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planning a home birth?

NicoletteNicolette
in Pregnancy
Hi - I was considering a home birth with this my second but before I had reached a conclusion on whether I really wanted one or not I was told by one of the midwive's team that it was out of the question and I have to give birth in the hospital. My first was prem as well and they are afraid of complications with this one. The attraction of a home birth was that my son could be more a part of it rather than be kept out of the way. I would like to have him around but that won't happen now. How prem was yours? What happened, if you dont mind me asking? My son was engaged at 30 weeks and nothing was stopping him coming early at 33 weeks. He was small anyway so it was doubly worrying for us. He was 4lb at birth and spent 3 weeks in NICU.

Replies

  • claire betteridgeclaire betteridge
    im defo considering a home birth with my second baby

    but as im not preg yet i need to do more thinking and planning,

    i want a water pool this time and in hossy with my first iw anted one but the delivery ward was crammed and toofew midwives
  • NicoletteNicolette
    We obviously had very different care from what you've said. My son was born in the morning and by the time I reached NICU he was already tubed up, but to be honest we tried consistently and it was not until we were together 24/7 that he chose to breast feed. It only took three days and when he tried to pull his tube out I did not stop him. He was generally healthy, hypoglycemic when he was born and was on a drip for a couple of day and then the dreaded jaundice (dreaded because he was under plastic protectors and I could not touch him which was hell) but they were worried about his weight.

    I've been told it is unlikely that I will deliver early again but since no one will tell me why I did first time round I am going to be prepared from week 30 onwards, just in case! How much did they manage to prepare you for what was going on? I was in a daze for most of it and was just unprepared for any of it. I wanted a water birth but I was hooked up to a monitor and drip so that was out of the question. I'm not sure this time round.
  • NicoletteNicolette
    Hi Laura. I have to agree with you that the way I was treated was not brilliant but NICU looked after my son superbly and I could not fault them. The registrar who saw me when I was admitted treated me as if I were an invconvenience rather than his job. I was surrounded by staff once the nasty reg. left me alone but I was tired as this was around midnight, and no one actually explained that my child would end up in NICU, they showed me an album of photos of NICU but never said why so that confused me. I hadn't had any ante-natal classes so I had no real idea of pain relief or what was happening to me, not helped that the midwife had the previous week told me I was breech.

    The actual birth was fine, the midwife was efficient if not very warm, and I was surrounded again by paeds and other doctors when I finally gave birth and Bon was whisked away to be checked. I cuddled him for a few minutes before he was put into an incubator and wheeled away. I was given toast and tea but was still stuck on the bed with an antibiotic drip in my arm that had long since run out and it was around an hour after delivery that I was let loose to go and shower.

    I had one dreadful shock later that day when Bon was moved from intensive care into special care without anyone telling me and I was wandering around unable to find my baby. I was in a real panic.

    It is nice to find someone who has been through the same thing, not life-threatening prem, but still frightening and leaving me anxious and hoping that this one is going to be fine. I am 22 weeks today and so far so good, text book so I am told, fingers crossed!
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