Unsurprisingly, I've been thinking a lot about childbirth recently because I'm expecting my second child on 27th Feb.
The NHS have been in the media in recent months and there has been a lot of criticism of their maternity services. Or it might be just that I've noticed the news stories.
I would like to have minimal intervention for this baby. Ideally I'll labour at home for as long as possible, with the assistance of T, the telly and a TENS machine, which is arriving on Saturday.
We will have to go into hospital before the delivery because of the risk of me having an epileptic fit during or after the birth. Otherwise I would be having a home birth as I don't really want to go in.
Today I had a tour of the labour ward with Carolyn, the midwife who has been leading the antenatal parentcraft class I've been going to. My impression is that the hospital is gradually moving in the direction of helping women to have more choice and the ability to have a more natural, holistic experience.
It's still a hospital and they don't have as many midwives or as many rooms as they need sometimes. That and some health professionals, in my experience the doctors rather than the midwives, over-medicalise birth, making it more stressful for the mother and so causing more need for intervention. It's a catch 22 situation.
I came across an idea called Unassisted Childbirth. The idea is that it is not necessary for any medical practitioner to help a woman give birth. She can give birth painlessly and naturally in her own home and it will be best for all. I for one am not convinced.
I think this is a backlash against the over-medicalisation of childbirth in the USA as well as being a romanticised mysticism of the natural human body. I suspect that the NHS are better at allowing women a birth with limited intervention than the USA health system, if only because it's cheaper and they are always strapped for cash.
I do believe that some women can give birth painlessly, but would not imply that it is something that everyone could do or should be expected to do. I don't expect my second birth to hurt any less than the first one (ouchy).
I'm quite looking forward to it now. I want to make sure everything goes right by me and babe. We're probably as ready as we'll ever be and I'm fed up of being pregnant.
1 comment:
I delivered my 5th baby just over a year ago with no pain relief and minimal intervention in a home birth. I think it was about as good as a birth can get, having had 4 other occasions to practice!
Have had both hospital and home births and there are pros and cons to both, but hospital is fine I think if you've got to go. Much more comfortable environments than they used to be. (My first labour took place on a drip, three feet off the floor, on a narrow hard delivery table, with bossy unsympathetic staff in attendance! I don't think that would happen nowadays - it was 19 years ago.)
The midwives who attended me last time were very good at helping me only at the end when I wanted them to, but I think this was helped by the detailed birth plan I'd written which they read very carefully and followed to the letter. Very nice and respectful of them - they did exactly what I asked, so I stayed in control.
All the best for your delivery. I hope it goes equally well. You sound to be in exactly the right frame of mind for it :-)
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