How many life decisions have you made based on a couple of questions?
I’m guessing some of you have said yes to ‘will you marry me’, but I’m sure that was after careful consideration and at least some background knowledge of the person!
What if you had to decide whether to take a job based purely on location and salary, no other details supplied?
What about if you set up an online dating profile and the company asked where you lived and preferred gender and you got set up with someone you had to marry?
Would you choose a school for your child based on proximity to your house and fees without checking out any other details?
Would you go in for an operation without asking any questions, solely relying on your doctor’s recommendation?
I’m guessing no for most if not all of these questions.
That’s why I’m disheartened time and time again when parents choose where to birth their baby based on whether they are going private or public and which hospital is closest.
I don’t know about you but for my first pregnancy, I was sitting in my GP’s office and he had just confirmed I was pregnant.
I was surprised and overwhelmed and the cherry on top is when he asked ‘Which hospital should I write your referral for?’
Sorry what?
I said to him ‘Ummm, I have no idea. Where would you recommend?’
He answered with, ‘You are healthy and low risk, live in Hawthorn so what about the Royal Women’s?’
I agreed.
I didn’t know there were options of hospital vs. birth centre vs. home birth.
I didn’t know the difference between care led by an obstetrician, a variety of midwives or that I could have a single midwife follow my entire pregnancy and birth.
Of course this could just be my experience with my GP but in my understanding, it’s a similar story for most.
Unless we actively rise to the occasion and do our own research, we get asked a couple of questions, which determines our type of care, and ultimately the type of birth we could have.
Imagine this for a moment if you will;
Your GP confirms you are pregnant. After the obligatory congratulations, they hand you a pack, let’s call it your Birthing Option Decision Aids.
Inside is a handout on Private Obstetrician Care along with one for Public System Care, Independent Midwifery Care, Home Birth and Free Birth info and so on.
They include risks, benefits and approximate out of pocket costs for all the options.
It has a page for you to complete with your partner.
It helps you work out what’s important to you in your birth experience.
What makes you feel safe and supported?
How would that be for an informed choice?
It may sound fanciful and idealistic but I think that first choice we make about our birth is a huge one.
Will it be the first time we hand over our power or the first time we take responsibility as a mother to ensure the best care for our self and our baby?
If you are unsure about the care provider you are currently seeing, I implore you to ask them these 40 questions HERE.
If you feel worried about the answers, there is your first clue that you may not be in the right place for you.
The best thing is, you can always change providers! Even up to the very last minute, you can find someone you feel 100% supported by.
During our HypnoBirthing course, you learn so much more about choosing your care provider and some amazing tools to use for open, easy and non-confrontational communication.
I’ll leave you with a quote by Maggie Kuhn;
“Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes”
