If you are #pregnant and are thinking about a #homebirth then this blog could help you to make the right decision for you and your #baby.
Natalie Meddings, (Author and #doula), said "Wash away the hearsay.........and start with the facts".
BUT ARE HOMEBIRTHS SAFE?
One huge barrier for deciding whether to opt for a homebirth is the perceived risk. We are led to believe that homebirths are dangerous and for brave women only!
This perception, fuelled by uninformed friends and family and social media, leads women to have doubt about booking a homebirth.
In fact, a planned homebirth which is attended by midwives/ #birthsupportworker (such as a #birthdoula)
"is not associated with a difference in outcomes, but was associated with fewer interventions" (Hutton et al, 2019)
"Routine over-control of pregnancies, at the expense of the woman being given what they need to let labour happen, has compromised natural competence." (Natalie Meddings)
In other words, hospital policy and procedures and a culture of we can intervene, so we will, has led to more and more women having labour induced, sped up, intervened with.
Time and time again I hear stories of women being coerced into accepting medical intervention, such as #sweeps or booking an #inductionoflabour date.
I have had clients who have been told they are too old/fat/past their due date to have a homebirth.
This over medicalised approach disallows women to go into labour naturally, when their babies signal they are ready to be born and discourages women from having their birth at home.
Yet, "the risk of perinatal ,(from when you become pregnant until baby is 1 year old), or neonatal mortality was no different when birth was attended at home or hospital." (Hutton et al 2019)
BENEFITS of BIRTHING at Home
Oxytocin, the hormone of labour and birth, is rather shy. For #oxytocin to flow and therefore labour to progress, the birthing woman needs to feel safe, loved, calm and supported, in an environment free from distractions and with minimal interruptions.
Home is your safe place, where you feel free to follow what labour is telling you to do, and where you can let go of any self consciousness'.
At home you can rest when you want to, move when you want to, eat and drink when you want to. The midwives are your guests.
If you birth at home, you are likely to have a #shorterlabour. You are less likely to need to have #medicalinterventions and to have greater satisfaction with your #birthexperience.
WHAT IF I NEED TO GO TO HOSPITAL?
Birth is unpredictable. It is a journey from A to B but may hit a fork in the road.
Midwives will be monitoring you and your baby and if they or you feel more support is needed, arrangements can be made for you to transfer to your hospital labour ward.
The hospital would be made aware of you being transferred and will prepare for your arrival whilst you are on route. (Usually by ambulance.)This would be the case if you were transferring from a Midwife Led Unit too.
To help you to stay calm and focused, and to keep oxytocin flowing, you can listen to music or #hypnobirthing tacks, wear an eye mask, wrap yourself up in a cosy blanket, during the journey.
Reasons for transfer include;
Breech babies, mum developing a temperature, fast heart rate or other signs of illness, concerns over baby's heart rate, or meconium in mum's waters. (Baby has a poo which could be a sign baby is not coping with labour.)
Another reason could be that labour slows suggesting baby could be in an awkward position.
WHY ARE THERE NOT MORE HOMEBIRTHS?
In the UK the homebirth rate is very low, around 4%, depending upon the area.
The reasons behind this are that there are not enough homebirth teams or midwives trained to attend homebirths. Around 1/3 of midwives have not been trained to attend homebirths.
REMEMBER
It is always your choice.
By law, you are entitled to receive the appropriate care if you are birthing at home. It is a midwife's duty of care.
If you book a homebirth, you can change your mind anytime leading up to your baby's birth, even on the day, BUT, if you go to hospital or a midwife Led Unit, it is very difficult once you are in labour to then go home.
Having Doula support increases the likelihood of your birth unfolding as you plan.
FINALLY
Homebirth UK is a great group to follow on Facebook.
Please do message me if you have any comments/questions.
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