What an ignorant consultant! First of all his reason for not 'allowing' a homebirth is completely ridiculous, secondly: where you birth is completely up to you, you definetely don't need a consultant's approval!

If you would like more info on homebirth check out http://www.homebirth.org.uk, especially the 'you can't have a homebirth because..' section may be useful for you!

There's also a related yahoo group (homebirth uk) with lots of support!

I had my first baby at home last June, and it was absolutely amazing. I went into labour at exactly 41 weeks, which is when they OFFER (even though it doesn't always sound that way...) a sweep - which I would have declined anyway.

Good luck!

Hi i had an experience with  a consultant recently who gave me information that was so wrong and untrue that i have since refused to see her for the duration of my pregnancy and i am putting in a complaint. I am having a VBAC this time and I am now planning a homebirth because of the attitude of that consultant and the hospital she works for as i feel i would be completely undermined and pressured into having procedures i do not agree with or want. The attitude of your doctor is disgusting but unfortunately not uncommon -  maybe you could put in a formal complaint? I would contact the hospital, the Royal College of Obstrtricians and Gyneocologists (RCOG) and AIMS. There seems to be a real problem in the way consultants deal with patients across the board - whether or not it would be unadvisable for you to have a homebirth is irrelevant - he had no right to make that decision for you.

I think consultants sometimes confuse themselves with God.

It's one thing sitting and discussing the reasons why the consultant recommends not having a homebirth and doing a "risk assessment" in your own mind, absorbing everything they say, and then going away and making an informed decision. That's good. Being told you're NOT having a homebirth, full stop, is bad!

You stick to your guns! You're obviously well-informed and in tune with your own body & feelings, and realise that they may be risks and would deal with them correctly.

I'm a Doula and I would never, ever, put one of my mums at risk - and I would NEVER interfere with medical decisions - just as long as they are proper MEDICAL decisions, not decisions made just for the benefit of the medical team. Of course they may be times when a homebirth is not possible, and as long as the reasoning is sound, I would accept that. Why are so many consultants men???!!!

hi i think this is so bad.im only normally between 7 and 7 1/2 stone and my midwife has not said anything to me about not having baby at home.this is my 3rd baby and i fully intend on havnig it at home regardless of what other people think.yes if there is something wrong then im all for going to hospital.i was 16 when i had my 1st homebirth and the consultant i saw tried to make me have a short hospital stay but i said not but he did not talk over me and did not insist i was not haviong a homebirth.i went on the have a second homebirth at 18 my dd got stuck but i still had her at home and i was not transfered to hospital.they know about this and it might make the doctors want me to have a hospital birth but they wont know if this baby gets stuck untill its heads out.well done u for sticking to ur guns.also i would put a complaint in about his attitude towards u.its ur body and ur baby.

hun your consultant is laughable at his ignorance.

i had the same problem with my last pregnancy they were terrible even went  so far as to tell me i was 'stupid for giving birth at home with my last one as she was 9lb4' as if i knew what size she would be before she was born!!!! lol.

dont let them intimidate you and demand another consultant if you are not happy preferably one who is a bit more hb friendly which is hard to find sadly but as my consultant said to me early on he cant endorse hb because he only sees the negative side to them basically when women have to transfer in an emergency so how on earth can they comment when they dont have a balanced argument??

i was actually suprised this time around as my team have been very supportive!! right from the start (and i was prepared for another fight) and fingers crossed my hb is finally sorted as the consultants have handed me over to the hb team and i will be 37 weeks tommorow. had to laugh at him though bless him he was all panicky saying 'you must promise to come in though at the first sign of there being any problems' as if i wouldnt?? he even wrote on my notes for mw to 'keep checking bp' my mw laughed today saying 'they think we are stupid and dont have any faith in mw at all especially when it comes to homebirths' ....they dont exactly need telling to keep an eye on a pregnant womans bp.

to be honest though even if i went into labour now at 36+6 i would tell them i am staying at home because its my right to do so. if i were you i would write all over my notes where he has written 'NO HOMEBIRTH'  with the words 'NOT YOUR DECISION'

end of the day they cannot stop you from having a birth and your doc was bang out of order telling you that you are not allowed a homebirth as nobody has the right to tell you what to do you dont need anyones permission.

dont give up hun there is no reason why you couldnt have a perfect homebirth.

Ohhh i went to see my Mw today and told her that i would be having a home birth, i was ready for any negative comments. She asked me why i wanted one so i told her and she just nodded. I told her i was having a birthing pool and she just laughed which peed me off, she asked which pool i was having so explained that it would be the La Bassine, she seemed to like that one. Then she went on to say that i would NOT be allowed a home birth before 37 weeks (i just smiled at that) and that if i went over i would have to go into hospital and they would give me a sweep, (dont think so). If at any point there are problems with the baby etc then of course i will go into hospital but as yet all is fine and im sticking with my homebirth and my plans.

Sorry for the rant but i feel that this is our time and our babys and we must do what we want. xx

Exactly and 80 % of births have problems only because of the over intervertion of medical staff and issues anyway.

What are they like, eh?  There are so many people that are told they can't because their BMI is too high and now too low!!  I looked at my sheet and it flagged issues of BMI Under 18, and as yours is 18 I shouldn't think it's a worry.  You sound like a fit and healthy lass with a fast metabloic rate!

The line I like is when they tell you that you can't.  Smile sweetly, and say 'Thank you for your input - I will consider it carefully when I decide where to give birth' Consultants really do think they are gods gift to childbirth - truth is they only ever see the nasty scary end of childbirth when interevention has taken placed and they have to save lives. 

You are better off at home!

Sarah x

Thanks for that, I will keep that under my hat. I work at a maternity unit so I will be taking everything I need for a homebirth with me when I go on maternituy leave. If nessasary I will do at home and call the midwife at the last min.

ur not unreasonable at all hun

i had a mw yesterday sayin i was only allowed a hb from 37 weeks... i told her that legally i have the right to give birth where I choose (no-one else) and that they HAVE to attend me else its lack of care and i can sue them. (im actually havign one form 35+3)

if u wanta hb hun telle m u know ur rights and that if they refuse to send a mw out to you you will sue them for negligence and lack of care... that'll put the boot up their arse

xxx

My midwife refered me to the consultant as my BMI is only 18. I am competely healthy and have always been thin (7 stone). Midwife said that everything would be ok and that he would just offer me another scan and all would be normal.

When I got there today he was pleasent to start with...then he went on to say...." your BMI is fine for you, It wont casue you any problems at all. Your previous pregnancy and baby were fine and there is no reason to think otherwise with this one, we will scan you again at 28 weeks anyway.............but your NOT having a home birth".

I was quite shocked at this, after saying there was no problems and eveything was fine, he did not even say "i think/recommend" he just your NOT having one. When I asked why he replied saying "if you needed a peadiatric team then they wouldnt be there at your home!", I replie with "well they are not at anyones home!". Then he just started talking over me like a was a child.

I tried to tell him that I woul be quite sensible and if baby was big/small/breech or anything then i would go to hospital. And that wit a 7 hour first time labour and only gas and air that I would be much happier at home....but h just kept talking over me. The fact that I live right next to (literally) the ambulance station and the hospital is less than 5 mins away in a car, I am not worried at all about home birth.

The consultant then wrote all over my notes NO HOMEBIRTH, NO BITHING AT HOME etc, so I have gone through them and written "still having one" next to it.

I have an appointment with my midwife next week and will be telling her that I intend fullyy to have a homebirth if the 28 week scan is well. I will contact them when I am in labour and it wil be up to them if they send anyone.

Am i being un-reasonable, has anyone else had this trouble?