| Who wants a home birth?
Currently only 2% of British mums give birth at home but government figures show that 22% of women would like the option if it was available The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) have long maintained that the home birth rate is significantly higher in areas of the country where women are offered a real choice. This is borne out by figures for areas such as Plymouth and Bath where 14–22 % of women give birth at home. So if women want home births why are there so few? According to Beverley Beech of AIMS – the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services – there are other stumbling blocks apart from lack of choice. ‘Many women find their GPs are unwilling to support them in their desire for a home birth. Also, as NHS budgets tighten, many hospitals and Trusts are cutting back on home birth services. We are often contacted by women who want home births but need support to achieve them in the current climate.’ Talk to mothers who have had the experience of giving birth in hospital and at home and there’s generally no contest – home provides the better experience. Read about their experiences at places like the Home Birth Reference Site and you begin to see how positive the experience of labouring and/or birthing at home can be.
Take second-time mum,
‘I’ve always associated home births with joss sticks, whale music and sandal wearing, and thought I was an unlikely candidate. But it was immensely reassuring to have dedicated midwives who visited me every other day in the run-up to delivery and to be able to discuss with them how labour might progress. Being a coward, I wanted to know about drugs I would be able to have at home for pain relief (pethidine and gas & air) but on the day, I found Emma laboured at home with twins, but transferred to hospital to deliver them naturally. She was home ‘eating bacon and eggs with two baby bundles beside me in bed’ within two hours of giving birth. Emma’s labour was long and slow and with hindsight she’s sure she would have ended up having a Caesarean if she’d been in hospital. ‘But with the midwives at home, we just made more sandwiches and tea (you can eat and move around at home) and carried on waiting.’ Doing it your way For a woman, choosing a home birth is often a way of acknowledging your need for privacy, security, comfort, safety, control, freedom and respect for the emotional and spiritual aspects of birth. Perhaps you had a bad experience in hospital and don’t want a repeat performance. You may want to avoid unnecessary interventions, or see the birth as a family event to be shared by your nearest and dearest. Annica Odina had her second baby at home in a relaxed atmosphere ‘In early labour I cooked dinner and washed the dishes while my contractions increased in intensity. Then my husband and I went for a walk in the cool night air. When we got home I thought a hot bath would move things along so my husband ran the water, lit candles, and put on some soft music.’
Instead of speeding things up, Annica’s contractions stopped while she was in the bath. ‘When this happens in hospital,’ says Beverly Beech, ‘there’s a tendency to panic and use drugs to keep labour moving along at a steady pace.
In fact, Annica did use the time to rest and half an hour later her contractions began again, longer and stronger than before. Annica’s husband continued to give support and he was there to cut the umbilical cord as their daughter, Amanda was born to the strains of
Home birth isn’t just a middle-class fad A pioneering group of midwives in South East London reserves most of its services for women usually denied the choice within the health service – ethnic minorities, ‘high risk’ women and those with mental or physical disabilities. A third of their clients are on benefits and many more are grappling with heavy socio-economic pressures, yet they have one of the highest home birth rates in the UK – a staggering 75%. In spite of overwhelming evidence on the safety of home birth, the issue continues to be debated ‘Ironically’, says Beverley Beech, ‘our experience is that women who choose a home birth are well informed about the safety aspects. They need to be because many practitioners ask them to justify their choice.’ Yet, the medical evidence, which is now substantial, shows that planned home births are among the safest births of all. In 1996, the British Medical Journal published a set of four research studies on home birth in the UK and other European countries. The overall conclusion was that for low-risk women, home birth is as safe, if not safer, than birth in hospital. In 1997, the National Birthday Trust Fund published the findings of their confidential enquiry into home births. This review compared women who had planned home births with those who had planned hospital births. The findings included:
If unforeseen problems do crop up in labour, women can be assured that their midwives are fully trained to cope In extreme circumstances help is just an ambulance-ride away at the local hospital. However, says Beverley Beech, such concerns need to be placed in context. ‘The vast majority of births, wherever they take place, proceed without any problems. While it is reassuring to know that your midwife is skilled in dealing with emergencies, the odds are that she will not have to use these skills.’ Home birth may not be for everyone but the option is important for a significant number of women who know that giving birth at home in familiar surroundings, in the company of your loved ones, in your own way and in your own time, can be an experience that enriches and strengthens the whole family. Useful Links
Home Birth Reference Site
AIMS
Birth Choice UK |