Worcester and Droitwich Branch
Make yourself at home
The normalising of labour is a big step from the standard delivery ward (where birthing mothers can still expect to be
strapped to machines, monitors and confined to their beds).
It‘s an ethos that all the staff are very keen to encourage; they
hope mums and their partners will feel very much more at
home here - the home environment itself having proven benefits for mother and baby. In a home or home-like environment,
there is a decreased chance of the need for drugs and other
surgical interventions (Birthplace Study, 2011), and the birthing
centre aims to offer more support for breastfeeding in a quieter
environment than the chaotic postnatal ward. The benefits are
not just for mother, baby and family, however; the trust will also
reap savings in terms of decreased pharmaceutical bills, bed
space and aftercare support such as breastfeeding counsellors. As the matron explained, a calmer birth experience without drugs will mean that the mother and baby recover more
quickly, discharge to home can take place usually after 6-8
hours, and there is an increased likelihood of successful
breastfeeding.
Partners are encouraged to
be very much involved and
can take advantage of the
family room with its dining
table and tea- and coffeemaking facilities, as well as
comfortable chairs and surfaces in the room such as the
Bradbury couches donated
by the NCT. Bradbury have
cleverly supplied a secondary part to the couch so that these
can be pulled together to create a double bed for partners and
family.
Worcester and Droitwich Branch Spring 2015
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