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Hospital Birth Infomation Sheet

If you have to birth in a hospital, you will need a great deal of information and support to help you negotiate with such a large institution. About 5% of women birth in Australian hospitals without interventions. This is despite what we know from research about how infrequently interventions are truly warranted.

But think very carefully about whether or not you really have to birth in a hospital. Are you sick? Are you truly unable to access midwifery care? If you have access to a freestanding Birth Centre with midwifery-led policies this will be a safer option for you. Never forget that a Birth Centre attached to a hospital still has obstetricians making the policy decisions.

Having a birth plan.

So why should you try to plan for your birth? After all, isn’t birth unpredictable and you don’t want to be tied to a plan that doesn’t fit the circumstances?

Well, first off, your careprovider has one so unless you want your labour to run totally to their plan (which will involve interventions more likely than not in a hospital) you need to tell them how it will run.

It will probably protect you from the things which go wrong as a result of managed labours such as the cascade of interventions which commonly results from induction or epidural.

It will probably ensure that if things do result in a caesarean, you have a plan for having your baby kept with you, immediate skin-on-skin and breastfeeding.

It will help you labour more effectively if you're not stressing about who might try to do what to you without your knowledge or consent.

It will mean that your baby will only have those tests or injections which you truly believe in and they won't be automatically poked, prodded or turned into a pin cushion without your consent and participation.

It means that you will know, no matter how your journey goes, that you made the best possible choices for you and your baby and they weren't choices made by staff you don't know based on their timetables and philosophy rather than yours.

It empowers you through knowledge to understand and respect your body a lot better and give you and your baby the best possible chance of achieving a peaceful

So who wouldn't want one?!

And if you hire a doula you have another person advocating for you, and able to help you make decisions based on your needs, not that of the hospital/BC.

This is an excellent example of a birth plan for a hospital or birth centre.

Be a consumer. Never forget that you are the boss!

In the same way that we research buying a house, choosing a builder or hiring a plumber, we need to remember that a birth attendant is our servant, our employee, regardless of how much money they cost or how important they seem to be. If a plumber told you a toilet had to go in the middle of your lounge room would you take their word for it, or fire them and go in search of a tradesperson who would provide what you needed? The same applies to careproviders.

If you want a natural birth, don’t hire a surgeon, for that is what obstetricians are at heart. They have been trained to deal with complex situations that can only be remedied through drastic surgical measures. They are simply not appropriate careproviders to the majority of women and even in rare cases where their skill set is needed they can still simply be called in by midwives. You are more at risk of unnecessary interventions through hiring a surgeon. Don’t be afraid to ask probing questions or walk away if they’re not right for you. You can find a new careprovider at any stage in your pregnancy. You are not obligated to stay with someone who doesn’t suit your needs.

Use this website to help you understand how to find the right careprovider for you:

Quote:
What should I ask myself about the experience of exploring birth setting options? When you go to visit a hospital or birth centre, or talk with a midwife or other caregiver about giving birth at home, ask yourself how you feel about the experience: • Are the people listening to me and respectful of my wish to make careful decisions? • Are they willing to take the time to answer my questions to my satisfaction? • Do they share my vision for my maternity care and birth? • Do I think that I can feel comfortable in this setting and with these people? • Can I get what I want from this setting and these people? • Does this feel right for me?

Two essential books for every birthing woman, but particularly those birthing in hospitals, are;
“The thinking woman’s guide to a better birth” Henci Goer
“Birthing From Within” Pam England.
These will provide you with essential tools to achieve the safest, most satisfying birth for you and your baby.

Some useful pregnancy links for the hospital/BC system.

When is that baby due? Includes ultrasound dating information.

Gestational Diabetes.
IVillage Parenting on GD
Gentlebirth.org on GD
Henci Goer on GD

Induction information.
World Health Organisation’s document “Care in Normal Birth: a practical guide”
Suspect Diagnoses Come with Biophysical Profiling
Elective induction of labour.
Big baby: is induction of labour necessary?
Get me to the hospital (or birth centre!) on time!

Rebuttal to Rationales for Denial of VBAC
Henci Goer Info

ARM – Artificial Rupture of Membranes

Vitamin K
Midwifery Today
Gentlebirth on VIt K
Gentlebirth Vit K Results

 

Written for Joyous Birth
Copyright 2006 Janet Fraser