What's New at Truro Birth Centre?

I was lucky enough to have a little wander around Truro Birth Centre a few weeks ago when I was part of the Kernow MVP's 15 Steps in Maternity. I visit the birth centre semi regularly as a Doula, but it was really lovely to see the facility whilst not in 'work mode'. I had a tour around & was shown the new equipment and facilities by the wonderful Shannon (an amazing Cornish Midwife who the birth centre are super lucky to have there), so I thought it would be useful to share this with you, as unfortunately TBC does not offer in person tours & I know many of you local people are keen to birth at this facility.

There are 4 birth rooms in the BC, all of which have pools. Each is named after a Cornish Beach & the art work on the wall inside each room represents that beach. There are birth balls in every room, and 'birth pods' instead of beds (these are like adult soft play form shapes that you can move & adjust in to different shapes - you can set them up in a bed shape if you wish). In each room there is a Birthing Positions poster to remind you of active birth positions, and you can use Aromatherapy in all rooms. TBC is very supportive of Hypnobirthing.

The new additions are (see photos): *Skylight art in 2 of the 4 rooms *A grounded birth ball (that has a base so is more sturdy!) *A wooden birthing stool *A sling/rebozo type piece of equipment that can be used to hang off, squat in to, and can also be used to hang over the pool. *Each room also has a 'My Birth Language Preferences' which will be filled out by your midwife during triage to support best practice, inclusion and your birth plan.

Many people worry that Truro Birth Centre will be busy when they go in to labour, and they might be turned away, however to reassure you - the current statistics are that only 15% of births in Cornwall happen at TBC (10% in Community and Stand Alone Birth Centres, and 75% in Delivery Suite/theatre). Currently the transfer rate from TBC to Delivery Suite is 40%, but this is higher for first time birthers. The Guidelines have widened when it comes to who is supported using the birth centre, so it is most definitely worth talking about this birth space as an option for your labour and birth.

The Birth Centre is designed to facilitate physiological birth. The dim lighting (with added fairies lights and galaxy projector) is perfect to melatonin release. and creating a calm environment The birth stool, pool, birth balls and pods are all wonderful for promoting upright birth positions and active birth. There is a blutooth speaker where you can connect your phone or ipod to play your Hypnobirthing tracks or birth play list, again aiding your relaxation.. Gas and Air is available, as is pethidine. However it's good to know that if you choose to use pethidine then the birth pool is no longer available to you for 3-4 hours after the dose has been given.

Some of the midwives at the birth centre are trained in Hypnobirthing and in all my time supporting births there I have only ever seen respect and support from the midwives for people that are using Hypnobirthing during labour and birth.

Chat with your midwife about the options and possibility of birthing at Truro birth centre. Even if you have some kind of special circumstance that might put you in to a high risk category, it may still be possible to birth here. Things like VBAC, Higher BMI, Gestational age and more are welcomed at the Birth Centre after a conversation with your consultant or birth centre manager.

If you want to learn more about the importance of Birth Environment and how it can have an impact on your birth experience then sign up for one of my Hypnobirthing courses, or even just book a power hour or antenatal class to learn more and look at all your options. email me : info@cornwallhypnobirthing.co.uk for more information to visit my website to book a consultation.

Our birth was very different from my ‘Plan A’ but it was the most empowering & positive experience!

With all the planning and preparation in the world, we must always be mindful that sometimes, on the rare occasion, our bodies or our babies have an entirely different plan to the one that we had set out in our heads! This is why making a Plan A, a Plan B and even a Plan C can be super beneficial... and this is exactly what Jemima and Sean did when they were thrown a curve ball at 30 weeks pregnant. Read their amazing story of how, even though plans had to change, they still had a wonderful positive birth experience and used their Hypnobirthing every step of the way!

"Hypnobirthing always appealed to me but before I did the course I did have a preconception that it was for uncomplicated straightforward births. I wanted a water birth with fairy lights and calming music so I thought it would be perfect for that. What I didn’t realise I would get are the tools and strength it would give me for when all our plans changed.

Our birth story is very different from my ‘plan a’ but it was also the most empowering and positive experience I could have hoped for. My pregnancy was considered low risk apart from my age being 40, and so I was under midwife and consultant care from the start. Induction was mentioned due to my age as being a possibility at 39 weeks but open to discussion as we got closer. Otherwise all low risk options such as the birth centre which was my favoured choice were open to me, and that’s what we went ahead and planned.

At 30 weeks we took a one night trip away to Bath, a birthday present and babymoon treat, however a few hours in as we were making our way to the hotel for check in my membranes released. Well that was unexpected! The first thing Sean and I did was look at each other and laugh, we couldn’t believe it! The second thing we did was get ourselves over to Bath maternity hospital where they confirmed my membranes had released, started me on a course of antibiotics as a precaution against infection and gave me steroid injections which would support baby to breathe if he was born in the next couple of weeks. We also had a scan that showed he still had plenty of fluid and was now head down.

I was kept in overnight and have to admit that was a scary time, although I knew at 30 weeks if he were to be born he would have a good chance at being healthy, he would also need to spend quite a bit of time in neonatal support and if that happened in Bath we would be 150 miles from home for a long time. The calm breathing and relaxation techniques from hypnobirthing were so helpful in that 24 hours and thankfully we got home back to Cornwall the following evening. A plan was made for regular monitoring and to try to keep the pregnancy going for as long as possible, the risks of being born preterm being higher than the risk of infection after membranes released.

This is where we realised that our ‘plan a’ birth plan was unlikely to be possible. They suggested induction at 37 weeks, their reasoning being that the risk of preterm would be gone so there would be no reason to risk infection. While we could see the doctors logic we also had a more holistic viewpoint, taking into consideration the risks of induction and with Terri’s reminder we used our BRAIN thinking to rationalise that if we were happy to take a risk of infection for weeks, why would we suddenly decide that had to change overnight at 37 weeks if all was still well with the pregnancy. We were quickly learning that without the knowledge and confidence that our hypnobirthing course had provided it would be very easy to get swept up in the medical system rather than ask questions and make informed decisions.

At 32 weeks we had a growth scan, this had been booked in from the start as part of the additional provision due to my age, and it showed that baby was measuring smaller than expected. We knew that growth scans can have quite a margin for error and were reassured that it didn’t necessarily mean it was a cause for concern but that a second scan would be needed after a while to assess if growth had stalled which could be an indication that the placenta wasn’t working as well as it could be. We prepared ourselves for the likelihood that our plans may need to change again and I spent time researching stories of positive induction and gentle cesarean, using BRAIN to consider which would be the best choice for us if growth was not improving following a second scan.

Again without the hypnobirthing course I’m not sure it would have occurred to me that I had choices even now and could do my own research as to what was best for us.

At the second scan 10 days later, he was still measuring small but had grown at the pace they would expect between the two dates. We had two consultant appointments scheduled in for that day, the first as part of the scan and she said that weighing up the risks of his small size, my age and the early release of membranes she would recommend we went ahead with induction right away, at this point I was 34 weeks. We decided we would go to our second consultant appointment to discuss further before making our decision and at this appointment using our BRAIN thinking we decided to let baby stay in until 37 weeks but were given an induction date once we reached full term.

When induction was being suggested early on simply because of my age, and even later on because of the membranes release I was still hesitant that it was the right choice, but given his small size as well at this point I decided that we would keep a close eye on his movements and that he was safe but that there was no need to take any risks once he reached full term.

I spent the following week researching positive induction stories and preparing questions for my next midwife appointment so that we could still ensure that when the date came around we would feel in control and have a great experience. I do still believe that from doing that preparation we could have ensured that was the case, however my body, and our baby were in agreement about other plans. It’s funny the power of the mind. I’d spent weeks telling my bump since the membranes released that he has to stay in, but when we got to 35 weeks and with an induction looming I started to relax and say ‘ok you could start thinking about coming now and be ok’. At 35+3 Sean had work that evening and we both said to the bump, ‘ok stay in today, anytime from tomorrow you can come’.

At 35+4 I started to feel very mild sensations which I assumed to be practice surges. I didn’t really time them and though I was aware of them they didn’t get in the way of me going about my day as usual. We carried on with a regular Sunday, visiting family and doing things that we enjoy.

The following morning at 4am I woke up and felt the sensations were slightly more powerful and closer together so I decided to start timing them with an app and found they were about 10 mins apart. I stayed resting in bed but couldn’t get back to sleep so I started using my calm breathing and surge breathing, as well as rainbow relaxation techniques.

By 6am the surges were every 6 mins so I woke Sean to let him know we might want to have some breakfast and start slowly gathering the last of the bits for the hospital bag. Delivery suite had never been my first choice but I had written a plan b birth plan ready and we took along lots of things to ensure we could make the environment as comfortable and relaxing as possible, including a lamp for low lighting, essential oils, my birth ball, and a Bluetooth speaker ready to hook up to my favourite chilled out songs.

We called up ahead and were told to get to delivery suite for 8.30am which we did and were shown to a lovely room where I was popped on a monitor to check all was well with baby. I consented to an examination which showed my cervix was still closed.

They asked me how painful my surges were and I said not at all but a fair bit of pressure, and told them I’d been practicing hypnobirthing techniques which may be why I wasn’t experiencing them as painful at all and was happily using my breathing. I don’t think they were convinced of that and even I thought I’d never get off this lightly! They suggested it was likely these were practice labour sensations and sent us home, saying they would see us at our next scan which was booked in for 3 days later, unless anything changed in the meantime.

I wasn’t convinced simply because everything I had read about practice surges suggested they were irregular which these definitely weren’t but thought perhaps it must be the case. We went for some food and then home for a lie down because I’d been awake since very early and the excitement that had been keeping me awake had been replaced by an overwhelming desire to rest upon being told that today was almost certainly not the day we would meet our son.

By 1pm I felt that the sensations were intensifying, and while I was still comfortable using my surge breathing alternating with my calm breathing I decided to start tracking them again and found they were around 4 mins apart and 60 seconds long. For the next hour we discussed whether we should go back in or if this could still be practice, but by 2pm I felt a shift in how they were feeling so called back up and was told if I felt I needed to come back then to pop into the Day Assessment Unit to be monitored and then if necessary they could send me up to delivery suite later on.

The car journey became uncomfortable, mostly because sitting really felt like the wrong position to be in. Sean dropped me off at 2.30pm and went to park the car and we left all our bags in the car in case we ended up being sent straight home again. At this point I was having to stop walking while my surges were happening as it was taking all my concentration to breathe through them.

When I got into DAU the midwife sent me to the waiting room where again sitting was too uncomfortable with the feeling of pressure low down and I felt that standing and swaying was the only position I wanted to be in. The midwife came back, took one look at me and said she was taking me straight up to Delivery Suite where we were put back in the same room as before.

We waited for someone to come and see to us and I put my arms around Sean as we stood for support, while he helped me to focus on my breathing and gently stroked my back. After two or three more surges I suddenly felt as though I might feel sick and

Sean went into the corridor and asked a midwife to come in to see us. She came in and asked me to get onto the bed to hook me up to a monitor and said she would examine me again in a moment, and left us to it. Lying down on my back really wasn’t comfortable for me and on the second surge like this I felt a big gush of waters.

Sean went back out and asked for her to come back in again because things seemed to be moving quickly. I had two more surges in close succession where my whole abdomen was visibly moving as I felt my body’s reflex. She remarked on how active he was being and I just about managed to get the words out ‘that’s me’.

At this point I have to admit I wasn’t convinced that breathing was going to do the trick anymore and that perhaps I would have to concede to ask for some help because of how powerful and now different these surges felt. As she examined me I thought to myself ‘if she says I’m only 2cm can I really keep this up for hours?’, however she quickly looked up with a surprised smile and told me my cervix had completely gone and that if I felt my body wanting to push to go for it. I realised this was near completion and that I knew to expect those thoughts might enter my head at this point, so I could totally do this!

At this point a few things happened very quickly; because baby was small and early they needed an incubator set up ready and doctors in the room in case he would need resuscitation once he was born, so I was wheeled to a bigger room that was set up with what we needed, and the monitor was whipped off. As soon as we got in I said I needed to get off my back and got onto my knees with my head and arms at the top of the bed for support. I was offered gas and air which I gladly accepted (I’ve had it before and I am a big fan) and tuned in to Sean who was stroking my back, stroking my arms and gently speaking to me in such a calm voice with reminders about my breathing and how well I was doing and that my body was made to do this.

I vaguely recall an anaesthetist in the room popping a cannula in my hand for antibiotics and laughing that he may not have time to get them in before baby was born but it was worth a go. He apologised for the pain of inserting it as though I had any idea it was even being done - my eyes closed and with all my focus on my breathing and Sean’s words I was in a total bubble, though I was vaguely aware of a positive, happy and even jokey atmosphere in the room. I think I even laughed as the Midwife and I encouraged Sean to have a go on the gas and air between surges.

For the next few surges I used my down breath only and let my body move the baby, and the midwife said she could see the baby’s head. At this point she said she was having trouble picking up the heartbeat with me in that position so if the head wasn’t born in the next surge she’d ask me to get onto my back to make it easier to monitor baby. There was no way I was getting on my back so I started to push alongside my breath to much positive but gentle encouragement.

Within a couple more surges Sean told me his head was halfway out which was amazing as I thought he still had further along the birth path to travel, and after the next I heard Sean say ‘oh hello’ which made me laugh. With the midwife’s help letting him know what to do, Sean had hold of our sons head and as I had the final surge he received the rest of his body which was then passed through my legs to me. His cord was very short so I could only lift him to my tummy as I was helped to turn around and lie down for cuddles. The cord was left to go white before Sean cut it and then baby could be moved up higher to me for more skin to skin time.

Because he was small and early the doctor did need to take him for a short time to give him a check over before he could come back to me for more cuddles so we couldn’t have an uninterrupted first hour but I knew we had special circumstances so was prepared for that, and Sean was able to be with him that whole time.

I had a small internal tear that had a couple of stitches but otherwise only a small graze on the outside. All our lovely items from home never made it out of the car boot but I did notice after the birth that there were fairy lights in the room, and our midwife and doctor team were all fantastic and kept the vibe calm throughout.

Our midwife said to me that they do find sometimes with hypnobirthing mums that they don’t look like they’re in labour when they arrive and said she was so impressed with how it all went for us. The birth left me feeling on top of the world and so empowered by the whole experience. Sean has always been as cool as a cucumber but the way he supported me using the techniques we learned in our hypnobirthing course was everything. We absolutely rocked it! Thank you Terri!"

My Hypnobirthing course prepares you with knowledge to make informed decisions, empowers you to ask questions and get the information you need to make decisions that are right for you. It will also arm you with a number of transferable tools and techniques that will be there for you no matter what path your birth takes. If you want to prepare for labour and birth in the right way, then sign up for my next group course (November 20th and 27th) or contact me to book a private course. I also have a free Hypnobirthing taster session on Sunday 30th October at 7pm. you can brag your space here: https://www.cornwallhypnobirthing.co.uk/service-page/october-free-hypnobirthing-taster-zoom?referral=service_list_widget

The Rose and Her Thorns - The Birth Gathering 2022 - By Beth Russell

If you follow me on social media you are probably already aware that I went on the most wonderful Birth Gather last weekend. I was going to get around to writing a blog about it, however the lovely Beth from @birth.ology, who I was lucky enough to meet meet and chat with that weekend, beat me to it and wrote an absolute dream of blog all about it. So instead of reinventing the wheel I asked Beth if she would be happy to feature as a guest blog spot here! Thankfully she agreed, so here I am sharing her words on this wonderful, transformative and powerful gathering. Firstly, a bit about Beth before we begin. She is a Norfolk based midwife with a passion for human rights in birth who provides person centred care throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. Beth is totally obsessed with physiology and how women/birthing people bodies and their babies work together. She teaches hypnobirthing, provide midwifery support in person in Norfolk as well as online, and also works on the advice line and is an associate trainer with Birthrights. Beth says her mission is to ensure everyone she supports feels held, empowered and informed to have the birth that’s right for them, whether that’s a homebirth, caesarean birth, induced birth or a freebirth!

"It is no secret that the birth world is quaking, fracturing at the seams… and with it sways the future of midwifery, risking the rite of passage of all who birth or are affected by birth. Simply put, every last one of us. This weekend we dove deep into the cracks of this quaking world, we cried and grieved but we also laughed, hugged and danced, finding joy in the sorrow and inching towards a better future.

As I arrived on the land, I knew I’d made the right choice in coming. It had been a hectic week, my head chaotic and whirling with the million things I yet needed to do. My mind fit to burst with the conundrum of it all… I had decided not to come. Then found myself packing to go in spite of myself. As we pulled up to the field, I felt calm and I felt good. Of course it had been the right decision (in spite of the 8.5 hour drive to get there!).

The opening ceremony revealed a group of incredible people from all over the country (and beyond!). We each spoke a few words and found one another reflected in the familiar strangers across the room. As rain poured outside we drank tea and began to know one another, quickly becoming comfortable in a way that only birthy folk seem to!

By the following morning, firm bonds had been made. A group of us filled our bellies with delicious hot porridge then set out for a morning dip in the sea. Slipping and sliding down the rocks, we eventually made it to the sand and ran into the salty waves to wake ourselves for the day ahead. Oh my, if every day could start that way! After a sketchy scrabble back up to the rocks, we made our way to the main marquee for the first session of the day.

Throughout the morning we explored how we can reclaim authentic midwifery as this crisis threatens to consume us. How can we come back to the root of being “with” (mid) “woman” (wife)? Evony Lynch has been a midwife inside and out of the system for many years. She spoke with such eloquence about the joy and heartbreak of NHS midwifery and the challenges in carving a way outside of this. As Evony spoke I felt seen in so many ways. It is not we who are at fault, not our knowledge or skills that are out of place, but the system that fails to celebrate these skills and fails to recognise the subtleties and nuances that influence all types of birth. If knowledge was openly shared, intuition and empirical evidence respected, and women/birthing people trusted to make the choices that were right for them, I’m quite sure the picture of birth would be entirely different.

Next, the incredible Joy Horner explored the dimensions of shamanic midwifery, considering the inextricable link between birth and death. She investigated the importance for those who work within birth to become aquatinted with it’s link to death, recognising their strengths to be drawn upon when supporting people at these times. Both are rites of passage which mark and transform all whom they touch. Both deserve reverence, respect and autonomy from the individual experiencing that rite of passage. Joy explored this and so much more in her session. What an honour it was to have the opportunity to learn from her! She is a midwife (now birth keeper) that I have looked up to for a long time; her knowledge and wisdom alongside her capacity for kindness, compassion and excellent humour is unparalleled. We need more Joy in this world! Following this session, grief bubbled through for many, met with space and kindness in abundance. It was clear this weekend would be quite a journey for us all!

The wonderful James had made an incredible lunch - the sun graced us with her presence for a brief moment before the rain thundered down once more. The weather somehow mirrored the experience of the day, anger and grief raining down matched by joy and hope as the strong emotions were released and given somewhere safe to land. Beya gave a beautiful space for exactly this by holding a circle where all who wanted to could debrief on things that were coming up for them. Meanwhile others had the opportunity to adorn themselves with the (wonderful smelling) artwork of Seema, learning how to use henna.

After an equally delicious supper we met back in the yurt for a meditation with rose tea led by Sarka and Emily. The rose was almost intoxicating, the perfect way to end this incredible day. The magic (and meditation) continued with a spontaneous intuitive dance session with Lara before a hot sauna and one of the most peaceful nights sleep I’ve had in a while (despite a leaking tent and hammering rain!).

The morning brought another beautiful swim - the waves were strong and wild, reminding me in many ways of birth. Birth is both beautiful and powerful, but like the sea deserves respect. Walking into the waves without preparation (learning to swim) and awareness of my individual needs (to be able to touch the bottom and keep my head above water) would not be wise. Yet approaching it with respect, knowing my unique needs and feeling comfortable with the ‘risk’ I am taking by entering it’s depths meant I could experience the moment for all it’s beauty. (After all, no choice in life is without risk).

The final day of the gathering brought a fantastic session on twin birth by doula and twin parent Sarah. Exploring birth with medical complexities, greater risk and a very real threat of mortality helped to bring home the importance of care being centred on the individual and most importantly truly listening the the pregnant person. My eyes were opened to lessons about twin birth that I had never been exposed to in university or clinical practice. We are never the finished article. Women/birthing people and other birth workers will continue to teach me until I leave this earth!

Next we had the opportunity to learn from Lux, a traditional midwife from Brazil. Learning as an apprentice she has built and honed her midwifery skills over time, beginning to attend births alone only in this past year. What a wonderful way to become a midwife, I have so often wondered what it would be like if we learned this way in the UK. Her understanding of the intricacies of birth was so clear. I could have listened to her speak for hours, she brought such a calmness to the room as she spoke. Her husband also brought some beautiful, hand carved wooden pinards which we used to listen to lovely Katie’s little one.

The final session was with the dream team Evony and Joy, discussing birth support skills (featuring Joy’s incredible pelvis pants!). Between nuggets of midwifery goodness from these two wise women and some great discussions, one of the tiniest members of the audience beautifully demonstrated the birth of a footling breech through the pelvis! Seeing children immersed in the birth world throughout the weekend was a definite high, it was a reminder of how this knowledge always used to be passed down. Perhaps this is something we will continue to reclaim in years to come. Birth is ours, and it is everyones. Yet we seem to know so little about it until it is staring at us out of the two red lines on a pregnancy test.

As the weekend drew to a close, we gathered in the yurt for a closing ceremony. We went around the packed room and each said a little about our experience. The magic of the bubble we had created throughout the weekend was palpable. Many of us had started the weekend with aching hearts, feeling a little lost, our hope dwindling. Whilst it is incredibly clear that we have a long way to go, this weekend has filled my cup up to the brim. It was the tonic I didn’t realise I needed! Looking around the room at all of those incredible humans, I know there is better yet to come. With these wise, passionate, humble humans out there in the birth world, the future of birth is brighter than I had dared to believe when I left my home on Friday."

You can find Beth on Facebook and Instagram (@birth.ology) and her website is www.birthology.uk