Bying the Perfect Birth Experience

made informed choices, about feeling that you took part in any decision making and that any procedure was explained in detail. Whether you have a drug free vaginal birth or an elective caesarean is up to you but do read up about the pro’s and con’s of these choices.

If you are looking for a more natural birth with the minimum of interventions, the best route is to hire an independent midwife and book yourself in for a home birth. An independent midwife trusts that the overwhelming majority of women in her care will be able to birth naturally and will do everything to support you in your wishes, as long as you and the baby are well. Being at home, in your own environment with everything around you that is familiar will help you relax and produce the hormones needed for a straight forward birth.

If a home birth makes you feel uncomfortable, why not have a look at a birth centre or midwife led unit? You have the right to give birth where ever you choose to and can look at more than one hospital local to you. Remember, you are “allowed” to do what you want. This is your body, your baby and your birth experience!

If you do find the route of hiring a private obstetrician the most appealing, make sure you find out about their views and philosophy on childbirth. Perhaps look at their caesarean rates versus vaginal deliveries. Speak to some of their previous clients and ask them to be honest about the care they received. When visiting a private maternity unit, find out what kind of births are most common and what kind of priorities the women who come there have. Most midwives will be able to tell you whether the place is suitable for you or not if you let them know how you picture your birth. Their births statistics should also be available to you.

Going back to the initial question at the beginning of this article, the answer must be “No”. The birth process is unpredictable and there is no way to guarantee a perfect birth experience by any means. Each couple needs to work from their own life experiences and personalities, manage their expectations and understand their rights and choices; after all each birth is unique. Remember, you need to take responsibility for your own experience and no matter who your hire to attend your birth or where you have your baby; you are the one who will be doing all of the labour!

References:

B Jacobson, K Nyberg, L Grönbladh, G Eklund, M Bygdeman, and U Rydberg (1988), Opiate addiction in adult offspring through possible imprinting after obstetric treatment. Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1664218

Kennell J, Klaus M, McGrath S, Robertson S, Hinkley C. JAMA 1991 May Continuous emotional support during labor in a US hospital. A randomized controlled trial. 1;265(17):2197-201 Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2013951

The effect of timing of cord clamping on neonatal venous hematocrit values and clinical outcome at term: a randomized, controlled trial. Ceriani Cernadas JM, Carroli G, Pellegrini L, Otano L, Ferreira M, Ricci C, Casas O, Giordano D, Lardizabal J.
Pediatrics. 2006 Apr;117(4):e779-86. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16567393?dopt=Abstract

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