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Home Birth

• Benefits of homebirth
• Who can have a homebirth
• What do you need for a home birth
• When to call the midwife
• Painrelief

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Waterbirth

• Benefits of waterbirth
  

Pain Relief

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Opposition Homebirth

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When to call the midwife immediately?

There are cases where you need to call the midwife immediately.

Without trying to scare you, you do need to know about the situations where medical help is needed urgently. (and where unfortunately you can forget about your homebirth)

Call your midwife when:

If you are less than 36 weeks pregnant and:

• you have had regular contractions for an hour (about 8 or more in an hour) even when resting
• you have unexplained low back pain or pelvic pressure.
• the baby has stopped moving or is moving less than normal.
• you have intestinal cramping, with or without diarrhea.
• you have uterine tenderness, unexplained fever, or weakness (possible symptoms of infection).

At any time in your pregnancy:

• Your waters go with a gush and you know the baby's head to be high or not fixed in the pelvis. There is a slight risk that the cord may prolapse (descend before the head) and become compressed against the bony pelvis by the head. This will cut the supply of oxygen to the baby. This does hardly ever happen and most often in premature or induced labour.
• An increase or gush of fluid from your vagina. A leak of amniotic fluid is easily confused with bladder weakness.
• Your waters go and the fluid is coloured or contains lumps (especially when greeny-black). This could indicate meconium in the water what means the baby could be in distress. (Lightly meconium stained fluid alone does not indicate a requirement for continuous electronic fetal monitoring. So this means you do not necessarily need to be transferred to hospital, and if so, you can ask to move freely rather than be attached to monitors.
• Bleeding or spotting from your vagina.

Please be assured that most women do not have any of the above. But should you do, the doctor or midwife will be able to advice you and give you the appropriate care.