It is SO important that women understand that in birth they hold ALL of the power.
It is YOUR body
It is YOUR baby
It is YOUR right to give INFORMED consent or INFORMED refusal
Yes, your caregiver (midwife, obstetrician) is an expert and yes they can give you their educated (and hopefully evidence-based) opinion and guidance.
But the final decision lies with YOU
However to feel comfortable with this power you also need to be informed!
It is important that you also look at the evidence and research and that you are aware of all of your options and alternatives.
Did you read the research papers before giving birth?
I read them!! Yes
And you can read them too if you want. Simply ask your care providers and they can share them with you (or clients can ask me and I will dig them out). Part of being a midwife was being aware of the latest research and evidence and interpreting it. Practice, policies and protocols were always being adapted.
One of the key values to Birth Nerd is to provide evidence-based information to women and their birth partners and treat them like the intelligent adults they are. There is no need to sit there nodding along with your healthcare providers. Be a part of the conversation, asks questions, get the answers you need.
If you need a quick insight into the research - Evidence Based Birth, AIMS and Sara Wickham are all very good resources.
A top tip for getting that bit extra and digging a little deeper into what you are being offered is to write everything down before your appointments. It can be intimidating and overwhelming to sit opposite a health care professional and question what you are being told. Reading questions off a piece of paper can take away a lot of that stress. Plus there is the added bonus that you won't forget to ask a question!
A lot of research into birth trauma shows that it isn’t the way a baby is born, its ALL in what’s going on around her. Does she feel supported? Does she feel fully informed? Does she feel that the decisions being made are hers? Does she feel unafraid? Does she feel empowered and safe to ask and make her voice heard? If the answer is yes, then she is well on the way to a positive birth.
In our day to day life, we are used to decision making in our jobs, as parents, in our relationships. Yet when it comes to birth for some reason we become submissive, we lose trust in ourselves, almost feel inferior. SO become empowered, trust your instincts and trust your body. After all, it is YOUR body and you know it best!
So I urge you to take an independent childbirth preparation course (like Hypnobirthing) as for me, this is what hypnobirthing is all about. As well as a thorough Antenatal Education and a load of relaxation tools and practices - leaving couples at the end of the course feeling confident, ready to get the support they need and feel like they can work as a team with the midwives and doctors is what it’s all about at Birth Nerd. It's so much more than a course in hypnobirthing.
For more course information - click on courses tab
Steph x
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