal doctors and nurses who work in the hospital.

If you accept that tiny risk,and you and your partner know about it, then you've made an informed consent. In which case it's your business to do what you feel most comfortable with.

I say the above in the context of a non-isolated environment, though. You really should have a flying squad close by on the off-chance that an emergency should occur.

In the UK, the insurance companies won't cover midwives for home births. Is that definitely not the case in Ireland? Because these tend to be big big money cases, so it's important to know the person delievering your baby is covered.

Also, as for medical professionals "allowing" their wives homebirths. Although the phrasing is unfortunate, dad's have to have a say aswell. They're also our babies. Mum can do what she wants in terms of taking risks with herself. However, I'd be personally very strongly against the idea of a child of mine being born outside a hspital. I'd pretty much insist on a hospital setting, to be honest