The Perfect Birth

What does perfect birthing mean to you? 

 

Each Mother is unique, every birth is unique so it is impossible to generalise about the perfect birth. For some it may be a natural birth, a medicated birth, a water birth, a hospital birth, an active birth, a caesarean birth or a home birth.

A perfect birth would be one where the Mother-to-be has a choice. From the first choices she makes about how…where… and when… she is going to birth her baby - through to point that she is left to get on with motherhood.

Imagine a birth where you truly feel in control. You are confident enough to question the decisions of your midwife. You feel empowered to bring your baby into the world in your way. You remain calm throughout labour regardless of whether the reality of birth meets your expectations.

The phrase ‘knowledge is power’ springs to mind. For those women who want to take control of their own birth experience; knowing about how the birthing body works and the birth process will contribute towards a positive experience. 

A perfect birth would be cherished and remembered with warmth and pride. Birth is one of life’s greatest gifts and for many women one of the most amazing moments of their life. A birth where Mum would look back and say she would do it all again tomorrow.

For more information about Natal Hypnotherapy™ please see www.calmandcontentedhypnotherapy.co.uk

 

Poulton-le-Fylde: Home Birth or Hospital Birth

Poulton-le-Fylde: Home Birth or Hospital Birth

 

Are you a pregnant Mum living in the Poulton-le-Fylde area making a decision about where to have your baby?

Location can be a major factor when you are deciding where to give birth.



 
If you choose to have a home birth, Blackpool Victoria Hospital is only 10/15 minutes away on a clear run. So if you changed your mind or needed to be transferred to hospital - medical assistance isn't far away.

Whilst you may understand the implications of having a gentle and uninterrupted home birth for some women, especially women who are pregnant for the first time a hospital birth is the preferred option.

New 'Midwife-led' Units at Blackpool Victoria Hospital

You will be pleased to hear that in January 2013 Blackpool Victoria Hospital was awarded £680,000 to invest in a new midwife led unit. Work has started and it is expected that the unit will be open very soon. Ask you local midwife for more details.

A midwife-led unit is designed to simulate a home from home environment and is geared to allowing births to unfold naturally and normally. A midwife-led unit should also be more receptive to complementary therapies, hypnosis for birth and pool birth.

Nicola Parry, Head Midwife, Blackpool Victoria Hospital:

 "This will enable women and their families to have the optimum birth experience with reduced intervention but within a hospital environment, so specialist help is on hand if needed"

Blackpool Victoria Midwife-led Unit

This article reports there will be

• 2 Additional Pools for Water Birth
• 4 Ensuite Birthing ooms
• 1 to 1 Midwife Care during Labour 

 

Excellent Birth News for women in Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde

 

Blackpool Home & Hospital Birth

"Mother gave birth on her own bathroom floor after midwives said she was only in 'early stages' of labour"

This must have been such a shock. The couple were planning a hospital birth and they ended up facing an emergency situation. Completely unprepared and completely emotionally involved.


Immensely stressful and understandably upsetting.


I wanted to blog about this article because it sends three messages to pregnant women.

1. Trust your body
2. Birth can be unpredicatable
3. Planned home births and Unplanned home births are different things.

Trust your body

 

It is common practice to be sent home from hospital if you are in the early stages of labour. However, if you feel as if the baby is on his way - trust your body. Birth can progress really quickly for some women, especially it is a second or third baby.


The Father in this article said:

"Vanessa knew she was going into labour and I thought it was pretty obvious she was too - we’re experienced with pregnancies, especially since she’s already given birth to her two sons"

Birth can be unpredicatable

 

Expect the unexpected! Even the most experienced medical staff can be taken off guard. Without details it is difficult to know what 'actually' happened in this case. Mistakes may have been made. Or maybe it was the comfort & safety of returning home which accelerated the labour?

An ' unplanned home birth' isn't the same as a 'planned home birth'

 

At first read, this article may put women off home birth. There is a massive difference in having a planned home birth where your midwife is in agreement and all the necessary practicalities have been take care of and a unplanned home birth which takes everyone by surprise.

Perhaps more women should consider having a planned home birth for second babies. Things do tend to progress quicker second time around. In a comfortable environment, the labouring women is free to fully relax and doesn't have to contend with the worries of transfering to hospital. Instead, she is free to fully concentrate on making the most of each contraction.

Once contractions are regular or a home birthing mother feels like she needs the assistance of a midwife. The call is made. The midwife arrives. The birthing mother has the undivided attention of the midwife until her baby is born.

Mothers have a choice about where they have their babies.

Sometimes Mother Nature has a say too.

Article: Blackpool Unplanned Home Birth

Home Birth Rights UK

Dutch Home Birth Findings

Further "Statistically Significant" Home Birth Findings...

The British Medical Journal have recently printed a new article looking at a Dutch study of Home versus Hospital births in the Netherlands. The study states:

 "For parous women the rate of severe acute maternal morbidity for planned home versus planned hospital birth was 1.0 versus 2.3 per 1000 births" 

 

Written in common language this means that the chances of things "going wrong" for a second time Mum is 1 in 1000 for home births and 2.3 in 1000 for hospital births.


Quoting from the RCOG website - Dr Tony Falconer, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said:

“The RCOG supports the choice of a home birth for low-risk women expecting a second or third baby.  This large study reiterates the findings from the Birthplace study which showed good outcomes for some low-risk women and their babies who delivered in either midwife-led units or at home. However, transfer rates to consultant-led units were high, particularly for first time mothers.

This study, which focused on maternal outcomes only, makes the case for an expansion of midwife-led units with appropriate midwifery staffing, alongside consultant obstetric units. This would improve women’s choices, in particular for women with a previous history of normal labour and good outcome. 

The rate of home birth in the UK (2%) is low in comparison to the Netherlands where the proximity to specialist services with short transfer times is the norm. The same advantages are not always available across the UK, so the safety of home birth has to be considered in the context of the availability of local services.

Our High Quality Women’s Health Care report emphasised the need for a reorganisation of women’s health services around clinical networks. There is a greater need for more services to be provided in the community for low-risk women. For more complex cases, women need access to units providing 24 hour consultant cover.”

Currently in the UK only 2.4% of births are planned at home, this is significantly less than the Netherlands at around 20%. This difference maybe to do with how confident women feel about transfer times to hospital and availability of local services & services in the community mentioned above.

Cultural Momentum

I think that cultural impact must also have an effect on the amount of women in the Netherlands choosing to have a home birth. The more women that give birth at home without complications, will lead to more women having the confidence to also have a home birth.


Nothing is guaranteed. The choice of a Home Birth is there, but you need to decide if it's the right thing for you...

• Talk to your midwife
• Consider whether it is your first or subsequent pregnancy
• Consider transfer times
• Consider the feelings and support of your birth partner

 
Click here for more on the Home versus Hospital Decision.

8 Considerations for Home Birth

Our birthing environment is one of the most important factors in having a comfortable and satisfying birth. A place where we feel safe to birth our baby.

 

The most common choice is hospital: women feel comfortable in a place where medical assistance is on hand - should there be an emergency, historically Mothers and Sisters have given birth in hospital and that's the norm, for some women their midwife may have advised that this is the best option.

There is no 'correct' place to birth, only a place that's right for you.

Natural or Medicalised Birth?

Women who want a home birth tend to favour natural birthing, they choose to stay away from hospitals as they feel once they are admitted into the hospital system they are drawn into medical policy & procedure and that they will have a greater chance of medical intervention - induction, forceps, c-section and so on. That said, there is an effort by many midwives to become more women-centred, especially in midwife-led birthing centres.

Some women like to 'nest', in order to make their birthing environment as perfect as they can - using lighting, music, oils, bedding and other home comforts. Hospitals can be accommodating, but there is no getting away from the fact it is a medical setting with strip lights, uniforms, clip boards, medical equipment etc...

Question: What comes to mind when you think 'hospital'?

Answer 1: Emergency, pain and panic - for this woman, a far from relaxed response.
Answer 2: Safety, reassurance and support - for this woman, medical security.

8 Considerations for Home Birth

A few questions to consider when you're weighing up Home V's Hospital Birth...

What type of birthing experience do you want?
Where would you feel the most comfortable?
What does your birth partner think? Does s/he support your choices?
What does you midwife say?
Is it safe?
Do you want pain relief?
What is the transfer time to hospital?
Do you already have children? Would they be present/Do you have childcare?

Every woman in the UK is entitled to request a home birth and for normal, low-risk pregnancies a home birth option is entirely possible - if you want it.

Any Comments welcome xx


Further Information:

Sky News Homebirth Debate Video

Aims

Homebirth.org