Homebirth Midwife

Posted on by
Reply

Look what Deborah Neiger has just brought onto the market! It’s your very own homebirth midwife doll and accessories!!

Ha ha, not really. This IS homebirth midwife Deborah Neiger, plus all her kit laid out in all its glory. So, if you’ve ever wondered what’s in a homebirth midwife’s magic toolkit – here it is. We’ve come on a bit since the days of Call The Midwife!

Or maybe not! In reality, Deborah says that at most births all she uses is the Doppler (14), the incontinence pads (3), the scissors (31), the gauze (6), the scales (20) & baby weighing sling (12) – plus the wonderful midwife (1), obviously!

Homebirth Midwife and kit -Deborah Neiger

Second thing to note is that Deborah says the list isn’t exhaustive, and it’s not listed in order of importance.

The Kit

  1. A kind and sensitive *known to you* midwife
  2. Rebozo for comfort measures or to help fetal positioning
  3. Lots of incontinence pads to soak up birth goo
  4. Catheter if passing urine is difficult or a full bladder is causing excessive bleeding
  5. Cord tie
  6. Gauze Swabs, mostly used to check the perineum for damage after birth if desired, or for microbiome seeding
  7. Placenta bag if parents want it disposing of
  8. Fetoscope
  9. Penguin suction, NEVER used as routine, only as part of resuscitation should it become necessary
  10. Gloves
  11. Pinard
  12. Baby weighing sling
  13. Stainless steel mirror for pool use
  14. Doppler
  15. Transducer gel for doppler
  16. Birth pack, only carry it for the unlikely possibility we ever need the Spencer Wells clamps and super sharp episiotomy scissors in it, though it actually has never happened
  17. Some needles and syringes to administer emergency drugs or vitamin K to the baby, if needed/wanted
  18. Cord Clamp
  19. Lube in case of vaginal examination, also not routine ever
  20. Hanging scales
  21. Sphygmomanometer to take blood pressures
  22. Giving set and tubing for Entonox
  23. Vomit/emesis bags (or as Deborah likes to call them – puke tubes!)
  24. Stethoscope
  25. Entonox tank
  26. Urinalysis sticks
  27. Infrared thermometer
  28. Emergency drugs to control excessive bloodloss (Syntometrine, Syntocinon, Ergometrine) and vitamin K if desired by parents
  29. Tongue depressor, for use during insertion of Guedel airway during baby resuscitation if necessary
  30. Bag and Mask for baby resuscitation
  31. Sterile scissors to cord eventually once fully white or placenta birthed, unless Lotusing
  32. Sharps bin

Addendum, not in photo!

  1. Phone! This is useful when you need to look up things, if ever in doubt, and to summon help.
  2. Torch. To huddle and write notes when in a dark room, check heads emerging in darkness if there are concerns, check perineums.

Thanks for sharing, Deborah! I had no idea my lovely homebirth midwife most likely had all this stuff nearby when I gave birth to my second!

If you’re interested to find out more about Deborah and her work, you can follow the link to her original Facebook post here.

You can also find support at the Big Birthas Facebook Group here.

Free Pregnancy and Antenatal Digital Support

Posted on by
Reply

Are you pregnant or do you have a baby under 12 months? A new free pregnancy and antenatal digital support service funded by the NHS has just been launched!

The first phase is a two week trial for participants living in England. If successful, the plan is to roll it out nationwide. This could be so helpful even when the covid-19 crisis is over!

Being at home with a new baby can feel isolating enough at times, but now that the usual group sessions in the form of baby and toddler groups and baby cafés aren’t an option, this could be a really important way for new and expectant parents to feel supported.

You can register your interest by completing this short survey: https://bit.ly/3eN2rBI

The service is a joint initiative between Lactation Consultants of Great Britain, Peppy Parenthood, and the NCT. It is funded via the TechForce19 challenge. They urgently need 1,000 mums and dads of babies in their last trimester and under 12m to trial it.

Picture of a Dad looking at his phone with a nappied baby on his back. Free Pregnancy and Antenatal Digital Support

It’s supported by NHSX (which I’d never heard of before!), the Department of Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the AHSN Network.

What will this free pregnancy and antenatal digital support service look like?

The plan is to provide you with expert support on life with a baby; feeding, sleep, mental health, and more. You’ll have access to one-to-one chat support with expert practitioners and you can ask a question at any time. There will also be small personalised group chats, access to video consultations with breastfeeding and child sleep consultants, and online exercise sessions (which they promise will be safe, fun and effective!).

If the support proves to be helpful, there is the potential for national roll out.

Register your interest by completing the survey here!

Research Continues!

Posted on by
Reply

The world may have practically stopped in a lot of ways, but behind the scenes, research continues! The ever-effervescent WRISK Project is attempting to map all the COVID-19 pregnancy research that’s happening right now. Anyone doing research in this field is invited to add their project details to their google doc: http://tiny.cc/pregnancyandcovid19.

BigBirthas has also had contact from quite a few academics and researchers. They are continuing with pre-COVID-19 research and need our help. There are a few in the pipeline I’ll be publicising soon. I can’t share all the details of the other projects yet, but I can remind you about the LARC Project, which I brought to your attention in January, and which would now like you to complete a short survey, if you’re able:

LARC Project Research Continues

Image showing forms of LARC (long-acting reversible contraception) and Lancaster University and BPAS logos along with the words "Have you been encouraged to use LARC?" - their research continues

LARC stands for Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives, things like the implant, coil or IUD, injections etc. This is being run by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) in conjunction with Lancaster University.

They’re interested in hearing about people’s experiences with LARC or LARC services. If you take part in their short survey you can win a £20 High St voucher. (it says it takes 10 minutes to complete, but I think that’s an exaggeration, it took me much less!)

You do not need to have used a LARC type of contraception to complete this survey. They’re interested in your experiences with the services that provide LARC. It doesn’t matter whether you have tried the methods or not.

Complete the survey here!

I’ll let you know more about the other research projects and how you can help and get involved as I know more myself.

Until then, stay safe.

x
Big Birtha

Birth in a time of Covid-19

Posted on by
Reply

I think most people are a bit anxious right now. There’s a lot going on and a lot to get your head around. But if you’re pregnant, it must be especially worrying. Particularly if it’s your first and you already don’t know what to expect. Pregnancy and birth keeps you on your toes at the best of times, but birth in a time of Covid-19 comes with further considerations.

You can read the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists advice on coronavirus infection and pregnancy here.

We’ve had a couple of recent births in the BigBirthas Facebook Group. With permission, here’s a birth story from someone who just did it four days ago! Hopefully this will give a bit of information and reassurance on what to expect if you’re nearing your due date:

Kay’s birth story

I gave birth to my little legend on Friday 27th March.

newborn wearing a hat and clutching a finger - birth in a time of Covid-19

I was induced at 37+5 due to obstetric cholestasis. (OC is a liver condition which affects 1 in 140 pregnancies in the UK. It is characterised by excessive itchiness, often on the palms of your hands and/or soles of your feet. A bit of itchiness in pregnancy is normal, particularly on a stretching tummy, but always worth getting checked out. – Big Birtha)

He came at 38+1. They kept me in hospital due being high risk with OC and high BMI and the midwives were absolutely amazing. They really put my mind at rest. The consultant and the anaesthetist were pushing for a c-section because of my size, but I rejected and carried on. I knew that I could do it.

In the end I managed all but the last hour without any pain relief at all and the last hour I allowed myself some gas and air. He was born at 2.10am on the 27th weighing 7lbs 14oz and is perfect.

My advice to everyone is to not let them put time pressure on you. If you choose a c-section, that of course is your choice and I am fully supportive, but I am so glad I didn’t let them hound me into one. The ward they put me on (postnatal) I was the only one that had a natural birth. It was so hard watching everyone else struggle even picking up their newborns, whereas I was up and walking about straight away.

Birth in a time of Covid-19 – Kay’s experience

They are taking the upmost care due to current situations, and I am generally a bit of a worrier. If you’re like me don’t let it get you down, I cannot express how safe they made me feel!

The midwifes were only allowed in that section of the hospital. Birthing partners were limited to one and had to take their own food etc. Once they were on the ward they couldn’t leave and come back again. It’s reduced the risk and made everyone feel more comfortable. We all washed so much too, mums, dads, and staff.

All in all it was a very positive experience, even in the circumstances.

Good luck everyone, from one very happy mumma. 💜

*****

Thanks for taking the time out to share that Kay, and congratulations!

Birth in a time of Covid-19 – highlights from the RCOG guidance

The Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists is carefully monitoring all evidence as it’s released. So for up to date information, it is definitely best to read the advice on their page. The below is current as of 31st March 2020:

Generally, pregnant women do not appear to be more likely to be seriously unwell than other healthy adults if they develop the new coronavirus.

Based on the evidence we have so far, pregnant women are still no more likely to contract coronavirus than the general population.

What has driven the decisions made by officials to place pregnant women in the vulnerable category is caution.

It is expected the large majority of pregnant women will experience only mild or moderate cold/flu like symptoms.

If you think you may have symptoms of COVID-19 you should use the NHS 111 online service for information, or NHS 24 if in Scotland.

Our advice remains that if you feel your symptoms are worsening or if you are not getting better you should contact your maternity care team or use the NHS 111 online service / NHS 24 for further information and advice.

The most important thing to do is to follow government guidance [to reduce the risk of catching coronavirus].

It is really important that you continue to attend your scheduled routine care when you are well.

If you have any concerns, you will still be able to contact your maternity team but please note they may take longer to get back to you

There is a long FAQ section in the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists advice so it’s likely most questions you have may be covered there.

Stay safe, and look after yourselves.

x

Big Birtha