birthjoy.co.uk

I have just returned from the fabulous MAMA Conference in Troon, Scotland, organised by the brilliant Cassie MacNamara.

Mary Cronk MBE had been booked as a speaker but had recently suffered a bereavement, and asked me to talk on her behalf about breech birth. These are big shoes to fill! I decided I could not teach about breech birth, but could provide a presentation paying Homage to all I’ve learnt from my mentor,  and great friend Mary Cronk.

With Knees shaking and voice quaking I took to the stage. It was an emotional moment as I knew I was only there because my learned colleague was at a funeral that very same day. I paid Homage to my mentor by showing photos of breech births which have been kindly shared by families who’ve births we’ve attended. Each breech birth taught me more and more about the skills needed to safely attend breech births. I hope Mary’s wisdom and teachings shone through my presentation. It was certainly well received!

Mary Cronk MBE (right) and Joy Horner (left) 2011

Here is some of the feedback I’ve received:

“Met you at the conference, and was very inspired by all you shared with us on your breech experiences!”.

“It was so wonderful to hear you speak at the MAMA conference. It really was incredibly inspiring and I just know Mary would have been so proud of she could have seen you speak. Many thanks for sharing your wisdom.”

“Joy I would like to send my congratulations on yesterday’s presentation. You did Mary proud, and yourself, and I am sure that you will effect change in the NHS, they are very lucky to have you!”

I must have done something right as the organisers have invited me back next year!

The highlight for me was sharing the stories privately with the wonderful Ina May Gaskin. What a privilege to speak on Mary Cronk’s behalf, and to be able to discuss breech birth with Ina May Gaskin.

Did anyone tell you birth can be pleasurable or even pain free? A very strange concept to some who are bombarded with stories of painful or traumatic birth. as an Independent midwife I rarely see women needing pain relief, the main reasons being that they feel safe, loved and respected. They know and trust their midwife and know the sensations of labour are not to be feared.

see the films below to see how joyful birth can be.

french woman enjoying giving birth 

Ecstatic birth

I will expand on this subject later…..

After an awkward issue arose between some midwifery colleagues over use of each other’s materials without consent I was prompted to write this page.

I believe all information is knowledge, knowledge is power and therefore should be shared to empower women. All information contained in this blog is my original work, from knowledge amassed throughout my midwifery career. When I have used someone else’s material I will credit them in the text. I respectfully request that you do likewise. Please pass on information from my website but please remember to quote the origins of your information.

For more information on copyright see this useful website.

A woman this week asked me one of the things that make me want to get on my soapbox about assertiveness and women’s rights.  What she said was “are you allowed to give birth to a breech baby?” My response as ever to this type of question is that it you who allows or disallows your care providers to do anything to you or your baby. Nothing can be done to you or your baby at home or in a hospital setting, without your consent. You are a mentally competent adult making rational decisions about your care, and you, more than anyone, has the best interests of your baby at the foremost in your mind.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) provide information to midwives and nurses on the issue of consent:

“Legally, a competent adult can either give or refuse consent to treatment, even if that refusal may result in harm or death to him or herself. Nurses and midwives must respect their refusal just as much as they would their consent”.

The problem may lie with the allocation of power and responsibility in maternity care. Midwives and doctors are in a uniquely privileged position to be able to serve women at such a vulnerable time in their lives. We train long and hard to amass knowledge to help those we care for, but we should not use this to control or coerce women into what we think they should do. We are after all “Professional Servants”. We are there to serve the families we care for, but it is our professional duty to inform them of any risks associated with their choices. The Nursing and Midwifery council (with which all midwives are registered) has rules and codes of conduct advising us how to support our clients such as:

• 1. You must treat people as individuals and respect their dignity
• 2. You must not discriminate in any way against those in your care
• 3. You must treat people kindly and considerately
• 4. You must act as an advocate for those in your care, helping them to access relevant health and social care, information and support

• 5. You must respect people’s right to confidentiality
• 6. You must ensure people are informed about how and why information is shared by those who will be providing their care
• 7. You must disclose information if you believe someone may be at risk of harm, in line with the law of the country in which you are practising

• 8. You must listen to the people in your care and respond to their concerns and preferences
• 9. You must support people in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health
• 10. You must recognise and respect the contribution that people make to their own care and wellbeing
• 11. You must make arrangements to meet people’s language and communication needs
• 12. You must share with people, in a way they can understand, the information they want or need to know about their health

Ensure you gain consent

• 13. You must ensure that you gain consent before you begin any treatment or care
• 14. You must respect and support people’s rights to accept or decline treatment and care
• 15. You must uphold people’s rights to be fully involved in decisions about their care 
• 16. You must be aware of the legislation regarding mental capacity, ensuring that people who lack capacity remain at the centre of decision making and are fully safeguarded
• 17. You must be able to demonstrate that you have acted in someone’s best interests if you have provided care in an emergency

Whether your care provider will like or dislike your choices should be no concern of yours. I personally don’t like junk food, but understand that some people know the risks of consuming it and still chose to do so. I may offer education about the risks, but wouldn’t dream of telling people not to do it just because I don’t like it myself. This applies to many areas of midwifery care, for example if you are told you are not allowed to give birth at home it would be good to ask if there are specific risks you need to be aware of, before thanking your health professional for their opinion, informing them that you will consider what they’ve said very carefully and let them know you will let them know your decision in due course (Taken from Mary Cronk’s assertiveness phrases). Consider how your care provider would actually be able to force you to do anything against your will (sadly, women have informed me of social services being used as a threat in some circumstances!).

REMEMBER: Your body, your baby, your choice!

See also Mary Cronk’s assertiveness comments on Angela Horn’s great homebirth website(sorry, link not working today but will add later).

All rights reserved. Copyright Birth Joy 2011 (C)

2nd SPIRITUAL WORLD OF PREGNANCY STUDY DAY
St Mary’s Church Hall, Glastonbury
Saturday 3RD December 2011

Womb as world-Hannya Melrose Core process psychotherapist, prenatal & birth therapy
Herbs that whisper of life and tenderness-Amanda Rayment Herbalist and workshop facilitator
Songs for the unborn child-Debra Norton spiritual midwife
Soul essence communion and vibrational medicine-Sophie Knock Flower essence maker a practitioner
Finding Harmony with the Four Elements-Andy Baggott Naturopathic healer, author and spiritual teacher

Cost Of Conference £30:00 in advance or £35.00 at the door
Please send a cheque for £30 (non-returnable after November) to Debra Norton,
Meadowsweet Farm, Glendree, Feakle,Co Clare, Ireland

Tel: 0035361924868 Email: debra@glendree.com
The Spiritual Midwives Network of UK and Ireland

lunch not provided

Breech birth is a very complex subject which needs in depth discussion with your care provider. I am lucky to have worked with Mary Cronk learning what I can about these unusual, but not abnormal  presentations. I have attended several breech births and am happy to provide information for those carrying a breech presenting baby. The Breech Birth Network run study days for health professionals and others wishing to learn more about spontaneous breech birth. This is a different set of skills to those needed to Deliver a breech baby which is a hands-on medical technique. Spontaneous breech birth is a hands off birth which can be facilitated by experienced midwives. The Royal College of Midwives consider this a normal type of birth.

For ways to encourage a breech baby to turn see spinning babies or the very funny pregnant chicken blog.

A wonderful video of breech birth at home in water. It is the woman’s 4th baby and I can’t help wondering if baby would have got herself out sooner if the mother was in the supine position so buoyancy would have lifted baby’s body? The reverse of dry land breech birth, when the mother is on all fours and the baby descends aided by gravity. Anyway it’s a beautiful birth and a lesson to midwives that babies play an active part in the birth process. Click on the link below to enjoy.

You tube beautiful breech waterbirth

A second you tube film of planned breech birth at home clearly illustrating baby lifting her legs to flex her head (necessary for birth of the aftercoming head).

It also shows how quickly breech babies can be born (this is the woman’s third baby), the midwife makes a very good catch of this little one! click on the link below.

Breech homebirth

Vanessa Brooks at Buddafields 2011

Just returned from a wonderful week in Spain. I met the wonderful Vanessa Brooks for the first time this year, and offered to share my experiences of breech births with her in Spain.

Unfortunately I was only able to spend 24hrs at the Midwives Rock workshop, as my family had accompanied me and were eager to do other holiday activities.
I taught at Da a Luz for 5 hours on the Saturday. I shared my experiences and knowledge that breech birth is unusual but not abnormal, and breech babies can be born vaginally as well as by caesarean. Although Breech birth is a variation of the normal I also taught that breech birth carries some additional risks for the baby however he is born, so careful monitoring of the progress of labour and baby’s well-being is essential.
It was a real pleasure to work with Vanessa and to meet Adela Stockton and all the other wonderful birth workers.
I look forward to teaching with Vanessa again in June 2012 in Brighton UK.

A 7 minute film with good common sense advice about not cutting baby’s cord immediately after birth. This film has brief images of a woman’s breast and nipple as she is with her newborn baby as his cord is cut and as he crawls to the breast to self-attachment. This process, called Self-Attachment and/or Breast Crawl is becoming known now as a very critical part of human development that has been disrupted by modern, medicalized birth. Click on the link below to view the film.

We can be much kinder