Care in Labour - Home Birth

I am happy to provide care in labour at your home birth, on the following understanding:

• You have received standard antenatal care, and will receive postnatal care from your NHS community midwives.
• You have booked a home birth with your NHS community midwives. I do not mind if you call me first, or only if they are not available.
• You have had at least one antenatal consultation with me, preferrably more than one, and ideally you will be attending my Love Lessons and/or Norwich Birth Group meetings as well, so we can get to know each other and establish a trusting relationship.
• If you feel your labour is rapidly progressing and I might not get to you on time, you must be willing to call your NHS ambulance service or community midwives.
• If your labour lasts more than 18-24 hours, I may need to hand over to your NHS community midwives. We will decide together if this is the safest and most appropriate thing to do.
• You have received and read, with your partner or birth supporter, my letter about my lack of intrapartum (labour) professional indemnity insurance, and what this means for you.
• My fee for this service is £700, due at the time of service provision. If you do not use my services, no fees are due.
• I will attend as a sole, independent midwife, and will not normally call a second midwife to attend, unless agreed upon in advance.
  
• I will carry all equipment a midwife is expected to carry to a home birth.  I carry Entonox, oxygen, vitamin K (oral and injection), syntocinon and syntometrine, and am able to confidently suture if required.  I do not carry pethidine.
  
• I will support your natural coping abilities in a variety of ways, including labour massage, aromatherapy and reflexology, if you find them useful, and according to your wishes based upon our antenatal discussions.
  
• Following the birth, when all is well and you and baby are settled, I will inform your NHS community midwives and hand over to them for postnatal care. I will also register the birth, inform your GP and the local NHS Head of Midwifery (this is standard practice).
  

Keep in mind, the more notice you give me, the more likely I am to be able to attend. I am happy for you to phone me at any hour on my mobile (07947819122), and I am happy for you to give me advanced notice that you may be phoning (eg. when you are in early labour), even if you intend to use the NHS community midwives if they are available.

If you would like to discuss this service further, please phone to arrange an antenatal consultation (£50 home visit; £45 at holistic clinic).  Alternatively, you may like to meet me informally at the Baby Garden.

Please note:  I am insured through the Royal College of Nurses to provide antenatal and postnatal care, and antenatal education, as a self-employed midwife.  Professional Indemnity Insurance for care during labour is currently not available for Independent Midwives.  Therefore, like all IM's, I work without insurance when I attend home births.  More information is available from the IMUK website.