Birthing Babies’ independent midwife offers a range of services to women during pregnancy, labour, birth, and the postnatal period. These include:
Antenatal Care
Birthing Babies offers a comprehensive antenatal care package to women and their families. Beginning at twelve weeks of pregnancy, our midwife will see you in the comfort of your own home, at times that are suitable for you. We will discuss your health, and the progress of your pregnancy, address any questions or concerns you might have, and perform a thorough antenatal assessment at each visit. Our midwife will offer you the latest health and medical advice, and work together with your chosen medical and alternative health practitioners to assist you in having a happy and healthy pregnancy.
Antenatal Education
Birthing Babies offers a complete antenatal education package that encompasses the normal changes of pregnancy and birth, as well as alterations to normal. Unlike hospital antenatal education, which is designed to introduce the woman and her partner to the hospital system, we focus on the woman and her pregnancy, and work together with each woman and her chosen companions to empower her to make the best possible choices during pregnancy and birth. We do this by offering comprehensive information regarding normal pregnancy and birth, supported by the very latest in medical and health research. All of the education that we offer is carefully based in the philosophy that pregnancy, and birth, are normal life events. As well as topics traditionally covered by hospital education courses, such as chemical methods of pain relief, monitoring during labour, and caeserean section, we also offer education on topics such as:
- Non-pharmacological methods of pain relief;
- Mobility and positioning during labour;
- Alternative labour and birth techniques, such as Calmbirth(tm) and relaxation techniques, lotus birth, water birth.
Antenatal education is an integral part of our complete antenatal care package. Alternatively, for those women who are not having their antenatal care through our practice, we offer antenatal education-only packages.
Labour and Birth Care
Birthing Babies offers wholistic and comprehensive health care and support during labour and birth, by a fully qualified, experienced midwife. You are able to labour and birth in your chosen surroundings – whether at home, at a relative’s home, or in hospital. The latest medical evidence shows that giving birth at home, with a qualified midwife, is as safe as giving birth in hospital under the care of either midwives or medical staff, and that women who choose their own midwife consistently rate their birth experience as more satisfactory than women who have a team of midwives or medical practitioners attending their birth.
Our midwife offers quiet and compassionate care, and works to empower you to give birth in your own special way. We will support your birth choices and encourage you in selecting natural coping strategies, such as labour and birth positioning, relaxation and behavioural techniques such as hypnobirthing or Calmbirthing(tm), homeopathics, naturopathics, or water birth. We will also assist your family or chosen companions to participate in your birth, if you so desire.
It is the philosophy of BirthingBabies that all but a very, very small percentage of women have the ability to labour, and give birth, in their chosen surroundings, with their chosen partners, naturally, without complications, and this is a philosophy that is supported by the latest medical evidence. It is our goal to empower each of our clients to do exactly that. In the unlikely event of complications occurring, our midwife will work in conjunction with medical staff and your local hospital to ensure that you and your baby receive the very best medical care.
Postnatal Care
Postnatal care is an integral part of our complete care package. For those women who have elected to give birth in the hospital setting, but do not wish to remain as an inpatient, Birthing Babies also offers a tailored postnatal care package that can be attended in the comfort of your own home. Including education and parenting assistance, breastfeeding assistance, assessment of the newborn, our midwife will see you each day for up to a week after the birth, and is on call to see you between those visits as well. We are able to attend any postnatal testing you may elect to have, such as the Newborn Screening Test, and we are able to refer you to other services as required, such as lactation consulting, or sleep and settling support.
Packages
Each woman and her family will have their own needs, and their own desires, for their pregnancy and birth experience. Contact Birthing Babies, and we will arrange an initial consultation to discuss your pregnancy and and what we can offer you.