I left the nursing and midwifery register in 2021
These were my Statistics from 2002 to the end of 2010.
Birth Centre Births 2002-2005 – are predominantly “low risk” so will have better outcomes overall. It is also a larger sample than my Independent Midwifery client group.
Independent Clients 2005-2010 – over 60% had at least one risk factor, including 6 breech births, 2 sets of twins, previous caesarean births, previous 4th degree tear, 2 previous shoulder dystocias, 3 IVF pregnancies, clients with BMI >30 and <18, and women over 40 years of age.
This is a small group to study and therefore by adding outcomes of all births under my care 2002-2010 I hope to give a more realistic sample of high and low risk clients (sample size of 128 births).
National Statistics (according to www.birthchoiceuk.com) Normal birth rates (not readily available) are defined as: “being one where a woman starts labour without induction, did not have any anaesthesia (general, spinal or epidural), did not have a caesarean (planned or emergency), did not have an instrumental delivery (forceps or ventouse/vacuum), and did not have an episiotomy).” Normal Birth “For many hospitals this may only be 15-30% of women7, but will usually be much higher in a midwifery-led unit or GP units”. Caesarean rate Nationally: 24.6% (higher in some areas). The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that no hospital should have a Caesarean rate higher than 10-15%20,, although many hospitals in the UK have Caesarean rates over 20%. If a local hospital does have a high Caesarean rate, it is worth asking why this is. Some hospitals (for example, large teaching hospitals) have a high proportion of women with complications which can increase the Caesarean rate..
| First Baby
35births |
Second or subsequent baby49births |
Birth Centre
84 births |
Independent Clients
44births |
All Births 2002-2010 128births |
|
| Vaginal births in hospital | 26 (74%) | 48 (97.9%) | 88% | 10 (22.7%) | 84 (65.6%) |
| Normal vaginal Births | 74% | 97.9% | 88% | 75% | 107 (83.5%) |
| Homebirths | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0% | 23 (52.2%) | 23 (17.9%) |
| Waterbirths | 5 (4.2%) | 14 (28.5%) | 22.6% | 16 (36.3%) | 35 (27.3%) |
| Ventouse (done by doctor) | 6 (17%) | 1 (2%) | 8% | 1 (2.2%) | 8 (6.25%) |
| Forceps (done by doctor) | 1 (2.8%) | 0 (0%) | 1.1% | 0 (0%) | 1 (0.7%) |
| Caesarean (done by doctor) | 2 (5.7%) | 0 (0%) | 2.3% | 9 (20.4) | 11 (8.5%) |
| Perineum intact or 1st degree tear | 19 (54.3%) | 44 (98.7%) | 75% | 19 (43.1%) | 82 (64%) |
| Second degree | 16 (45.7%) | 5 (10.2%) | 25% | 14 (31.8%) | 35 (27.3%) |
| Third/fourth degree | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0% | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Episiotomy | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0% | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Baby Apgars 8 or above at 1 min | 31 (88%) | 46 (93.8%) | 91.6% | 37 (84%) | 114 (89%) |
| Physiological third stage | 1 (2.8%) | 7 (14.2%) | 9.5% | 24 (54.5%) | 32 (25%) |
| Post partum haemorrhage | 5 (14%) | 0 (0%) | 4.7% | 5 (11%) | 10 (7.8%) |
| Baby breast fed at birth | 18 (51.4%) | 22 (47.8%) | 47.6% | 36 (81.8%) | 76 (59.3%) |
| Shoulder Dystocia | 0 (0%) | 1 mild. (2%) | 1.1% | 0 (0%) | 1 (0.7%) |
| Retained Placenta | 0 (0%) | 1 (2%) | 1.1% | 0 (0%) | 1 (0.7%) |
| Artificial rupture of membranes | 1 (2.8%) | 1 (2%) | 2.3% | 0 (0%) | 2 (1.5%) |