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Author
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Topic: VBAC but where?
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JenBen
Junior Member
Member # 520
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posted 21 September 2005 01:28 PM
Hi to all out there,
I have just found out I am pregnant again after an emergency C in Nov 2003. I definately want to try for a VBAC but I am not too sure of where to go.
A quick case history, last time I went into labour naturally at 42 weeks, my son was posterior and it took 33 hours to get to 4cm at which time I had an epidural and then progress to being fully 10cm, pushed for 2hours but no success and had the caesar after 44 hours of labour. It turned out that his head was not even in the canel and so the Caesar definately saved our lives.
What was really bad however was that hospital policy at King Edward meant that I was separated from him for several hours after the birth because they have no antenatal staff in the recovery room, even through he was fine.
I then had a break down in the caesar wound which lewft me with a big open hole in my guts for 6 weeks.
I have phoned around and found out that the only Perth hospital (that I am aware of) that allows you to take the baby into recovery (unless the is something wrong with the baby) is Woodside Hospital.
Does anyone have any experience with them, are they pro VBAC? Are there any other alternatives in Perth?
Jennie
Posts: 5 | From: perth | Registered: Sep 2005
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<Janet from Joyous Birth>
unregistered
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posted 22 September 2005 03:43 PM
Hi and congratulations on your pregnancy and having a birth to look forward to!
Some of your other options are support from the Community Midwifery Programme to labour at home and then birth in a hospital. Your safest option is to birth with an independent MW because they practice evidence based care and have very low rates of c-sec and very high rates of birth after surgery, much higher than hospitals and very much higher than Obs who really just surgeons anyway. Hiring a doula if you choose the complex path of hospital birth is utterly essential. They ought to be compulsory for what they help women achieve.
So you do have many options, and I hope you'll investigate them all thoroughly! I feel that if I don't know ALL my options, I don't have ANY!
I hope you have a beautiful birth ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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JenBen
Junior Member
Member # 520
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posted 23 September 2005 01:49 PM
Thanks Janet for your reply, I didn't know I could have a independent midwife at the hospital, I am following your advice and looking into it as that would be a good solution. A doula would be great but my partner and I are both students and in the public health system so not affordable.
In the case of the independent midwife helping you birth at the hospital, are they in control with the hospital staff as back up?
Cheers Jennie
Posts: 5 | From: perth | Registered: Sep 2005
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<Janet from Joyous Birth>
unregistered
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posted 23 September 2005 06:47 PM
Hi
Unless otherwise organised, and you would have to check with the MW, independent MWs have no rights in the hospy. She would be more like a doula in her rights and obligations than your primary carer. I've known women to get a place with the community midwifery service with a VBAC and take the MW to hospy but I don't know what the arrangements were. Your safest and most empowering birth would be at home. It can be pricey but many health funds cover all or part of it, the baby bonus covers it and gives you change! Also, MWs don't ask for lump sums but are happy to accept installments over time usually finishing after the birth. All you can do is call a few and ask. In terms of expense, I ask myself can I afford to NOT birth at home given that the safety and care are so very much superior to anything hospitals do? I wish you well with it and please feel free to contact me if you want any info. A VBAC is "just" a birth according to the evidence of many years but hospitals make it sound dangerous and complicated. It's just not! I would sell body parts on eBay to afford a midwife of my own.
A student doula would be very cheap or free and not so hard to find if you know where to look. And I do ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
sheelnagig@hotmail.com is my email addy
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Shelley
Junior Member
Member # 393
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posted 29 September 2005 10:08 AM
Hi Jennie
It is true that birthing with an independent midwife is great - I did it 11 weeks ago at home and it was wonderful. However, unfortunately due to some major changes in the way the health department is managing Community Midwifery, they are no longer able to take VBAC women. It is a real shame. But don't despair!! Some of the midwives will work privately and do homebirth VBAC. If you do go to a hospital they cannot be your main carer, due to hospital policy. They can be with you at all times though, and be your support person and advocate. This is just as important!
On the topic of having the baby in recovery - I was booked into KEMH as a back up for my recent home birth and if I had needed to go there, they were happy for me to have my baby in recovery. they have a new Director of Obstetrics there called Dr Anne Karczub. She was very supportive of VBAC, and was willing to negotiate with me on some of their policy items. For example, I didn't want continuous monitoring and she was happy for me to have intermittent monitoring, with continuous monitoring only when I was lying down. I just planned to not lie down! I negotiated a few other things like time limits and I felt that if I had needed to go there, KEMH would have been quite a good place to have a VBAC. I know your experience there was not great, but perhaps with this new doctor things have changed since you were there.
I have heard good things about Woodside too. Just make sure you don't get Dr O'Donovan. He has a very high caesarean rate, even though it is a public hospital.
hope this helps
Shelley
Posts: 5 | From: Perth, Australia | Registered: Sep 2003
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Shelley
Junior Member
Member # 393
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posted 29 September 2005 10:11 AM
Me again....don't forget that the government will pay you approx. $3000 for the birth of your baby. If you want to engage an independent midwife you can use this maternity payment to cover the cost. It costs about $2200 for an independent midwife. It is WELL worth the money and I think its actually really cheap for the great service you get!
Posts: 5 | From: Perth, Australia | Registered: Sep 2003
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JenBen
Junior Member
Member # 520
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posted 01 October 2005 12:22 PM
Hi Shelly,
Sad news about the community midwifery programme, I was really hoping for that option. We are going to need most of the money after the babe is born just to get by as we are surviving on centrelink payments at the moment (both students) through I am applying for a scholarship, if I do get it I will try a independent midwife.
That is great news about King Edward, I had a really horrible time there which was a large part due to the insensitivity of the doctors and the staff rotation. I was there for a week and I had a different set of midwifes everyday, there was no continuity of staff at all. They cared for the body but not for the mind.
The worst experience was two days after the birth my caesar scar started seaping blood. The doctor came to check it and without warning either me or the midwife on duty just pulled the whole thing open and left me lying in a pool of blood for 15mins until the poor, rather horrified nurse could organise the bandages and pain killers I then needed, which if he had warned her could have been ready.
I will never go back to King Edward, but I hope the care improves there so other women do not get as emotionally damaged as me.
I was thinking of hiring a doula now the midwife option is no longer available, I just want one person who I know will be there from beginning to end, and help me negiote the murky territory of Hospital policy. I just beginning to look into it.
Cheers Jennie
Posts: 5 | From: perth | Registered: Sep 2005
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JenBen
Junior Member
Member # 520
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posted 01 October 2005 12:30 PM
Hi Again,
Thanks for the tip on Dr O'Donovan, another caesar is the last thing I want. I have heard of a very good doctor at Woodside whose name I temporary can't remember, a indian chap Anish ? who apparently supports HVBAC, which shows that he is pretty supportive. I am not sure if I will be able to pick which doc I get as a public patient however. Scary. like a game of russian roulette.
On the homebirth thing, not only can we not afford it, but I am just not game after last time. My caesar saved our lives as horrible as it was.
Jennie
Posts: 5 | From: perth | Registered: Sep 2005
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