Persistent retroverted uterus/using a birth pool at my local hospital...?

OK in order :-)

1) I prefer a dr. near by in case medical intervention needs to take place. I live a street away from the hospital and I am going to have another hospital birth. But it is a personal preference. Do what you think is best for you, your partner and the baby. For me you are making the right choice since the hospital is so far away.

2) I don't see why you couldn't as long as your water hasn't broken. They may not let you if your water breaks though, some hospitals are pretty strict about it because of the chance of infection. You could always call the hospital and ask the birthing unit what there policy is on the use of the birth pool.

3) I have a very tilted uterus that is heart shaped. The orginally thought I had a wall down the middle (bicornute sp?) but a test showed that was wrong. It caused for a harder delivery with my first and she got stuck and they needed to use the vaccuum to get her out. I asked my ob last week what my chances are of it happening again and he said slim. My daughter would have paved the way for any next child I have and it should hopefully go much easier this time around.

hope this helps!

The hospital is 45 minutes away, but how close is the nearest ambulance station? I'm a big fan of homebirths, they have been proven statistically to lower the chances of intervention and assistance in birth - if you are covered in case of emergency and you are technically 'low risk', then I still say go for it.

As for the pool, yes you can use it for pain relief (I spent most of both of my labours in the bath), although I wouldn't be surprised if they have trained up some midwives in water births, or recruited someone who is trained, by the time you go there in July. Most PCTs are keen to encourage and assist 'natural' childbirths, and they're recieving more and more pressure to update their facilities and staff.

I'm afraid I don't know about your third question - although I do know that second births are less likely to be assisted, I'm not sure about what happens when their is a medical reason for it. But I hope not!

Good luck.

Experience shows that the first pregnancy is usually the most likely to go wrong, so for that reason you should have yourself in the best situation to access adequate emergency care. I know a home birth is so tempting, and if one could be guaranteed nothing would go wrong, then that would be my first choice too.. but I would be concerned more for the health of the baby in case something goes wrong with no medical professionals around, and no specialist equipment available. Maybe a private birthing suite in a hospital is a good compromise. For second and third children, etc, home births would be more appealing, as they are less likely to strike problems. Speak to your doctor or gyn/ob and ask for their feedback on how well your pregnancy is going, then make a decision.