BirthOutsideTheBox

Forum which aims to look at ways together to increase safety, physiological birth and improve women's experience of childbirth.

[BirthOutsideTheBox @DerbyBOTB]

We are ready for action on our #waterbirth study day #UHDBmaternity #teamUHDB #UHDBmaternity @uhdbtrust

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

Today's good egg is Derby HCA Leah Morral.

"This woman needs a pride of Britain award! Not only does she work her socks off to provide the best care for the women. She is literally a life saver on those incredibly busy shifts."

#MaternityGoodEggs #TeamUHDB #UHDBmaternity

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 23

Waterbirth
It is well known that water is an extremely effective form of analgesia & evidence suggests that women who birth in water need less pharmacological analgesia & experience greater satisfaction
#MaternityAdvent2021 #UHDBmaternity #DerbyMaternity

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 22

Lunge position

This is a great position for a mobile labourer when the baby is not descending well or is in a tricky position. The leg is opened to the side, resting on a mattress, stool or step.

#maternityadvent2021 #UHDBmaternity #DerbyMaternity

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 21
On the toilet

Labouring on the toilet is a position that many women find comfortable. Add to that the fact that women often feel like they need a poo & its inevitable that sometimes babies will come!

#MaternityAdvent2021 #UHDBmaternity #DerbyMaternity

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 20

Kneeling

A brilliant example of an upright birth position which uses gravity, relieves back pain, avoids compression of the aorta, allows the sacrum & coccyx to move & opens the pelvic outlet (Gupta et al, 2019).
#MaternityAdvent2021 #TeamUHDB

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 19
Birthing Ball

Ok so not strictly a position but one of our more popular tools to help facilitate a great birthing position. The birthing ball can be used to support several positions during both 1st & 2nd stages of labour.
#MaternityAdvent2021 #TeamUHDB

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 18

Walcher's Position
This is another @SpinningBabies position which they suggest should be used as a last resort to open the pelvic brim for poor descent.

#DerbyMaternity #UHDBmaternity #TeamUHDB #MaternityAdvent2021

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 17

Reception

Better than a car park baby but still traumatic both for the women & our reception staff, sometimes babies just don't give us time. The ultimate example of upright birth, someone who has walked in, leaned on the desk & gravity does the rest.

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 16

The CombiTrac
It may look strange, but the Combitrac system is designed to keep women mobile & encourage upright birth positions. The system involves partners too by giving them a place to sit where they can be actively involved.
#MaternityAdvent2021

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 15
Standing

Standing is the ultimate upright birth postion making the most of gravity & taking pressure of the back & sacrum. Standing encourages mobility & may actually incorporate several different positions whilst allowing the woman to rock & sway

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 14
Squatting

Some of the earliest records of birth positions are bas-relief images in the temples of ancient Eygpt showing Cleopatra giving birth in a squatting position. Squatting continued as the most common birth position until the last few centuries

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 13
In the shower

Use of the shower as a tool for analgesia during labour will result in the occassional baby being born in the shower. This will inevitably be a wet experience for the midwife & complicated if wearing glasses.
#DerbyMaternity #UHDBmaternity

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 12

The Wheelchair

We need to be creative for women with mobility issues to achieve a birth which is safe, practical and satisfying.

#MaternityAdvent2021 #TeamUHDB #DerbyMaternity #UHDBmaternity

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 12
The Wheelchair
There is growing literature on the use of water for women with mobilty issues as buoyancy & warmth can be beneficial & give women greater freedom of movement but will need risk assessing & planning.

#MaternityAdvent2021 #TeamUHDB

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 12
The Wheelchair

Sometimes its a race to get to the room. Sometimes its just too much of a challenge. And sometimes you make it to the room and just don't manage to transfer out of the chair. Babies come anytime and anywhere.

#MaternityAdvent2021 #TeamUHDB

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 8 Car Park babies
Usually occurs during a cold rainy night! Positions vary: if mum is in the front (may have feet up against the dash or have you stretching into the footwell) or back of the car (more space but legs anywhere!)
#DerbyMaternity #UHDBmaternity

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 9 All fours position

All fours is a great position for all stages of labour but especially for 2nd stage. It makes back massage easy, eases back pain and uses gravity to help babies rotate.

#MaternityAdvent2021 #TeamUHDB #DerbyMaternity #UHDBmaternity

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 11
Flying Cowgirl

This is a position suggested to facilitate decent with an epidural in place or if its not practical to get off the bed. A position that can be done while "resting" on one side with the aim of opening the pelvic inlet. #MaternityAdvent2021

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 10
Forward leaning inversion
A rather extreme & scary looking position suggested by https://t.co/F7kmkxSP6H to create room in the lower uterus for a baby with slow decent from malposition.
#maternityadvent2021 #UHDBmaternity #TeamUHDB #DerbyMaternity

[Katherine Mabey 💙 @katherinemabey]

#MaternityAdvent Day 7 The bath
An incredibly useful tool both in early & active labour. Often a bit narrow for birth itself but occassionally speedy babies make their own decisions about where they are coming.
#DerbyMaternity #UHDBmaternity #TeamUHDB #MaternityAdvent2021