Navigating Homebirth to Hospital Transfer #041

Dr Abby Dennis, OB-GYN, Ray Rachlin, CPM of Refuge Midwifery, & Maggie Runyon, RNC-OB come together to explore the realities of transferring from a planned homebirth to the hosital.
Hospital transfers are at times a necessary and expected part of thriving homebirth care models. Recognizing this and the unpredictability of birth that will sometimes necessitate a change in plans can prepare us to view a homebirth transfer as a variation of normal rather than a fraught situation to be avoided at all costs.

Our biases around homebirth transfers to hospital are often reinforced by negative experiences. Many hospital-based birth professionals are only familiar with homebirth in the context of when things go awry and a transfer is needed, which reinforces a belief that homebirth is unsafe and needlessly risky. Similarly, when community midwives & birthworkers do not have relationships with hospital-based providers outside of the transfer environment there is limited time to establish shared beliefs.

Join Abby, Ray, & Maggie this week as we explore:

~When & how to transfer to preserve vaginal birth

~Routine vs emergent transfers

~Adversarial relationships between homebirth & hospital providers

~System challenges in the US that preclude collaborative relationships

~Establishing mutual trust & respect to avoid care delays

~Promoting physical, mental, & emotional safety during a transfer

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