Would you be comfortable with this?

[gratefulmum]

Alright, so my dh is on board with homebirth because, as he puts it "We're going to end up doing what you want to anyway." He doesn't say this negatively, he just knows I'm headstrong and will bombard him with facts and talks until he gives. So now, I only have one hold-up.
We live 30 minutes from the closest maternity care hospital, and 14 minutes from the nearest hospital. The MW has said that I would transfer to the far one if there was a problem during labor, but I infer that if the baby had a problem after birth, and I was fine, that we could transport to the closer one.
My question is... Would this be a comfortable travel distance for you?

I asked the MW already, and she said yes, although further than 30minutes would be unacceptable.

Oh, and seeing as we live in the desert and the baby is due in August, tourist season will definitely be closed, and the roadways should be thourougly passable.

Any thoughts?

[myhoneyswife]

Yup. We were in a similar situation and we UCd. Realistically, if baby had had a problem, they would have transported us ASAP to the big hosp (an hour + away by car) via helicopter, but we would have shown up to the small hospital for whatever they could do.

[velcromom]

Yes. We are about that same distance from our local hospital, and helicopter transport is available to the big hospitals downtown. It helped us a lot to question the mw about the usual nature of transfers. In nearly a thousand births she's had less than a handful of true emergency transfers. Most happen with much less urgency, for exhaustion or pain relief. Plus if you are headed to the OR, you can call ahead and let them know to start prepping for you.

[Peony]

Yes, we lived a good 40 minutes from the hospital when DD2 was born. I was comfortable with the distance, DH was a little unsure but in the end was ok with it.

[aylaanne]

I live more than 20 minutes away from the nearest maternity hospital and over 30 away from the hospital I prefer. My MWs are supremely confident about the travel if we should need to TTH. I think you'll be fine, just make sure that there's a car with gas in it and a good driver in case you need one.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

That's the same as the situation I was in as well, and I also had a UC. There is no distance from the hospital that would make me give birth in one on purpose.

[AngieB]

We are about 30 min from the hospital and MW doesn't like to do births that are any farther than that. To make both yourself and dh feel better you could also check with the local fire/ambulance and see how long there response time is, they may be a good option if there is a real emergency instead of driving yourself to the hospital.

[momto l&a]

We are about 30 minutes from the nearest hospital that that doesnt have a NICU.
NICU is maybe an hour+

Doesnt bother me nor does it my mw.

[Jimibell]

In her book, "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth", Henci Goer says that for an HBAC you should be within 20 minutes of a hospital that can perform an emergency c-section around the clock (ie: have in-house OBs and anesthesiologists and 24 hr blood banking) also it should have a level II nursery......
IMHO, even though you're a little out of that time range, if your mw is saying it's OK I would go for it.......at home you won't have people working against your plans to birth vaginally....

[FreeRangeMama]

There is no distance from the hospital that would make me give birth in one on purpose.

:

[mrsalf97]

We are about 45 minutes from a hospital, but I'm ok with it.

[gratefulmum]

Okay! I'm feeling stronger now. (insert Rosie the Riveter WWII poster smilie here)
AngieB: I think I will check with the ambulance service on response times. Oh, and repaint the house numbers on our curb.
So, yeah I will call the MW today and seal the deal.
I think I do need to make the decision though, that after I have mapped out all the what-if's and precautionary steps we will take, I will take the POA, put it away in a handy folder, and not look at it again. I will go forth in strength and assuredness and with the belief that everything will go even better than planned.

[Gray's Mommy]

i think that is a fine distance.

[AugustLia23]

Yes, I would be okay with it. Most of the time everyone is just fine, but a good midwife should be able to tell pretty early on when something is turning awry and act appropriately.

[rere]

There was a thread with an artical in it that said it takes 30 minutes to prep the OR anyways.So even if you were in a hospital bed it would be 30 min.

[Doula Gina]

I'd do it. And since I live in an area where there is HEAVY traffic on Cinco de Mayo and it is possible I could have the baby that day and I'm the same distance from a close hospital...I'd still do it.

I think it takes LONGER for an OR to be prepped when you're laboring in the hospital - the staff have the illusion that they have it all under control there...

But most importantly, how do YOU feel about it?

[2+twins]

I'd be fine with that. For my homebirths, I lived approx. 30 minutes from the hospital I'd xfer to unless it was a totally time-sensitive emergency (then I'd go to the local ER which was very close).

[ScarletBegonias]

Originally Posted by SublimeBirthGirl

There is no distance from the hospital that would make me give birth in one on purpose.

same here!

[goodearthmama]

I wouldn't worry. We are 25 minutes from one hospital (last choice) and about 40 from the better choice with maternity care. However, I think the transit time would be close to half that time in an emergency situation as those are normal driving times and traffic is not an issue in Mississippi just distance.

In regards to the c-sect. in under 30 minutes...
I can't seem to find where I first found it in trying to reassure my IL's that we were not to far out in the boonies, but there was a statistic from a research study done on how long it took to get a c-sec regardless of whether the woman was in the hospital or an emergency transfer situation, I believe it was around 45% that got in under 45 minutes. It really was not that quick of a process. Maybe 15% in 30 minutes... I'll try to find it again instead of relying on my pregnant memory.

Also, most homebirth statistics report such few emergency transfer situations compared to the successful normal birth. I know with my mw, most of her transfers (which is not too many) are non-emergency.