Top Tips for a Natural Hospital Birth

NBR posted on two birth and parenting forums asking women who had a natural birth in a hospital or birth centre what things helped them achieve the birth they wanted. Here is their invaluable advice.

Choosing your care provider

Not everyone has the luxury of choice when it comes to choosing the hospital they give birth in, however if you do live in a place with more then one option, then do your research to find the best place for you.
“The hospital I chose matched my beliefs”

“I really looked into my obstetrician and made sure his beliefs about birth matched mine”

“Go public, with midwifery care, private hospitals are businesses, they need to make money and you are a client”

Fools rush in………

Timing your arrival at hospital is important. Going in too early can slow your labour down. Once you are admitted into hospital, the length of your labour will be monitored. It varies but you have around twelve hours to give birth before you may need to negotiate to avoid interventions, due to hospital policy.

“I stayed home as long as I could, so was 9cm by the time I got to the hospital, and yeah it did slow down”

“Labour at home for as long as you are comfortable, and then some”

“On the ‘what you can control’ side – yes, wait as LONG as you can before fronting up to hospital. I clearly remember ringing and the midwives saying ‘not yet, not yet’ a few times. From memory, almost every single woman in my group who transferred out of birth centre did so because they ran out of time”

Make your Environment

There are many things you can do to ‘own your space’ in a hospital. Think of it as marking your territory!

“I made up a recording of favorite songs to take. We weren’t allowed candles, but I really should have taken a favorite pillow or some other comfort item”

“Ask them to turn off as many lights as they can, and try for a room with a bath”

“To me, dark and quiet/silence was essential – luckily my midwives barely spoke a word”

“We set up two salt lamps, which provided a beautiful glow in the room and a calm atmosphere – and when we were transferred to the main labour ward we set up the lamps exactly the same and switched all the monitor screens around so I couldn’t see them, and muted all those machines that go ‘ping’. I barely knew I’d switched rooms”

“ For private hospital patients, get them to take the television out of the room. I’d love to have a study done on the effects of the TV being on in the labour room”

Understand what you are dealing with.

All hospitals and birth centres differ and will have their own rules and regulations. Informing yourself as to what these policies are, how they can affect you and what you can do about them is essential.

“My experience was mainly at a family birth centre, but I was transferred to the main labour ward due to a ‘complication’. Darn hospital policies”

“Be aware of the things that make hospital staff nervous. I can appreciate I had a great experience because I had a physiologically normal unfolding of birth, and was largely left alone. All those little ‘tipping points’ where they start putting on the pressure, that’s what you need to have strategies for”

“I asked many questions in birth classes about hospital policy in various situations and the midwives were very good at explaining the basis for the policies, and ways to ‘circumnavigate’ them”

“Really do your research on the ‘risks’ of natural birth vs interventions, ie you don’t have to believe everything you hear, and ‘they’ can’t always make you do things that you don’t want to”

“It was all about making myself as informed as I could be so that I felt confident to argue a point if need be with any medical person. I totally agree with the asking about hospital policies and why they do things a certain way so that you can argue against it if need be”

“I did my research and insisted on what I wanted – telling them I knew the risks, etc and I had made an informed decision”

The Birth Plan

Writing out a clear birth plan and going through it with your care providers before the birth and when you show up at the hospital is important. A clear birth plan will show hospital staff that you are well-informed and expect your choices to be respected.

“ My friend had a natural birth in hospital. She had a very detailed, firm birth plan. She made herself knowledgeable and came across as very confident”

“My preparation for birth involved doing as much research as I could on all aspects and making sure I was confident with the choices in my birth plan”

Support People

Whether it be your husband, friend, sister or mum who is with you, make sure that they know what you want. They should be as informed as you are about the birth and how the hospital operates. Remember, you are going to be busy giving birth! Your support person/people are there to make things easier for you.

“My partner also knew what I wanted, and was ready to back me up”

“Make sure your partner is aware of what you want, so if a midwife suggests something that he knows you don’t want (eg. to actively ‘push’, to get on the bed etc) he can remind her and be your voice.”

“My partner offered regular sips of water (silently!), good for hydration in a warm bath and a stuffy room”

“As well as the birth plan, I had check-lists for everything to help my partner and sister-in-law – what to pack, when to call hospital, what will happen when, reminder of the different stage of labour, etc. Yes, initially we thought it was a bit of overkill, but it meant we didn’t forget anything in our last-minute rush and everyone knew what they had to do.Partner was with me the whole time, doula helped us negotiate the hospital system and sister-in-law kept the peace of the room – it worked brilliantly”

Hired Help

Hiring a doula or private midwife to accompany you to hospital may be the best thing you can do. Not only will you have a constant and familiar figure with you but statistics show that hiring a professional to advocate for you reduces your chances of c-section, episiotomy and forceps delivery by half. Perhaps what is invaluable about a doula or midwife is that they will look after your interests leaving you to get on with more important things.

“Doulas doulas doulas. Cannot impress enough. Independent midwife HIGHLY recommended”

“I had a natural birth in a hospital. It is possible. I wrote a birth plan out, and hired a doula – a doula is essential”

“My best friend had a VBAC in hospital. I believe she achieved that because I hounded her until she hired my midwife to take with her. I would not enter the hospital system without a very switched on midwife advocating for me”

“My main advice: hire a doula or private midwife who you can trust to look after your interests”

“Hire a doula. Can you put a price on having someone experienced in birth, telling you you’ll do a great job and talking through your worries”?

“I hired a wonderful Doula and it was by far the smartest thing I did. You can not place a $ figure on the knowledge and support such a person can provide. Mine spent 3 nights away from her husband and kids to be with me while I laboured – now that is commitment”!

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