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Women should have birth choice

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
From the BBC:

Women in England and Wales should be able to choose where they give birth, NHS advisers suggest

What do people think?

I was a little disturbed by this: And Health Minister Ivan Lewis told the BBC he believed the evidence that hospital was safer than home was "flimsy".

There still need to be more studies done, but I was under the impression that raw figures show a higher rate of infant mortality across the board even in studies such as Patricia Janssen's study, "Outcomes of Planned Home Births vs Planned Hospital Births in British Columbia (CMAJ, 2002)" (although I'd need a bit of backup on this as the study itself had a lot of criticism).

To be honest, wherever a woman wants to give birth is her choice, so long as she's aware of any anticipated risks and benefits. And she should be aware that even with the healthiest of pregnancies, you can't predict something going wrong (e.g. prolapsed cord, meconium aspiration, shoulder dystocia etc). But I can't help thinking this is being encouraged due to staff shortages, cutbacks in an attempt to ease the load and save money rather than what's in the interest of pregnant women and their infants.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I do think they should have more choice but I think there are more urgent health matters that should be put first.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Once again these NHS "advisors" have come up with something really obvious...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It has resource implications because of the one-to-one midwife ratio for home births.

    And for all the happy stories of giving birth with ease in the comfort of your home, we must not forget that it was not so long ago that death in childbirth was not uncommon.

    I think there is a marked dichomotomy between those who want as little medical intervention as possible during pregnancy and those who want all the pain relief and close observation (and peace of mind) that comes with a hospital birth supervised by obstetricians.

    Personally, I think home births are fine for low risk women and they should be available. But women (and their partners) should be made aware of the pros and cons of such a decision. And the chance of being rushed to hospital if something doesn't go according to plan.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To my understanding to give consent the person has to have a full understanding of the benefits and risks of the procedure. I wouldn't have thought that it was unreasonable to extend this to birth and inform parents of all the pros and cons and offer them the options with all the information.h
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i find it a bit disturbing too, because of serious things like the placenta rupturing and things like that
    i also think it may be because of staff shortages too, yet the birth rate is supposed to be falling?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the evidence that hospital was safer than home was "flimsy".

    How stupid.
    It is safer to have a baby in hospital, doesn't take a genius to work it out.
    If had James at home chances are both of us would have died. I'm glad i went to hospital where everything was on hand when i needed it.
    I had to have a very rushed emergency c-section, can't do that at home can they?!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There should definitely be freedom of choice as long as the mother and baby are not considered to be high-risk. Informed choice is definitely imperative, with all avenues being explored and explained to the parents and the midwife and other medical professionals having some input too if they believe it necessary.

    There are no guarantees though, of course, and even if a home birth is decided upon and everything expected to be fine it can go very wrong. My sister in law planned out a home water birth with her midwife and after all her excitement about having a drug-free birth in familiar surroundings she and the baby ended up being rushed into hospital with serious complications which was incredibly distressing for everyone involved. She was considered to be low-risk and no one could've predicted the problems encountered, it was just unfortunate and luckily upon being admitted to hospital everything was fine.

    Of course women need to have choices and be able to feel in control of the situation; which is helped most by being in an environment you feel comfortable in. As long as the mother understands the advantages [and disadvantages] of each scenario I don't see how it can be a bad thing except for the potentially problematic staffing and resource issues. Hmm.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    go away wrote:
    I was a little disturbed by this: And Health Minister Ivan Lewis told the BBC he believed the evidence that hospital was safer than home was "flimsy".
    Kentish wrote:
    we must not forget that it was not so long ago that death in childbirth was not uncommon.
    Tweety wrote:
    It is safer to have a baby in hospital, doesn't take a genius to work it out.

    Y'all might be interested in this and this, which may give you an indictaion on what the NICE Guidance will say.

    Home births have a role, but as the DRs here will know birth is a matter of life and death. Every single time. And that's the life of both mother and child here.

    My wife was low risk and nearly bled out. My sister in law was low risk, until pre-eclampsia set in.

    Personally, should I be fortunate enough to have more kids, I will encourage my wife to go to hospital. Not that she will need much persuasion.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yep should have the choice of where you want yiour baby to be born, in the old days plenty used to do it at home, as long as they are waware of eventual risks and all it should be their choice to make... Mind you I think choices like thaty should be made by the dad and mum and not only from the mum... When it comes to pregnancy men seems to always be cut out of the decisions to be made...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I dont see the problem tbh. Theyre talking about giving women choice - not about MAKING them have home births.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I dont see the problem tbh. Theyre talking about giving women choice - not about MAKING them have home births.

    but they get that now don't they? Only difference is now the women aren't given enough information.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Tweety wrote:
    but they get that now don't they? Only difference is now the women aren't given enough information.

    In my experience, home-births aren't really presented as an option, more as something to be disuaded against should a parent bring it up. The most cost-efficent way of mass delivering babies would be by appointment for induced/c-section births probably,at least in terms of labour costs (tee hee, ok, I know I'm STILL not funny). Anyway, more information is always welcome and on a personal level, if I were having a low risk pregnancy I think I would rather plan for a home birth.
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