There are so many aspects to consider when preparing to welcome your baby into the world. From choosing baby names to buying a pram and car seat as well as planning your maternity leave.
Yet, in the midst of all this excitement and anticipation, one essential aspect often gets overlooked – the birth environment.
The space in which you give birth can have a profound impact on your labour experience and overall wellbeing. With the majority of births taking place in a hospital setting, it is often assumed that either a- the hospital will have everything you need, or b- you don't have a say in how the environment can look or feel. Taking ownership of how your birth environment looks and more importantly feels, is fundamental in facilitating physiological birth and allowing the birthing woman to feel safe and calm.
A calm birth environment can contribute to reduced stress, enhanced comfort, improved labour progress, and increased empowerment and confidence, all of which are vital components of a positive birthing experience.
So let's explore how you can set up your birth environment, and how it can contribute to a smoother, more comfortable, and empowering birthing journey for both you and your baby.
It is important to explore ALL options for birth. Decide where you want to give birth, whether it's at home, in a hospital, or a birthing centre. Ensure that the place aligns with your preferences and birthing plan. While these options may not always be available to every parent, it is important to be aware of how these different environments may and can affect labour and birth.
2. Lighting
Dim the lights or use soft, natural lighting if possible. Low lighting helps create a soothing atmosphere and can make it easier to relax. The hormone melatonin is also released in birth and works beautifully with oxytocin to produce strong, rhythmic contractions. A dimly lit environment allows these hormones work their magic to their max potential. The use of LED candles or fairy lights can also create a beautiful, calming atmosphere.
3. Comfortable seating & support
Arrange comfortable seating options like a birthing ball, cushions, or a bean bag to help you find comfortable positions during labour. It is a good idea to chat with your hospital midwife to see what birth tools they have available at the hospital so you know what to bring in from home. If birthing at home having a mattress on the floor of your living room can be useful and versatile for active birth positions too.
4. Music & sounds
Create a playlist of your favourite soothing music or nature sounds. Music can be a powerful tool for relaxation and distraction. You may want the option to listen through headphones or a speaker- so remember to have both options available.
5. Aromatherapy
Use essential oils or scented candles (if at home) with calming scents like lavender, chamomile, or orange. These can be used through a diffuser or topically. Make sure the scents don't trigger allergies, sensitivities or negative memories.
6. Personal items
Bring personal items that make you feel comfortable, such as a favourite blanket, pillow, or dressing gown. You may even want to bring in photos or items from home that you can place around the space to give a sense of familiarity. This can be very helpful especially when birthing in a hospital.
7. Support Team
Communicate with your birth team about your preferences for the environment and any specific requests you have. They can assist in maintaining the atmosphere you desire. It is also important to only invite people into your birth space who are genuinely going to help support you during the process.
8. Visual aids
Hang up positive affirmations, birth affirmations, or inspiring images that can help keep you focused and relaxed. Collating a vision board may also be something you like to do in pregnancy so you are able to visualise the birth you desire.
Remember that the goal of creating a calming birthing environment is to help you feel relaxed, safe, and empowered during labour. However it is important to be flexible and prepared for changes. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, circumstances may require you to adapt to a different environment or plan.
Discuss your preferences and choices with your healthcare provider and birth team PRIOR to labour to ensure everyone is on the same page and can support you in achieving the birthing experience you desire.
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When I fell pregnant for the first time I had been a midwife for 3.5years and had seen all kinds of birth. Natural, epidural, silent, screaming, waterbirth, forceps, caesareans. People often ask if my midwifery knowledge helped or hindered my mindset for labour and birth, and I took it as a big PLUS! Having seen so many types of birth I knew exactly how I wanted mine to look.
The hospital I worked at when I fell pregnant had a caseload program which was a continuity of midwifery care model. The advantage of being a midwife there meant I could choose this model of care and select my own midwife. Midwifery continuity of care is associated with the best outcomes for mothers and babies, and I felt so lucky to have access to this model.
We were also at the time, one of only two hospitals in Victoria that was running a publicly funded homebirth program. Usually, to plan a homebirth in Australia you employ a private midwife to care for your pregnancy, be at your birth and provide care in the postpartum period which can be upwards of over $5,000. Having a homebirth program attached to a public hospital however meant that women could access homebirth for free. With this program all the same hospital policies and procedures were to be followed to be eligible.
My ideal birth was a waterbirth. I was desperate for it. We facilitated them at work, and I watched any I could find on the internet- I was OBSESSED! When it came to deciding where I could best achieve this it was a no brainer….home. My husband was on board right away as he doesn’t like hospitals and even the word ‘blood’ makes him feel uncomfortable. I also wanted my Mum, and my sisters present at my birth- there to support me and witness the birth of their granddaughter/niece. I had seen many births where family members were present, and while they can sometimes be a hindrance in the hospital setting- I knew I needed the extra support if I was going to birth at home.
Obviously birthing at home, I would have no access to drugs or medication for pain relief.
As pregnancy progressed, I gathered things needed for my homebirth- towels, birth pool, music playlist, candles and a TENS machine. I had a beautiful midwife friend who had one I could borrow- they weren’t as readily accessible 11 years ago as they are now. While I hadn’t seen many used at work, I wanted to use one in my labour. As a first time Mum I knew the early phases of labour can be long and tiring, and I needed tools and techniques to help me through that and conserve energy.
So, when labour began at midnight on the 21st June 2012 at 38+3 weeks- I was in denial. I was up and down to the toilet for an hour before it clicked that maybe this was labour starting. I tried to rest as much as I could, being the middle of the night. I even sent my hubby off to work at 6am- before requesting he come home an hour later. I didn’t get that gradual build-up of contractions that I educate women on as a midwife. Mine were less than 10 minutes apart from the get-go, and by 8am I was already needing some relief. Although I was desperate for a waterbirth I knew it wasn’t time to be in the water yet- it was time for the TENS machine.
This is one of the things I LOVE most about the TENS is that you can use it at home. As midwives we try to encourage women to stay home as long as possible in labour because we know when women feel safe and unobserved (at home) labour is more likely to progress. So having something like the TENS is magic to use at home.
Once it was on- it was amazing! It took a little bit of trial and error to get the intensity of the sensations right, but I loved that it provided distraction during my contractions, and it gave me something to do. I pressed the boost button during my contractions and used my breath to stay soft and calm.
I walked around the house, leaned over the bench, rested on the couch. It came everywhere with me. I had it on for about 6 hours before I felt like I needed something else- while also not wanting to take it off. However, during one contraction one of the little lead wires came out and the impulses stopped for a contraction, so it was at that time I said “take it off and get me in the shower!”. What followed was a few hours in the shower, resting, getting in the birth pool at 5pm and a waterbirth at 9:12pm of our first baby girl.
People will often say to me “how did you birth your baby with no pain relief!?”- this is the biggest misconception about having a homebirth. I didn’t birth my baby “without anything”. I had love, support, gravity, water, touch, and my TENS machine. I couldn’t have had the amazing experience I had without them.
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