My Midwives
Everyone wants to have a great birth, right? No one goes into labour or birth wanting anything less. But a great birth means different things to different people. In trying to unpack this topic we need to first examine the many different descriptions of birth and what they might mean for each woman and family.
What is the most basic level we all want?
Most women want to make sure that both they and their babies are healthy. Of course, it is just the bottom aim, but it is a fairly critical starting point. It doesn’t help though that often when birth goes badly the first point care providers make is “at least you have a healthy baby”. So, we want to make sure that BOTH mother and baby come through healthy.
Is pain the deciding factor?
For some women, having a pain-free birth is also something that they measure a great birth around. Having a pain-free birth generally means having a working epidural sited early in labour, which can be difficult to predict. Other alternatives though are studying hypnobirthing and using a range of different strategies to control the experience of pain.
What about “natural” birth?
For many, many women though a “great” birth means labour beginning on its own, progressing with few interventions and that they birth their baby in their own power. I hesitate to say it – they feel powerful and strong as a result of birth. A sense of achievement may also be an accompanying factor.
So how do women get this?
The most important thing that women can do in getting this type of birth is doing their research. The evidence says that midwifery continuity of care leads to few interventions, more spontaneous labours and greater satisfaction. Some women do not know how to get this type of care in their local area, and this can be tricky. Midwifery continuity of care is generally provided in the public hospital sector, in most major facilities there are many options and even in smaller rural services it is possible. Private midwives – also called endorsed or Medicare midwives – are growing in number in Australia and also provide midwifery continuity of care with the option of birthing in a range of facilities including a range of public hospitals, birth centres and at home.
How to find out?
Word of mouth can be a powerful tool – asking women who have birthed in your area and particularly focusing on women who appear to be saying they have had a great birth. If you want options like waterbirth or homebirth jump onto the internet and search what is available. Social media will also often have examples or pages that you can follow that provide ideas.
Having a great birth can mean all kinds of things. Getting fairly straight to what your level of comfort is important and making choices that sit with your values and ideas will help to lead you in the right direction. The most critical thing though is who your care provider is and where you are having your baby. Both need lots of investigation and hopefully support and information to make choices that align with your end goal.
