The Teesside Doula

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Did you know that just PLANNING a home birth, even if you end up birthing in hospital, significantly decreases your chan...
03/06/2024

Did you know that just PLANNING a home birth, even if you end up birthing in hospital, significantly decreases your chances of all of these interventions and outcomes?

In 2022/23 over a third of the NHS Maternity & Neonatal budget (£1.1bn) was spent on cash payments relating to clinical ...
13/05/2024

In 2022/23 over a third of the NHS Maternity & Neonatal budget (£1.1bn) was spent on cash payments relating to clinical negligence.

The health minister has apologised to all women affected. She said “This has been a problem for a long time, and it is why maternity is a priority area in the women’s health strategy”.

Let’s hope that the strategy is followed through and that we start to see some improvement within maternity services in the U.K. After my own birth trauma it’s really great to see the strategy points on ensuring women know their rights and options and about RESPECTING women’s choices in labour and birth. It’s taken far too long for this to happen, but at least something finally is 🙏🏼

EPIDURAL💉❓What is it?Epidural anaesthesia is a type of epidural commonly given for pain relief in labour and birth. An a...
13/05/2024

EPIDURAL💉

❓What is it?

Epidural anaesthesia is a type of epidural commonly given for pain relief in labour and birth. An anaesthesiologist inserts a needle and a catheter into the lower part of your back. The needle is then removed leaving the catheter in place for delivery of the medication through the tube as required.

✅What are the benefits?

It gives you complete pain relief if it is effective.

It doesn’t cause any drowsiness.

It lowers your blood pressure (if you already have low blood pressure then epidural would likely not be a good option for pain relief).

❌Are there and risks/disadvantages?

Reduced mobility. Often means you’re restricted to just the hospital bed. Difficult to stay in an upright/forward position and unable to move around the room.

Unable to use bath/shower during labour and birth. Can’t have a water birth.

Constant monitoring of baby required.

📸 Photo is mine from birth attendance.

You will need an IV drip.

It can slow labour.

There’s an increased risk of intervention including instrumental delivery and caesarean section.

You will need a urinary catheter.

It can cause itching.

It can cause severe headache.

There’s a saying that “knowledge is power”.But the reality is, knowledge alone doesn’t help us. In labour and birth in o...
13/05/2024

There’s a saying that “knowledge is power”.

But the reality is, knowledge alone doesn’t help us.

In labour and birth in our current society, we can go in with all of the knowledge in the world, and we still come away having been coerced and lied to, pushed around and backed into a corner. We more often than not come away having had numerous interventions, usually ending with major surgery to remove our babies from our wombs.

In labour in our current system, knowledge is not enough.

We need knowledge of physiological labour and birth, our rights and natural methods to resolve common “issues” such as position changes, homeopathic remedies amongst many others. But we also need to have the ability to speak up and advocate for ourselves. This is such a DIFFICULT thing to do when we are labouring. We are in such a vulnerable position, and really we need to be in “labour land” to be able to birth. Advocating for ourselves pulls us out of that and effectively halts our labour! We should never be in this position to begin with! But sometimes this need is absolutely necessary!

What else do we need other than knowledge or what can we do to help ourselves?

🔅We can labour and birth at home! This way we have our perfect birth space and we have control over who enters it and when. We take away the need for advocacy.

🔅We can surround ourselves with a support system that has good knowledge of labour, birth and our preferences. Our partners, friends, family, doula(s) or private midwives! People who can advocate FOR us effectively in any setting.

🔅We can inform ourselves on when interventions might ACTUALLY BE NECESSARY. That way we make informed decisions about our own labour and birth.

🔅We can stay at home as long as possible if we do choose to birth in a hospital. We can give ourselves the best possible chance of getting to “established labour”.

Add your suggestions below on what we can do or what we need!👇🏼

A few words of encouragement for during labour! During labour just think of the 300,000 other women around the world bir...
12/05/2024

A few words of encouragement for during labour!

During labour just think of the 300,000 other women around the world birthing their babies alongside you.

You’re never alone! 💕

“You can’t eat or drink during labour. It’s hospital policy.”Your uterus is a muscle. Muscles require a regular intake o...
10/05/2024

“You can’t eat or drink during labour. It’s hospital policy.”

Your uterus is a muscle. Muscles require a regular intake of energy and water to enable them to contract and relax effectively and to work how they should.

During labour, the uterus contracts and relaxes in order to dilate your cervix and to then push your baby down and out. If your uterus is deprived of energy and fluids, it cannot do this effectively. This results in a longer labour or even a complete stall in labour.

If in a hospital setting this usually results in us being told that we have “failed to progress”. We’re told “labour just doesn’t work for some women”. This then results in us thinking we need to be induced, or even that our body isn’t working at all and that we need major surgery to have our baby removed.

In reality, maybe all we need is the little break that labour naturally gives us. Maybe all we need is a meal or regular snacks and plenty of water!

This hospital policy is based on the need for further intervention. It is “just incase” you need surgery, due to the risk of choking if you’re sick from the drugs used in caesarean section.

In reality though, would the hospital refuse to perform surgery because you’d eaten if it really were required? If a man had just been for a Sunday roast, and collapses in the street and needs emergency surgery, would they refuse to operate because he’d just eaten a large meal? The answer is NO.

Eating and drinking during labour will help to PREVENT the surgery to begin with and give you the best possible chances of a physiological birth.

So eat and drink as you please! If there does happen to be an emergency during your labour where you need a caesarean, they will operate regardless!

Hospital policy is NOT law. You cannot be stopped from eating and drinking during labour. And if you are, you can complain/report the hospital for a breach of human rights.

Hospital policy is not law. Hospital policies do not always benefit YOU. Sometimes they are to your detriment. Examples ...
09/05/2024

Hospital policy is not law.
Hospital policies do not always benefit YOU. Sometimes they are to your detriment.

Examples of this:
❗️You cannot eat and drink in labour (see my next post).
❗️You cannot have a water birth if you have a BMI of over 30
❗️You cannot access water in the shower or bath during labour if your labour is induced
❗️You can only have 1 person present in your caesarean section
❗️You have to follow the induction process once it’s started

‼️None of these policies are law.
‼️The hospital cannot take away your rights or freedom of choice.

✅ You CAN push back and ask for what you want.

Generally policies are for the convenience of hospital staff or have reasons that are based on further intervention e.g. you can’t eat incase need a caesarean section.

We so often hear during labour that “it’s hospital policy”.

It is SO important that we educate ourselves on physiological labour and our rights as birthing women so that we are able to advocate for ourselves!

Educate yourself and your partner or hire a birth doula to advocate for you to give yourself the best possible chances of a good outcome 💕

YOU’RE NOT OVERDUE!📆Read through the slides to find out why!🤰🏼
26/04/2024

YOU’RE NOT OVERDUE!📆

Read through the slides to find out why!🤰🏼

Planning a hospital birth? 💫Here are some things that you or your doula can do to create a calm, relaxing environment to...
25/04/2024

Planning a hospital birth? 💫

Here are some things that you or your doula can do to create a calm, relaxing environment to get that oxytocin flowing 💗

❣️Turn off the lights and pull down the blinds. Keep the room dark. Ask your care providers not to turn on any lights.
❣️Take a light projector (or ask the hospital for one. Sometimes they have them!) and put it on a lovely, calming setting.
❣️Take some electric tea lights to dot around the room or some fairly lights to hang up to create a romantic, calm atmosphere.
❣️Spray a pillow spray on your bed and cushions.
❣️Take a diffuser with essential oils in like lavender or chamomile. You could also make a spray with these for your pillow, or use them in a roller on your wrists.
❣️If you feel like it, you could move your bed from the centre of the room to a corner (but check with your provider first). This can make you feel less exposed when people enter the room, and protect your privacy and dignity during labour if you have your rear end facing away from the door!
❣️Ask for a birthing ball, birthing stool or a peanut ball to help keep you upright and comfortable. A peanut ball can be useful when you opt for an epidural to keep your pelvis open.
❣️Request a room with a bath or pool to make use of the warm water during labour. Even standing under a warm shower can offer some relief and also keeps you upright!
❣️Take your blankets and pillows from home to bring with you a familiar and comfortable smell. Anything that can make you feel comfortable and at home!
❣️Take a speaker and make some playlists for yourself (a few for different moods!). Include songs that make you feel happy and calm, or even ones that make you laugh!

Photos from birth attendance with Sarah OHagan

A lot of people believe that the waters breaking is the first sign of labour starting. This is usually because of the wa...
24/04/2024

A lot of people believe that the waters breaking is the first sign of labour starting. This is usually because of the way labour and birth is portrayed in the media and in films! In reality, for a lot of women the waters breaking will be one of the last things to happen before the baby starts to emerge!
In fact, the bulging waters is what puts pressure on the cervix to cause it to dilate! Although fairly rare (possibly due to the routine use of ARM- artificial rupture of membranes), the baby can actually be born still inside the membrane.(Images taken from google search)! ➡️

There’s absolutely no need to time your contractions. Whilst in some cases it could be a good indicator of where you’re ...
24/04/2024

There’s absolutely no need to time your contractions.

Whilst in some cases it could be a good indicator of where you’re at, in others it means absolutely nothing! Every woman is different in labour and birth. Some women contract for days and weeks on the lead up to birth, and others have birthed their baby within an hour of contractions starting.

There are much better indicators of progress than how far apart contractions are or how long a contraction is lasting! These might include how mother is moving, how she sounds and whether she’s able to engage with you/talk to you.

Your midwife might also look for ‘the purple line’. This line appears between your bum cheeks during labour! It runs from the a**s up to the top of your bum in the centre, and the further you’re dilated the longer the line gets! Studies have shown this to be anywhere between 48-91% accurate in predicting labour progress.

You might also choose to have vaginal examinations during your labour. Some women find it really helpful to know how dilated they are, and others find it to be off putting (especially if they find out they’re not in established labour yet). But again, dilation is not an indicator of how long labour might last. It varies a lot from woman to woman! Some women might be 3cm dilated for days and then get to 10cm within an hour, and others might have a more steady progression.

Monitoring the time between contractions or how long they’re lasting is likely detrimental to your progress if anything. It keeps you in your conscious mind. For labour to be as successful as it can be you need to be in your unconscious mind! So the best thing to do is tune out of your surroundings, and tune into your body. Listen to your body and your instincts and you’ll know when it’s time! 🕑

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