The Birth Ball for movement and pain relief in labour is a large inflated exercise ball that has been adopted into maternity care to aid relaxation and movement (Perez .P 2000). The woman can sit on or lean against the ball, which provides soft support. The ball also expands the number of positions the woman can assume for comfort and offers a means for movement (e.g. bouncing, rolling) in these positions, which provides a counter-distraction during contractions. Many hospitals have birth balls in their maternity departments and encourage labouring women to use them for comfort.
I believe that women are wonderfully designed to give birth so when they are supported by midwives with whom they have developed a relationship of trust then amazing births will happen. My philosophy of trust in the physiology of birth differs from the Medical model of child birth that proliferates in our health care system. The medical model believes that birth is only normal in retrospect and is fraught with potential problems that need fixing at any moment! This form of care appears to disempower women and leads to the use of phrases such as “I was not allowed” or “I had to have and induction” evidence that the women did not have any choice in the matter.
Water birth enables women to give birth in the way their bodies were designed. I feel that birth pools have brought a special quality to the environment of birth, helping midwives get back to the roots of being with women.
I have been an Independent midwife for 9 years and have noticed that there are many things I view as essentials to my home birth kit that were absent when I was a community Midwife for the NHS. I am not talking about the standard equipment sonic aid, sphygmomanometer and stethoscope, thermometer, sterile gloves, etc.
Oxytocin is the hormone that drives the rhythm of labour and birth and the great news is that it is released when we hug one another!
Here at the UK Birth Centres we are always looking to support women’s choice. We have a holistic approach which puts the focus on each woman as an individual. We know that by keying in to what will help them feel relaxed and more confident when it comes to giving birth is certainly worth pursuing and it is why many of our clients choose a home birth.
Birth is a very instinctual process and could be described as a big “jigsaw” every piece needing to fit tightly to create the full picture.
There has been a lot of talk in the media recently about the suggestion by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), that for low risk pregnancy and if women are expecting their second baby, they should consider giving birth at home or in a midwifery birth centre.