Birth Places ; where to give birth!

It is really important to consider where you would like to give birth to your baby. 

The setting, the area, the environment, the support and most importantly where you feel the most comfortable! When I discuss this with the women I care for I always mention that the hormones you need in labour are the same as the hormones that are produced when you are intimate (making love) with your partner. So with that in mind, think about the lighting, the environment, the smells, the safety you feel in that situation and when thinking about a birth place, we want you to in theory replicate this. 

That is why you may see some birthing videos of low lighting (this has a massive impact on your hormones!), fairy lights to help keep the atmosphere calm (and partly for the midwives to see where they are going when they are caring for you!). Smells, can have an impact on the way your hormones impact on your emotions, certain smells may make you feel calm and relaxed and this is something that you can use in labour. Environment can also be a big factor when considering your location of delivery, the standard in the UK at present from recent research (https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/birthplace -2024) is that women tend to opt for a hospital birth in view that this is sometimes the only option there is available. However, research demonstrates as well as teaching in hospitals and community settings that giving birth at home is safe for women and babies, the big indicator that changed the statistics was if this was the first baby the transfer into hospital rate was higher than women who were giving birth to their subsequent babies.   

Hormones to keep an eye out for:

Oxytocin 

This is also known as the love hormone! This is why it is released during sex, orgasm, birth and breastfeeding (Buckley,2002). 

When this hormone is flowing, you usually feel more affectionate, it helps to reduce stress and calms you down. 

Beta-Endorphins AKA Endorphins

Endorphins are naturally occuring opiates which are similar to morphine and heroin. Similar to oxytocin these appear in sex, birth, pregnancy and birth. They help to reduce pain and suppress the immune systems which is important. Becoming stressed can make you release more endorphins that are required and therefore impacts on the release of oxytocin so will in turn potentially slow things down. 

So remember to be calm in labour 

Epinephrine  and norepinephrine 

You may have heard of these two hormones as fight or flight hormones. They are produced in high stress situations. These hormones can be released in labour if you don't feel safe, private or calm and undisturbed they can again inhibit oxytocin in the early stages of labour. This is why it is so important to be in the correct birth environment. 

However, in the later parts of labour there is a rise in epinephrine to help you get that energy and rush of adrenaline to cause strong contractions to help you push baby out. 

Places to give birth 

The beauty of this being your pregnancy, is you can decided at ANY time to change the place of birth, you may decide on an obstetric led unit delivery initially and then throughout your pregnancy you may change your mind to a home birth. The only thing you need to do is inform your midwife of any change if you do so they are able to support you in this e.g. make sure their birth packs are in the car! 

Home (picture 1):

This picture below is such a wonderful example of what you can do in your home to prepare for a home birth, its your house so its completely your rules. You can play your own music, have your own smells going and If you would like a water birth then you can hire water pools from a multitude of places - a quick google to see if you can rent or buy one in your local area - or reach out to us and we can help support you locating one! Feeling safe and in control of your birth is paramount. By birthing at home, the midwife will attend when you call to observe and support you in labour 

Birth Centre /Birthing Suite/Midwifery Led unit (picture 2) :

A birthing centre or midwifery led unit, literally is what is says on the tin. A place where midwives lead the care in a home from home environment but still has more access to emergency equipment and extra pairs of hands if required in an emergency situation. You are still able to bring in mood lighting, music and mobilise as much as you can. 

Delivery Suite/ Obstetric Led unit/ Labour ward (picture 3): 

This is usually known as the obstetric led unit and looks a lot more medicalised than the previous two pictures. This is usually because some women who deliver here may need input from the maternity doctors and may need additional care. Even if this is the case, you can still make the environment to your suiting, asking them to dim the lighting, bringing in your music and even bringing out your IKEA self and ask the room to be moved around! 100% you can do this, in my own career i have moved beds out of the room so women can mobilise but still be monitoring baby at the same time. Remember this is your birth and the team are here to support you! 

It is really mindful to note that when you are deciding a place of birth, to have this discussion with your midwife or healthcare provider as they will know all of your history and if there are any risk factors in your pregnancy which may mean you might need additional monitoring, additional care to support you and baby to have a healthy birth. So please ensure you do get in touch and communicate this with them! We are here to support you and can create a personalised care plan for you if you may not fit into "guidelines" or the "way the hospital does things". 

Picture 1

Picture 2

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