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We know they exist, but most Polish women do not even consider them. Home births – legal, less traumatic, de-medicalised, are still treated in our country as a “sport only for the brave”. What is home birth like? There is something to be afraid of?
- A woman giving birth at home must be examined by a doctor. It cannot be a pregnancy of any risk
- The midwife accompanies the woman in labor. In Poland, home delivery is not reimbursed by the National Health Fund
- Every year there are more and more women who decide to give birth in our country at home
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Why do Polish women consider giving birth at home?
One of the results of administrative decisions shaping Polish health care was the transfer of home births to hospitals in the 60s. They were assigned specific medical procedures and standards that were controlled. They have been medicalized, in other words, the deciding vote has been given to medical personnel who can, for example, induce or accelerate childbirth. A woman must submit to the rigors prevailing in the health care facility, which often forces her to act inconsistent with her feelings and beliefs. The miracle of birth is often reduced to the thoughtless execution of a series of commands and stripped of most of the wonderful emotions that should accompany it. And yet Regulation of the Minister of Health on the so-called The 2011 perinatal standard states that a woman has the right to choose the place of delivery, which may take place at her home.
And although in Poland still over 99 percent. children are born in hospitals, Every year there are more and more babies born at home. In 2015, there were 136 births (out of 370 total births according to the statistics of dobryurodzeni.pl), and in 706 – 2017 (GUS). For comparison, in England they account for more than 627%, while in the Netherlands, where in 2 they accounted for 2004%. women gave birth at home, in 30 this percentage dropped to 2015%. (data from the European Perinatal Health Report).
However, Polish women do not follow the statistics when deciding to give birth at home. Most often, they justify it with the possibility of being completely focused on themselves, a kind and loving environment, the availability of their own bed, bathroom with a bathtub or shower and a kitchen where they can eat … In a word a sense of security in a friendly, well-known environment, which cannot be provided by any hospital.
Of course, you have to qualify for home birth. The woman must be healthy and the pregnancy normal, low-risk pregnancy. The qualification is made by a midwife who conducts an interview, analyzes the test results, talks to the future mother and people who will support her at this important moment. As the women say from the approx. 6,6 thousand members of the Home Birth Facebook group, made the decision with an unwavering belief that they would be safe when giving birth at home.
More information can be found on the Onet homepage
The risk is to be minimal
Asking my gynecologist friend about her attitude towards giving birth at home, I heard: “This sport is only for the brave. I cannot imagine that she gives birth to the first child this way. Well, maybe a healthy woman who gave birth before without complications. But you never know, something may happen and then it is better to be on the ward, under the supervision of a gynecologist ».
Exactly, during the birth at home, the woman is accompanied by a midwife. According to the regulations, the midwife may independently care for her during physiological pregnancy, physiological delivery and puerperium. An obstetrician-gynecologist is not needed.
Also read: Parents’ fear still the same
Natalia Sarosiak, who also gave birth at home, quotes the doctor on her blog Pupinek.pl: “Do you know how many gynecologists have seen natural childbirth? On the fingers of one hand, I will count. In such deliveries, there are midwives, the doctor comes to the finish. Today, almost no one gives birth without medicalization. Doctors are there where there is pathology, where things are wrong. Every day they look at the dramas and this is the picture of childbirth. There is no need for a doctor in natural childbirth. He has nothing to heal there ».
Gosia, a doctor who specializes in specialization and also studies obstetrics, tells what made her two subsequent decisions about giving birth at home:
– During my studies and internship, I saw births in which I would not like to participate. As a doctor, I follow EBM (evidence-based medicine, i.e. making decisions taking into account scientific data, clinical situation and patients’ preferences), I would not do anything that would be dangerous or irrational. In Poland, there is still no common awareness that a home childbirth is accepted by a midwife who usually graduated from a medical university, that contraindications are analyzed earlier, that a woman must undergo a full qualification. I am also in the group of doctors and unfortunately I must say that many of them have no idea about this type of birth …
Also read: Childbirth is beautiful, but not necessarily easy
Moms in the Home Childbirth group believe that it should be up to the woman to decide where to give birth. In order to take it, you need information about childbirth, puerperium and how to prepare for them. You have to meet the midwife, books and films will be useful. Only the accumulated knowledge will build faith in the possibility of independent birth of a child and confidence in one’s own safety. Only then will a woman and her relatives feel confident.
– For the fourth year I give birth at home – says Ewa Mazurkiewicz, a midwife from Wrocław and mother of a “home” child. – They are growing every year, sometimes women come to me in the first weeks of pregnancy to meet their due date. Most mothers give birth to their second and subsequent children this way, and the age range is 25–40 years. Women usually have higher education, but their material status varies.
Let’s remind that home birth is not reimbursed by the National Health Fund, therefore, costs ranging from 2 to 4 PLN (depending on the area or midwife), the woman covers it from her own pocket.
– Sometimes the whole family puts aside money from the beginning of pregnancy, and it happened that I spread my fee into installments – adds Ewa Mazurkiewicz.
However, you always have to have a plan B because transfer to hospital may occur for various reasons.
The statistics summarizing the 2,5-year work of midwife Kamila Ciastek-Majtyka (published in 2019) shows that out of 92 women (including 35 primiparous women) who passed the initial qualification, 69 started giving birth at home and gave birth there 62. In the first stage of labor, there were 7 transfers to the hospital (including 5 first-borns), and after delivery, 8 transfers (6 for the mother and 2 for the newborn).
Different women, different needs and preferences
Thanks to the videos on the YouTube channel, we will see how home births look like in the world. Media descriptions of the birth of children of celebrities bring news about the prevailing fashions and the latest news.
For example, we could read that Duchess Meghan looked after doula, i.e. a trained companion who helps the mother achieve the most rewarding perinatal experience possible. Doula services are slowly gaining popularity also in Poland. Courses and training are organized and the number of professional birth assistants is growing rapidly.
How to proceed to make childbirth an unforgettable positive experience? There are many ways:
- Food
Yes! Experts say that it is now possible to eat during childbirth and this does not threaten any negative consequences.
- Family and friends
Even with us, the days when my dad waited in front of the delivery room are long gone. The so-called the labor dawn can accompany the woman at home as long as she wishes.
- Ball
After a contraction occurs, it is difficult to find a comfortable position, and at home you can jump on a ball, walk, take a shower or do anything else to relieve the pain.
- Delivery pool or bathtub
Many women choose warm water as a means of non-pharmacological pain relief in labor. He seeks relief in birthing pools, which help to relax muscles and soothe the intensity of contractions. Most often, pools or tubs of water are used during labor and not for the actual birth. A suitable pool can simply be rented, and 10 to 15 percent of women do.
- Acupuncture and acupressure
Widely used in eastern cultures, nowadays they are becoming more and more popular, e.g. in the USA. Acupuncture, being a non-invasive and pharmacological-free method, is sometimes recommended there for induction of labor. Acupressure is based on the same assumptions, but it is even less invasive, because instead of needles, you use fingers (often whole hands and elbows). It involves applying pressure to specific organs, of which there are over 600 in traditional Chinese medicine. Both techniques help to relax muscles and tendons, release endorphins and block pain receptors in the brain.
- Hypnotherapy
It is different from the Mongolian method, which has gained popularity in the world over the last five years (e.g. in Canada). Pregnant women trained by hypnotherapists use self-hypnosis techniques to stay calm and control pain during labor.
- Water injections
They disrupt the transmission of pain stimuli to the brain. They are popular in Sweden and are beginning to be used in Canada. Very small needles with distilled water are inserted just below the skin surface in the selected area. Anesthesia lasts from twenty minutes to several hours. It is a simple, inexpensive and risk-free way of coping with pain and does not affect the course of labor.
- TENS pacemaker
The procedure is performed by a midwife, and TENS is an English abbreviation for transcutaneous nerve stimulation. The electrodes are placed on the lower back and connected to a portable machine that generates electrical stimulation. Electrostimulators send pulses from electrodes through the skin to the peripheral nerves responsible for sensing temperature. The electrical signal reaches the synaptic connections of the spinal cord, where it works in two ways: it blocks the nerve impulse carrying information to the brain about the location and intensity of pain and initiates the formation of natural painkillers – beta-endorphins, which act similarly to morphine.
- Various birthing positions
At home, you can give birth in a propped kneeling position, in a squat, standing or knee-elbow position.
In the vertical position, the baby’s head presses harder against the cervix, so dilation occurs faster. Standing up is also faster than lying down. It provides better blood supply to the placenta, and thus, better oxygenation of the baby. While standing, the woman breathes more deeply using the diaphragm to help control her pain. The horizontal position of the neck of the birth canal makes it easier to push, and the standing, squatting or sitting position allows gravity to act. The baby moves more efficiently and the risk of perineal tear or the need for an incision is reduced.
- Lotus childbirth
After the baby is born, the umbilical cord is not squeezed or cut, and after the birth of the placenta it remains connected to the baby. They are washed and placed on a sieve for several hours, covered with a cloth. During this time, the placenta dries up and is then transferred to a salt bowl. Over time, the umbilical cord mummifies and separates between 3 and 10 days postpartum. The placenta is not considered waste and parents often plant a tree on it.
Also Read: Lotus Childbirth
Anyway, during home births, the rule is to cut the umbilical cord as soon as possible after the ripple has ceased. In this way, the newborn is given time to adapt to the external conditions and can start breathing gently.
Of course, women use many of the techniques presented above interchangeably, choosing the most appropriate for themselves.
Well-being results in a happy birth
Basia from the Home Porody group writes: «Between the contractions, I sat on a ball, ate oranges and waited impatiently for an assist. My apartment was just like any other day. After On 21st, the midwife arrived and found 8 cm dilated. She glued the electrodes of the TENS stimulator to the bottom of my back, which reduced the feeling of contractions. From the moment the professional help came, I only felt joy and a little excitement. I changed into a shirt, we prepared a bed so that I could go to bed with the baby right after giving birth. I was tired but relaxed at the same time. Yes! The last two hours of labor were relaxing for me. The midwife just checked the baby’s heartbeat every now and then, and we talked as if it were a coffee meeting. And only the contractions reminded me that this was not an ordinary evening.
The midwife helped me a lot in the end, she said when not to push and when to do it gently. I tried to follow her orders and at one point she said that I was doing a beautiful job. Hear something like this at the climax of this great task! Even then, the first tears of joy fell. Normality was the greatest thing about it all. No white gowns, needles, cables, drips, no harsh light and no hospital smell. I was simply a woman in labor and my son was born as a human being, not as a patient ”.
Gosia talks about the wave of positive energy that enveloped her right after giving birth. Her husband made her waffles, and she relished domestic normality. In turn, Julia recalls how after giving birth, along with the rest of the entourage, she ate a special broth that was cooked for her for several hours. Everyone around was there for her, and she felt like a queen. Queen mother.
Read also:
- What should worry me in the first trimester of pregnancy
- What should worry me in the second trimester of pregnancy
- What should worry me in the third trimester of pregnancy
You haven’t been able to find the cause of your ailments for a long time? Do you want to tell us your story or draw attention to a common health problem? Write to the address [email protected] #Together we can do more