Plan for homebirth is back on track

[Clydesdaleclopper]

Hi guys. Thanks to all who who gave lots of advice on my last post. I've now seen the supervisor of midwives and the consultant and they are happy for me to still have a home birth - I just have to get an injection of antibiotics when I'm in labour.

It's starting to feel real now - they left all the equipment and gas and air etc at the house and are now on call for me - lets hope LO starts to engage soon as I can't wait to meet him.

 

[Snuggle]

They left the gas and air in your house!! ....hmmm, would be so tempting to have a wee go

Thats great that you can have home birth, I hope it goes well and LO makes an appearance soon

 

[nikkif]

great news!

 

[valentine]

They left the gas and air in your house!! ....hmmm, would be so tempting to have a wee go

They don't leave the mouthpieces unfortunately!

Great to hear that CC - I was wondering how you were getting on and also great to know that I can hopefully have a home birth with the next one!

Valentine xxx

 

[MissThing]

Well done!

Congratulatios

 

[pigletpoo]

Great news, I was wondering how you got on with it all.

I'm with Snuggle - I would love to have a go on the gas and air before hand - just to get practice in! LOL

Piglet xx

 

[feenix]

?

 

[Clydesdaleclopper]

Unfortunately you only get a small cannister of the gas and air so no trial runs with it

 

[KatysMummy]

Really pleased for you CC

 

Hi CC,

Fantastic news! I really hope you get the birth you want (and I'm sure you will).

I've just had a response from my email to the Director of Midwives at my maternity unit (I emailed the Chief Exec, my MP, the LAS of M/ws etc because although my m/w had initially seemed supportive of homebirth, she has lately been making excuses about there not being enough staff etc. and she told me that I may have to go into hospital due to staff shortages). The Director of M/ws was very apologetic that I was "given the impression" that [my local NHS trust) was not supportive of home births/ that [the trust's midwives] 'are fully supportive of the home setting as a birth choice'. She has given me the number of the m/w supervisor and I've to meet with her and the maternity services manager to discuss my plans for a home birth - so, hopefully, I will get a home birth too.

But this is all worrying for me. I really had my heart set on a homebirth first time around - and fought so hard to get one - that when it didn't work out, I felt "robbed" of the birth experience I'd hoped for. I felt so traumatised by the resultant hospital birth that (I now realise) I was depressed for months afterwards. I don't want to set myself up for such disappointment again...I had hoped to secretly want a home birth, to put that down on my birth plan, but just to take it as it comes. I realise now though (as was the case 10 years ago) that if you want a home birth then you have to be very determined for the profession even to seriously consider it.

This "very determined" attitude you need to have in order to have the chance of having the birth you want - it makes the whole process antagonistic from the start - the opposite of what you need at a time like this, eh? You can't just "wait and see" how you feel on the day.

Well CC, I hope that your recent "battle", to ensure that your choice of birth place is respected, hasn't dampened your excitement or enthusiasm any. I hope that you get that wonderful home birth and that you come back and tell me all about it. Just don't go going way overdue now!!!

xxxx

 

[Clydesdaleclopper]

If anyone else has tested positive for GBS you may be interested to hear that I was retested by the hospital so that they could work out which antibioitics to use during labour and it came back clear this time. I've been taking garlic capsules and probiotics and I don't know if they've worked or it is just a fluke.

 

[alfie]

Can i just ask why garlic and probiotics? Are they known to help with infections similar to gbs? Do you take the probiotics as a yogurt drink or as a pill?

Alfie
xx

 

CC,

I know that garlic boosts the immune system, so it's good for you to take it (and for baby too) but the difference in the results is more likely because the NHS has - and I hope I'm remembering this right? - as high as a 50% false negative rate. So, the second time you were tested - was it a high vaginal swab they used to test you again? This is the test that's not very reliable, I'm afraid. Did they explain that the second test might give a false negative? It's so unreliable, I don't know why they bothered giving it to you again

Also, have they discussed giving you intra-muscular injections which are known to work (rather than intravenously during labour)? It's an option to consider.

A much more reliable test for Group B strep is the ECM (enriched culture medium) test. This can be conducted privately by The Doctors Laboratory in London, if you haven't yet had this done on the NHS? They have a two day turnaround for the test (and I think they can do it by post) if you want to double-check the accuracy of your latest NHS test for your own peace of mind? Their website is:

http://www.tdlpathology.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

and if you go to the 'A-Z Test Index', the test you need is under 'G' (group B strep).

And remember that although a high percentage of the population have Group B Strep (and a lot of women carry it in their vagina without knowing and pass it on to their babies), only a very small percentage of babies who get GBS will be affected by it. The consequences of the baby being affected can, however, be extremely serious and so although the risk is small, it's probably not one you wish to take a gamble on.

Wendy

P.S. The test packs are free and the postal service (to get your results) from The Doctors Laboratory costs £32. Their 'phone number is 020 7307 7373.

 

[valentine]

I realise now though (as was the case 10 years ago) that if you want a home birth then you have to be very determined for the profession even to seriously consider it.

Never a truer word spoken! I live in the local authority with the highest number of home births in Scotland, where they are relatively supportive of home birth, and I still had to fight tooth and nail to get my home birth!

And remember that although a high percentage of the population have Group B Strep (and a lot of women carry it in their vagina without knowing and pass it on to their babies), only a very small percentage of babies who get GBS will be affected by it.

As I was unaware I had GBS as I was not swabbed until post-natally, this is exactly what happened to me - luckily with a happy outcome of an unaffected baby - however I wouldn't knowingly have taken the risk, or now take it in the future.

Good luck CC - would love to hear how you get on. Did you ever get my PM?

Valentine xxx

 

[Clydesdaleclopper]

The first test I had was a private one as they don't test for GBS in my area. The second was an NHS one -which was a low vaginal swab - which I asked for because I'm allergic to penicillin and wanted an antibiotic susceptibility test done as I didn't see the point of having loads of antibiotics if the GBS with which I was colonised was resistant to them.

I did a bit of research on GBS and there is some evidence that probiotics can help because GBS usually colonises the digestive system. So I've been taking the probiotics as a pill and the garlic as a pill as that has also been shown in one study to reduce colonisation of GBS.

I'm intending to get another private test done next week to see what that shows.

 

[Redshoes]

Just wanted to say great news Clydesdaleclopper, I'm so very happy for you, hope all goes well for you and your LO's birth