BIRTHING FROM HOME

from Coal Coast Baby Magazine 2023

BACK TO FITNESS AFTER BIRTH

Author: Kira Weatford

Your favourite music playing gently in the background, the lights dimmed, your own personal comforts and your favourite people surrounding you—when it comes to birth, many expectant parents are choosing to bring their children into the world at home.

Kira Waetford is a private midwife, offering women home birthing services in the Illawarra region and surrounds.

“My focus is on empowering women to realise their true potential as child-bearers, mothers, partners and nurturers of the family unit,” Kira says.

“I believe in the importance of instilling confidence in birthing women and their families to make their own health decisions.”

With the support of family and a qualified midwife and doula, home births are not only safe but offer a variety of positive effects. Studies show that even the intention to give birth at home leads to better outcomes for you and your baby.

Kira points to research published in The Lancet that shows having your baby at home is just as safe as a hospital birth for babies, and even safer for mothers with low-risk pregnancies.

(Reltsma et al, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100319).

Families who choose homebirth enjoy:

• Labouring and birthing in the comfort and privacy of their own home,

• No separation from baby, partner or older children,

• Lower rates of interventions such as induction, epidural, episiotomy, instrumental birth, caesarean section, etc.

• A decreased need for medication in labour,

• A lower risk of infection due to the decreased need for vaginal exams,

• Higher rates of vaginal birth, including after earlier caesarean sections, and

• Improved breastfeeding outcomes. In addition, choosing continuity of care with a known midwife leads to the highest rates of satisfaction among birthing women and their families.

Antenatal/Homebirth/Postpartum Services

Kira’s services include antenatal and postnatal visits in your home, meeting with you and your family to prepare a comprehensive birthing plan. Key is building a mutual and trusting relationship in preparation for both your birth and the postpartum period.

“Antenatal visits involve a check-up of both you and your baby, and a cuppa and chat about how your pregnancy is going,” Kira says.

“We’ll also work through what your options are for tests during pregnancy and discuss birth and postpartum preparation and breastfeeding. I’m here to answer any questions or topics you’d like to talk through.”

When it comes time for your labour, your midwife will be with you from when you feel like you need the support, and will stay until satisfied that both mum and baby are happy and healthy (and will activate the clean-up crew so your home is even cleaner than before anyone arrived!)

Postnatal visits are frequent throughout the sixweek postpartum period and are focused on your physical, mental and emotional well-being. These include labour and birth debriefing, breastfeeding, sleep and settling support, and newborn checks and screening.

To ensure dedicated and focused care, Kira limits her capacity to four women per month. Book early in your pregnancy to secure her services!

Find more information and contact details at: www.kirawaetford.com.au

Reltsma et al, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100319).

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