BIRTH: When Things Don’t Go As Planned Series - Part 2⠀

Do complications happen in birth? Yes, they do sometimes. In this 3-part series, we are exploring different aspects of midwifery care that address this important topic. ⠀

Principle 2: Your midwife has a transport plan in place

As midwives, we know that occasionally there will be births with complications that should be managed in a hospital setting. ⠀ Some complications may require constant fetal heart rate monitoring, a spinal epidural, an operating room, surgical skill, blood replacement products, or a NICU facility. ⠀ ⠀ Your midwife will work hard to know the ins-and-outs of the best hospitals around for various complications. Midwives spend time exploring hospitals, meeting doctors, talking to charge nurses, attending hospital meetings for midwives, and checking out NICUs. Different hospitals are good for different things. The decisions of which hospital to transfer to can vary based on your location, your specific complication, and the urgency of the situation. ⠀ ⠀

This photo is of a mother who caught her own baby, in the hospital. ⠀ 📷: Monica Jean Photography

Your midwife should have a mental plan in place for various transport options if they arise, and be able to adapt those to the situation at hand. ⠀ ⠀ Depending on the climate of the local medical community, your midwife has likely worked hard to develop and maintain relationships with various medical providers and facilities, so that those relationships are in place for when you, the client, need them. ⠀

This brave mother is getting her epidural placed. Epidurals can be tools, when needed. 📷: Marysol Blomerus Photography

⠀ Your midwife realizes that there are some births that need to end up taking place in the hospital – and she will work to make that transition the smoothest and safest it can possibly be for you and your little one. ⠀ ⠀ #midwife⠀ #midwiferycare⠀ #homebirth⠀ #safebirth⠀