More and more women are choosing to birth their babies at birthing suites rather than in a hospital. Primary birthing away from a hospital environment offers many benefits to both mother and baby, including a shorter labour time, fewer interventions, and a faster recovery. Birthing suites are usually more home-like than hospitals and are run by midwives.
Mothers who birth at primary units are significantly more likely to have a normal vaginal birth than mothers who birth in a hospital.
Birthcare in Parnell, Auckland, is a purpose-built maternity hospital that caters for women who expect to have a normal labour and delivery, and for all postnatal stays (including post-caesarean section). Birthcare offers a warm, friendly, homely environment that provides 24-hour care for women and their whanau as well as a relaxed environment for your postnatal stay.
There are many benefits to planning to birth at Birthcare: your risk of interventions such as forceps, ventouse (vacuum) delivery, episiotomy or caesarean section is reduced and women who have a vaginal birth without intervention usually experience a rapid recovery with less pain and discomfort.
Auckland midwife of 28 years, Sarai Tepou, chats to The Natural Parent Magazine about her experience of assisting birthing mothers at Birthcare…
Sarai talks about the support provided by the staff midwives and explains that healthy women with a low-risk pregnancy should consider Birthcare, as it is a great option for a “holistic birthing experience”.
Sarai describes the birthing environment at Birthcare as a “modernised, inviting and comfortable space”.
On the Birthcare website, they describe having three large birthing rooms, all with birthing pools (“60% of women birthing at Birthcare use water for pain relief.”), fridge, bean bags, swiss balls, bead rolls, and 2 of their rooms have birthing couches. They explain that the mood lighting in each room is designed to help mums-to-be feel more comfortable and relaxed, along with aromatherapy diffusers that you can add your own oils to, and a sound system through which you can play your own music. You are welcome to bring along anything else that will make you more comfortable.
