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Deciding where to have your baby T HE BASIC OPTIONS 34 HOW TO BOOK IN FOR A HOSPITAL DELIVERY Your GP or midwife will either send a letter to the hospital or give you one to take there. This is best done as early in your pregnancy as possible. Spend some time thinking about the following options. Discuss them before you come to a decision. IN HOSPITAL For the last 30 years most babies have been born in hospital. Many hospitals have tried hard to meet parents’ wishes and to make labour and delivery as private and special as possible. All over the country maternity care staff are working even harder to make sure that women get kind, sympathetic and sensitive care. Hospital maternity units should become friendlier, more comfortable places, where you will be able to get to know the people who are caring for you. You will probably be asked many questions about your wishes, so you should feel more in control over what’s happening to you. If there is more than one hospital in your district, and you can choose which to go to, try to find out about the practice in each so you can decide which will suit you best. Team midwifery is more commonly in operation, which means that you will see a midwife from the same team each time you visit the hospital, including at the delivery of your baby. Or, more rarely, there may be a Domino scheme which means that your midwife will attend you at home in labour, accompany you to hospital to deliver your baby, and then accompany you home after the delivery (usually six hours later). Midwifery care will then continue to be provided as necessary for 10–28 days. Use the checklist on page 36 as a guide to the sort of questions to ask. Talk to your doctor or midwife. It’s also a good idea to talk to other mothers who have recently had babies and ask them about their experiences at local hospitals. You can contact other mothers through your local branch of the National Childbirth Trust, your local Community Health Council and AIMS (the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services) (see page 147). AT HOME Some women want to have their babies at home because: • they feel they will be happier and better able to cope in a place they know and with their family around them; • if they have other young children, there will be no need to leave them to go into hospital; • they will have more privacy; • they will be able to relax more and will not have to fit into a hospital routine; • they are more likely to get to know the midwife who will be with them during the delivery. One or two midwives will stay with you while you’re in labour and, if any help is needed or labour is not progressing as well as it should, will summon a doctor or transfer you to hospital by ambulance.
Deciding where to have your baby HOW TO ARRANGE FOR A HOME DELIVERY If you are considering a home delivery, contact your midwife. Some people think that women should not have home births because they argue that they are unsafe. In fact, research suggests that a home delivery is as safe as a hospital delivery for women who have uncomplicated pregnancies. You have the right to choose to have your baby at home. Your doctor or midwife may advise against this if they think that you are at risk of complications during labour. However, this may be difficult to judge if this is your first baby. Find out whether your own GP will be prepared to care for you during your pregnancy and a home delivery. If he or she cannot help, there may be another in the district who can. You can then register with this GP just for your maternity care and continue to see your own GP for any other medical treatment. The local supervisor of midwives (see box) or your Primary Care Trust can give you the names of GPs with a special interest in pregnancy and childbirth. To arrange for maternity care to be led by a team of midwives, contact the local supervisor of midwives at your nearest hospital who will arrange for a midwife to visit you at home to discuss home delivery. The midwife may also be able to provide most or all of your antenatal care at home. You can contact her directly when labour starts and she will stay with you during labour and the birth of your baby. IN AGP OR MIDWIFE UNIT This may be part of the hospital’s ordinary maternity wards or a separate unit. Your baby can be delivered here by the community midwife who has been involved in your antenatal care, and your GP (or sometimes by a hospital midwife). Some areas operate a team midwifery system (see page 34), so you may get to know who will deliver your baby. Care in a GP or midwife unit can be more personal since you will usually be looked after by people you know. If the unit is part of the main hospital, then emergency facilities are there should an unforeseen problem arise. This type of unit is generally used for women who are likely to have a normal delivery. The length of time you will remain in the unit after the birth depends on how well you and your baby are. YOU CAN ALSO ASK FOR INFORMATION ON YOUR OPTIONS FROM: • any other health professional, particularly your midwife or health visitor – your GP or the Child Health Clinic can put you in touch with them; • the local supervisor of midwives, who is also usually a senior midwife at the local maternity or district general hospital – you can get in touch through your health authority or hospital and the addresses and telephone numbers will be in your local phone book; • in England your local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (see page 148); • your local branch of the National Childbirth Trust (see page 147); • the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services (AIMS) (see page 147); • friends. 35
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Page 3 and 4: Pre the nancy gbook Your complete g
Page 5 and 6: 11 LABOUR AND BIRTH Getting ready f
Page 7 and 8: Your pregnancy at a glance 16-20 we
Page 9 and 10: Introduction Every parent is differ
Page 11 and 12: Your health in pregnancy • Eat pl
Page 13 and 14: Your health in pregnancy VEGETARIAN
Page 15 and 16: Your health in pregnancy S MOKING W
Page 17 and 18: Your health in pregnancy P HYSICAL
Page 19 and 20: Your health in pregnancy Foot exerc
Page 21 and 22: obstetrician. If you do catch toxop
Page 23 and 24: 2 Conception To understand about co
Page 25 and 26: Conception T HE WOMAN’ S MONTHLY
Page 27 and 28: Conception T HE BEST TIME TO GET PR
Page 29 and 30: Conception K NOWING THAT YOU’ RE
Page 31 and 32: How the baby develops WEEKS 4-5 Wee
Page 33 and 34: How the baby develops WEEKS 15-22 T
Page 35: 4 Deciding where to have your baby
Page 39 and 40: Deciding where to have your baby B
Page 41 and 42: 5 Feelings and relationships From t
Page 43 and 44: Feelings and relationships WORRYING
Page 45 and 46: Feelings and relationships FAMILIES
Page 47 and 48: Feelings and relationships C OPING
Page 49 and 50: 6 Mainly for men Some pregnancies h
Page 51 and 52: Mainly for men PRACTICAL SUPPORT Yo
Page 53 and 54: 7 Antenatal care and antenatal clas
Page 55 and 56: Antenatal care and antenatal classe
Page 69 and 70: The feeding question B REASTFEEDING
Page 71 and 72: The feeding question Support contac
Page 73 and 74: The feeding question HOW OFTEN AND
Page 75 and 76: The feeding question B OTTLE FEEDIN
Page 77 and 78: The feeding question The temperatur
Page 79 and 80: 9 Problems Your body has a great de
Page 81 and 82: Problems FEELING HOT IN PREGNANCY D
Page 83 and 84: Problems can empty it properly. The
Page 85 and 86: Problems VAGINAL DISCHARGE Almost a
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10 What you need for the baby This
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What you need for the baby O UT AND
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11 Labour and birth This chapter de
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Labour and birth PAIN RELIEF IN LAB
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Labour and birth • your contracti
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Labour and birth AT THE HOSPITAL Go
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Labour and birth • The heartbeat
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Labour and birth You can have your
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Labour and birth A vaginal breech d
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When pregnancy goes wrong been due.
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13 The first days with your new bab
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The first days with your new baby c
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The first days with your new baby b
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Babies who need special care I NCUB
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The early weeks: you L OOKING AFTER
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The early weeks: you T HE ‘ BABY
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16 The early weeks: your baby The b
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The early weeks: your baby Sadly, w
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The early weeks: your baby CHANGING
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The early weeks: your baby WASHING
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The early weeks: your baby W HERE T
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as green, leafy vegetables and brea
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Rights and benefits How much is it?
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Who gets it? Pregnant women and new
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Rights and benefits You must have n
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• your baby is born before your M
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Rights and benefits (MAT B1 form),
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Rights and benefits Giving notice f
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Rights and benefits If you return t
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• state that this is an applicati
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USEFUL ORGANISATIONS Some of these
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In Northern Ireland: Northern Irela
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INDEX A abnormalities tests to dete
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