Is it really worth all the hassle?

[keelie_b]

well i had my 28 week appointment yesterday. I have always liked the idea of a water birth as i sufer a lot with water infections and cystitis and find the water really soothing on my stomach, but my local hospital (half an hour away) dont do them. The midwife said to me yesterday that she thinks it would really help me as im relly suffering with my back and muscles in my legs so told me about a small birthing unit (Lichfield and hour away) it sounds lovely, has the water pools and jaccuzis and its just for women in labour, my worries are its just rund by midwifes, so if there was an emergency it would be an ambulance flashing light job to get me back to my local (Burton). This could be done in 20 mins but if they needed to get the baby out quick im worried that i would be 20 minutes away from a doctor. At the Lichfield birthing unit they also dont give epidurals, so if i needed an emergency c section it would be under general anesthetic. And its my first baby, i dont want an epidural but do i want the option taken away, will i cope without?
And an hours travalling in labour?
I'd really like this water birth i just dont know. Any advice would be really appreciated. Please reply, what would you do?

Thanks

xx

 

[hennaly]

I would say either get a birthing pool for home or just use a hospital bath for labour then maybe go to your local hospital for delivery when you think you need to.

 

[Bexie]

That's a difficult one. I've heard great things about midwife led units and how intevention is less likely than in a hospital. Of course you can never tell how your labour is going to pan out.

LIke Hennaly said, perhaps hire a birthing pool for use at home and then when you get closer to delivery go into hospital.

It's good your thinking of these things now as you've still got a bit of time before your little one arrives.

 

[lisa282]

Id say go for it hun. It might be a lot of travelling, but if its your first baby you are likely to be in labour for a while before baby makes an appearance, so should have plenty of time to make the journey. Yes, it might be uncomfortable to travel, but you have to weigh it up against how much you want it. Like hennaly said you could always get a birth pool for home if you dont fancy the journey? Doesnt mean you necessarily have to give birth at home, if things get too much or you get scared you can always transfer to hospital if need be. Might be worth checking out other hospitals in the area too, see if another one has a birth pool that is a bit closer than the birth unit?

I had a waterbirth with my second baby, and I can highly recommend it. I absolutely loved it, and the relief from the water is quite incredible. As soon as I got in, it was like the pressure was cut right down and things became so much more mellow and manageable. I had a really easy birth and my daughter was born in the water with very little intervention and only a few puffs of gas & air. I had her at my local hospital but it is only a small unit, and also run completely by midwives. There are no docs and no major drugs. All you can have is entonox or pethidine, so the option for an epidural was never there. Obviously this means if you need an assisted birth or c-section you have to be transferred, but on the whole, the midwives will encourage you as much as possible and allow you to labour as long as you are comfortable. I also had my first baby there but couldnt use the pool as someone was in it. It was never an issue for me to be without doctors or drugs, even for my first labour, I always knew I wanted things to be as natural as possible but at the same time I was completely aware that it could all go wrong and I may have to be transferred to the big, bad hospital - a good 20 minute drive by ambulance. At the end of the day, it really depends how much you want this, as to how much risk you are willing to take. If you want to go the natural route and birth at the small unit then you have to believe in yourself and know that you can do this. Its really not so bad!! Good luck, hope you make the decision thats right for you x

 

[keelie_b]

Ok, theres a good couple of things to think about thanks everyone. Well i thought about a home water birth but to be honest i'd sooner be in hospital i'd just dont like the thought of being at home. I like knowing everyone and everything is to hand if needed.
Having a birthing pool at home and then going to the hospital later on is an idea i hadnt considered but again im not keep on the thought of getting into the pool, relaxing and feeling better and then having to get out, dryed, dressed and then still have to make a horrific half an hour journey to my nearest hospital where i'll probably still be hours away from pushing.

Lisa - i did read your waterbirth story and was shocked that you actually pushed the gas and air away after being in the water. Your birth sounded just how i'd like mine to go (especially the speed!)
Were you worried being in a midwife run unit that you were also a while away from a doctor?

oooh i dont know what to do. I know i have a while to decide, im not even 30 weeks yet but its a decision i feel i'd like to have confirmed and organised and not be stressing about later on.
If anyone else has any advice or experiences i'd love to hear them. Thanks all xx

 

[lisa282]

Lisa - i did read your waterbirth story and was shocked that you actually pushed the gas and air away after being in the water. Your birth sounded just how i'd like mine to go (especially the speed!)
Were you worried being in a midwife run unit that you were also a while away from a doctor?

I sincerely hope you manage to get a birth like mine hun, if all of us could have labours like that, there would be no panic and no tense build up wondering how things will turn out! See, that is the thing when its your first baby, you just dont know what to expect, or how well you will handle the pain. I must admit with my first baby I did ponder the possibility of being nowhere near a doctor, and the problems that may arise. I was originally booked to have him at the main hospital, with the train of thought that I didnt know how well I would cope so wanted all the facilities on hand. However, after having a tour of all the local maternity units where it was possible for me to birth, I changed my mind. I saw how clinical the main hospital was, and the amount of women who were in there, and came to the conclusion that I didnt want to be there. The women were in and out with no real contact or support, and to my way of thinking were on a kind of production line, iykwim? But when I saw the local unit, and how relaxed and comfortable it was, it made my mind up for me. There were only a couple of women in there, and they were so relaxed and happy, and really seemed to get the quality of one-on-one care that I was after. Id had very limited contact with newborns, and knew I wanted to breastfeed, so was looking for that kind of support to help me in the first few days as I was totally clueless!! Plus I did my research and asked everyone I knew who had had babies what their opinions were on the different hospitals etc, and also had lengthy chats with my midwife about it. She helped me quite a lot when I initially expressed my concerns about the need to be transferred between hospitals if anything should go wrong. Women are transferred in labour on a daily basis, for various reasons, and to my knowledge, no harm has ever come to those women or their babies while in transit - even in extreme emergency situations. You have to rememeber that your midwife will travel with you if necessary to be moved, and the ambulance staff are fully trained medics so you will be in safe hands. They do this stuff every day!!

If you are still unsure, I would suggest you do the same, and arrange to go and see all the birthing units in your area and consult your midwife/doctor for their opinions too. Get yourself all clued up about the services in your area, and then you can make an informed choice of what to do. Nobody ever knows how their labour will pan out, so most first births are a guessing game, but have faith in yourself! You can do it!!