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Homebirth: Postcode
5084
Year of baby's birth
2022
Satisfaction with care from midwives:
Satisfaction with care from obstetricians:
Satisfaction with care from GP:
Satisfaction with quality of processes/facilities:
Satisfaction with birth experience overall:
Model of care
Private midwife
Why did you choose this model of care?
I wanted a homebirth and this was my only option as a vbac mum, and I also wanted I wanted a physiological birth and knew this was statistically my best option. My first birth was through my local MGP and had left me with PTSD and I was willing to go to any length to have a birth that protected my mental health.
What were your choices for this birth?
Water immersion for labour and birth, Support for normal vaginal birth, Homebirth with a registered private midwife, Unmedicalised birth process, Birth support team of my choice (no visitor restrictions), Vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC)
How did your birth start?
Spontaneous labour (started naturally)
What were your outcomes?
Attended by my known midwife/doctor, Staff I didn't know attending me, Prevented from having birth support team of my choice, Water immersion for labour, CTG monitoring (continuous monitoring of baby's heartbeat), Epidural, Episiotomy, Vaginal birth, Vaginal Birth after Caesaren (VBAC), Special care nursery/NICU stay for baby, Breastfeeding difficulties, Obstetric violence (eg denied care, forced into decisions, touched without consent, yelled at)
Details of experience
My experience with my private midwife was amazing. My pregnancy was incredible and I felt so supported and in control the whole time. My labour was the same - surrounded and supported by the most amazing team. When I felt that something was wrong, I had a cervical check and we found my daughter was face presenting. After trying many other options, we came to a decision that I felt fully at peace with to transfer to hospital. Unfortunately at the hospital a number of concerning things happened, including a lack of consent around my third stage. I did have an amazing vbac, but it has been hard to come to terms with the way I was treated to get it. To make matters worse, I was coerced into letting my daughter be taken away from me by a paediatrician who made it clear that she hated homebirth. She was homophobic, told lies about me to other staff, and as a result my baby was treated as if I had gestational diabetes (which I didn’t) and my baby suffered because of her actions, and ended up in hospital for 2 nights.