Half Pint Pixie

Active birth is not a new thing, it concerns readying yourself both physically and mentally for the experience of giving birth. By moving around and staying off the bed during labour and birth you are allowing gravity to work with you rather than against you as your baby makes its journey into the world. This would be easier to achieve in a home birth setting but, with a little preparation and determination, it is very possible to have an active birth in an Irish Maternity hospital.

During Pregnancy

Yoga
Doing pregnancy yoga is a great way to both relax and tone your body and meet other likeminded women. You will usually have one class which is concerned with labour; showing you different positions such standing against a wall, on all fours, bouncing on a ball, all of which are good for different stages of labour.

You will also learn breathing techniques which can be the key to getting through contractions. For me it was not the pain but the feeling of being overwhelmed that was difficult, breathing with my partner helped refocus me here.

Massage
Pregnancy Massage, while excellent for relaxing you while pregnant can also be used to good advantage especially in the last few weeks of pregnancy and in early labour. We went to Caroline Browne in Dublin who teaches your birth partner some techniques to help relax and focus you in labour. Practice in the last few weeks so your partner gets to know what relaxes you and where your sore spots are. Remember, on the day you may not want anyone near you, that’s ok! I still have a full bottle of a beautiful labour-ease massage oil that I couldn’t stand the smell of once labour began, so bring an unscented oil also!

Active Birth Class
Many yoga studios offer 1 day classes specifically dealing with active birthing. These can be useful, especially as your partner attends with you. Two heads can definitely be better than one when it comes to remembering positions.

Reading
Janet Balaskas is probably the best known name in the Active Birthing movement. Her book New Active Birth is very interesting and her website has links to classes in London. But you don’t need to learn a particular technique called “active birthing” to have an active birth.

Choose a Birth Partner
When choosing your potential birth partner, be it your partner, mum, sister, friend or a doula, make sure they are keen to get involved in your active birth. After all, when you are in the throes of labour, they will be your voice and doing most of the communicating with hospital staff.

Birth Plan
We wrote a birth plan during the last few weeks and popped it in with my notes. On arrival at the hospital we showed it pretty much to anyone who moved! You can find a copy here.

Antenatal Class at the Hospital
See what you’re up against! The hospital will outline their policy in dealing with births so it is helpful if you are planning an active birth to go to your hospital’s antenatal classes. Forewarned is forearmed as they say. The information you get here will be key to knowing how to formulate your requests. For instance, in our antenatals, we were told that kneeling on the bed is the best way to deliver, so in the delivery ward we repeated this and the midwife couldn’t disagree!

During Labour

Walk, walk and keep walking! The key to an active birth is avoiding an epidural, if you get one you will be confined to the bed and your choice of birthing positions greatly restricted. Stay off the bed, bounce on a ball, have a shower etc.

I was hooked up to a monitor as my waters had been gone for 15 hours by the time I was admitted to delivery. This made it more awkward but it was so painful lying down that I was happy to hover by the side of the bed sitting and bouncing on my ball. Our midwife was great, she took the monitors off every so often so I could use the shower.

Delivery

You may find that when it comes time to push, your midwife may tell you to lie down on the bed. This is where your partner is essential. Mine arranged me into a kneeling position on the bed, holding the headboard, and leaning back on my legs which was quite comfortable! The midwife had to go and get help as she had never delivered a baby this way!

Everything went well, the entire labour from 3 cm to baby born took 7 hours, including 45 mins of pushing. The midwife commented that the delivery position helped protect me from tearing (I had minor scratches) or needing an episiotomy.

What if it doesn’t go according to plan?

Obviously all of the above information applies to a normal healthy pregnancy and delivery. We are fortunate in Ireland to have excellent medical care available in the event of any danger to our babies or ourselves. The majority of deliveries are uncomplicated, but if you need intervention, then be thankful it’s available and know that you did what’s best for your baby. I think if you and your partner can stay informed of what’s going on and why, then your baby’s arrival will be a happy & positive experience for all of you! After all, what we all want at the end of the pregnancy journey is a happy healthy little bundle of joy!