5 Tips for a Positive Birth

MaternityBirth PhysiologyLabour & BirthCare Providers

9 July

What defines a positive birth experience differs from woman to woman. Some women link a positive birth to the way their baby emerged, others link it to the recovery afterwards, and some to the way they were treated during their labour and birth, but all women will be able to tell you if it was a positive or a negative experience - there isn’t really an in between when it comes to birth.

I wanted to give mums some building blocks to build their birth around because I think the number of mums being traumatised after their birth experience is WAY TOO HIGH at 1 in 3. And that is just the amount that felt comfortable enough to say so - so many more women suffer in silence after their births, feeling like they “shouldn’t complain” because they “have a healthy baby”.

I’m here to tell you that this is not ok - and having a healthy mum and baby are not the only things important to a birth experience and a mum’s entrance into motherhood. Women well into old age will tell you in detail how their birth experience made them feel, it’s something you don’t ever forget!

So with that in mind, how can we as women make choices that will lead to a positive experience being more likely? Here are 5 ways I teach my clients to own their births…

Knowledge is Power

Firstly, know your rights. The AMA’s Position statement on Maternal Decision Making states as their very first point “A pregnant woman has the same rights to privacy, to bodily integrity, and to make her own informed, autonomous health care decisions as any competent individual, consistent with the legal framework of that jurisdiction.”

This means - you have the right to make a fully informed DECISION around anything that pops up during pregnancy or birth - whether that be an ultrasound, a urine test, or a vaginal exam. An informed decision is not only based on information given, it is based on having the opportunity to question the care provider and having individual circumstances taken into account.

Secondly, know the policies you are birthing under. Ask for your hospital or birth centre’s guidelines - even home birth midwives will adhere to a set of guidelines in order to be registered. Always remember that hospital guidelines are not always (rarely in fact) based on the latest evidence, they are usually based on the latest consensus in your society, it’s worth doing some research before you commit to a birthplace. You might find yourself birthing in a birth centre or at home, even though you never thought that would work for you! Trust your gut babes!

A Trustworthy Team

A study in Sweden found that: “In order to feel confident in their first childbirth, the women wanted to be confirmed and seen as unique individuals by the professionals and their partner. If professionals responded to the individual woman's needs of support, the woman more often had a positive birth experience, even if the birth was protracted or with medical complications.”

If you are told you are “not allowed” to make a choice, made to feel inferior, undignified, coerced or disrespected by your care provider, those are some clear red flags to move on to someone else.

If you have no other options for care in your area, either for lack of options or lack of financial means - then you need to rally the team that you can from your immediate circle. Can your partner do research and become your fierce supporter? Do you have a family member or friend that has had an amazing birth, trusts in the process and would be comfortable learning how to support you properly during labour?

This includes anyone that is entering your birth space - if you are birthing in a hospital this could be many people that you have never met - so how do you navigate that with a feeling of safety? By having a support team that is around you 24/7, ready to speak up for you if needed or empty the room if you need space.

Education is Key

Firstly, forget everything you think you know about birth. Then, learn everything you can about birth and your body, whether that's from books, from podcasts or from an independent childbirth education class (not a hospital one). A massive part of trusting in the physiological birth is learning how amazing it is, how to support your mind and body to function at their peak during labour, and how to work WITH your baby to bring them earthside. If you have a doula, they can usually help you prep in this way, otherwise find a birth class that focuses on physiological birth and postpartum. If you are in Perth I highly recommend Vicki Hobbs’ Back to Basics Birthing Classes (for VBAC too).

Map your Birth

Writing a “birth plan”. Cue the scoffs and eye rolls huh?

But a birth plan (or map as I like to call it), is vital for so many reasons. To make decisions, you need to have information and have conversations - not only with your partner but with your care provider. Want to labour in water, but they only have one room with a bath on the ward? Now you know! Want to have an epidural but didn’t realise that it comes with an IV drip, CTG monitoring and potentially induction medication? Now you know! You don’t know what you don’t know - so a birth map/plan helps you firstly learn WHAT you need to learn, and then can inform your decisions based on your circumstances.

I prefer to map with my clients as opposed to listing preferences, as this way you have all options laid out for the birth team and the birth support team. Together we formulate a plan for every contingency - even if you are planning to birth at home. Birth can be unpredictable but with the right support, you can navigate any turn your birth may take.

Consider Continuity of Care

I will talk about this until the cows come home!!! Continuity of care - with a known midwife (either on a hospital or home midwifery program or a private midwife with hospital admitting rights) - is a massive factor in women's positive experiences. This is because birth is a mental game, and having a bond and trust with your midwife (who is exposed to physiological birth regularly) means you go into birth feeling at home with your people. The same midwife then follows you into your postpartum, to care for you and your newborn and make sure that you are recovering well and adjusting to motherhood.

Unfortunately, not everyone has this option… so if you are in a place that doesn’t give you access to these options, a student midwife in their final year, or a doula might be your next best option. Or have both! They will both stick by your side through pregnancy, birth and postpartum - the added bonus with a doula is they will have the time to build that bond more fully.

You might have noticed I haven't mentioned ANYTHING about preparing physically or how to avoid certain outcomes. This is because usually, if women are treated respectfully, feel heard by their caregivers, and are supported in their choices, they have positive experiences. The work for birth is primarily in your mind mamas - and you CAN have a positive birth experience if you place yourself in the right care, surrounded by the right people, and with the right information.

If you want more information about how to Birth Map or find the right support in your area, contact me here.