Care During Labour & Birth
Your preferences for your baby’s birth
It
is good to think about the birth in advance and write down your
preferences for labour and birth. There is space in your
maternity record (yellow book) for this.
Your community midwife will discuss your preferences for labour
and birth with you when you are between 28 and 36 weeks
pregnant.
More information can be found on the NHS Choices website at
www.nhs.uk and in the Pregnancy Book at
www.dh.gov.uk
If you think you are in labour
If you think you are in labour, telephone Central Delivery Suite
at Southmead Hospital on 0117 323 5320, or if you are booked for
the Birth Suite, telephone 0117 323 6200. If you are having a
homebirth, contact your community midwife.
Coping at home
Unless you have been advised to come in as soon as you think you
are in labour, it is a good idea to try and carry on as normal at
home for as long as you can. Sometimes you can have uncomfortable
tightenings that come and go for a few days while your body gets
ready for labour. It is important to pace yourself, so eat, drink
and rest when you feel like it. Warm baths or showers and massage
are likely to help you relax. You can also take paracetamol (do not
exceed recommended dose) or use a TENS machine.
When to come into hospital
(Please telephone Delivery Suite or the Birth Suite first)
- When your contractions are coming regularly at least
every 5 minutes, lasting about a minute, and you need to give
them your full attention
- If you have any fresh red blood loss (not a show, which is
mucous mixed with some streaks of old dark red blood)
- If you don’t feel your baby moving as much as usual
- If you think your waters have broken (see below)
- If you are worried
If you are having a homebirth
Contact your community midwife unless you have been advised
otherwise. Your midwife will discuss your homebirth plans and when
and how to contact her/him when you are around 36 weeks
pregnant.
Your midwife will come to your home to see how you are and if
your labour is established. If it is, she/he will stay with you and
call a second midwife when the birth is near.
If you are not yet in completely established labour, your midwife
will discuss with you when to call, ways of coping and will return
again later.
If your waters break
If you think your waters have broken before contractions
have started, telephone the Antenatal Assessment Unit on 0117
3236397 for advice. We will ask you to come in so we can confirm if
your waters have broken, and to discuss with you what your options
are if there are no signs of labour. Please start to wear a
sanitary towel (preferably not a slimline one) so you can see the
colour of any fluid you lose.
If your waters break and you are also having contractions,
telephone Delivery Suite on 0117 3235320, the Birth Suite on
0117 3236200 if booked there, or contact your community
midwife if you are booked for a homebirth.
What happens when you come to Delivery Suite or the
Birth Suite?
You and your birth partner(s) will be welcomed and shown to a birth
room. Your midwife will make you comfortable and find out from you
what has been happening so far, and how your health and pregnancy
have been. She/he will feel your tummy to see how your baby is
lying and listen to your baby’s heartbeat. You may also be offered
an internal examination to see if your cervix (the neck of the
womb) is starting to open yet. If you are not yet in completely
established labour, you may be advised to return home – this is the
best place to be in the early stages. Your midwife will discuss
with you when to return to hospital, and ways of coping at
home.
If your labour is well established, your midwife will discuss
your preferences for your labour and birth with you. We encourage
you to be as upright and mobile as possible, and mats and birth
balls are available – please ask if these are not in your room
already. If you need a drip or have an epidural, it is often
still possible to move around or be upright, and the bed can be
adjusted to make this easier.
After the birth
Whenever possible, your baby will be put straight away skin to skin
on your chest, which helps him or her to keep warm and have a
gentle transition to life outside your womb. If you have a
caesarean, it is often still possible to do this, either whilst you
are still in theatre, or straight away when you are transferred to
the recovery area.
Newborn babies are often very alert immediately after the birth, so
we aim for you to have a quiet time together after the birth to get
to know each other and start the first feed; feeding can start as
soon as your baby shows signs of interest, and you will be given
all the help you need. You can usually continue to hold and feed
your baby if you need any stitches.
Your midwife will also weigh and check over your baby and ensure
you are well.
You will be offered something to drink and eat and a bath or
shower, or a wash if you had a caesarean section.
If you gave birth in hospital you will be transferred to one of the
two postnatal wards about an hour or so after the birth.
If you have a caesarean section
If you are having a planned caesarean section, you will have a
pre-operation appointment (“clerking”) a few days before at the
Antenatal Clinic. On the day itself you will come to the Antenatal
Assessment Unit initially to get ready, before you and your birth
partner are walked up to theatre by your midwife. One person can be
with you in theatre and the recovery area, unless you are having a
general anaesthetic. The order of the planned caesarean sections is
not decided until the day, so there may be a wait; it is a good
idea to bring something to do or read. You can bring a CD to play
in theatre during the birth.
Your midwife will help you to hold your baby as soon as possible
after the birth. You will spend an hour or so in the recovery area,
where you can get to know and start to feed your baby, before being
transferred to one of the postnatal wards.
If you had an emergency caesarean section, a doctor will come
and see you the next day to go over the reasons with you and what
it means for future pregnancies. It is often possible to have a
normal birth next time.
You will usually be able to return home after 2 or 3 days.
Labour information leaflets
Download patient information leaflets:
Download The Pregnancy Book – labour and birth at
www.dh.gov.uk
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