Following a province wide initiative on behalf of
the Public Health Agency to promote 'Normality in
the High Risk Labour Ward', the Team in Labour
Ward (Midwives and Medical staff) worked alongside
the Practise Development Midwives to develop
and implement changes within the Labour Ward to
provide equity in choices in childbirth.
We developed the Normalising Bundle which
is displayed in each room and a birth pool was
installed.
A CTG monitor was purchased that could be used
in the pool in order that those women whose baby
required continuous monitoring throughout labour
could still avail of the benefits of a birthing pool.
In a one month period
• 15 women used the pool during labour
• 8 had water births
• 5 had normal births out of the pool
• 1 had an instrumental delivery
• 1 had a Caesarean Section.
Normalising Bundle Had you hoped to use water for pain relief in
labour and/or have a water birth?
Things may not have gone according to plan
and you now find yourself requiring induction
of labour for a medical reason.
Don't despair!!! Labour ward has both a pool
and underwater telemetry (to monitor your
baby's heart rate continuously). Most women
can still avail of these if they wish.
Have a chat with the Induction of Labour
Midwife to see if these options would be
suitable for you.
In order that women would know that this option was available to them we produced a poster to be
displayed in the Antenatal Clinic, the Emergency Obstetric Unit and in the Induction of Labour bay.
We continue to support these choices for women with all our staff receiving regular training in the
provision of water births.
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