What comes to mind when you think of the process of childbirth? For many women, a comfortable birthing process entails being surrounded by close family members and a team of nurses and doctors as they lay on their backs in a hospital bed. While this is a perfectly safe and healthy method, there are many other ways to experience labour and delivery. Fortunately,
London, Ontario has a wide variation of hospital locations for child delivery, and several midwife organizations.
If you are currently expecting, deciding on the details of how you want to deliver your baby are just as vital as who you want to care for you and where you'd prefer to be. If you are absolutely set on getting an epidural when the time comes, you should take into consideration that midwives are generally less likely to use or suggest interventions and encourage a more natural approach.
Hypnobirthing is an example of a technique that can make the process of natural childbirth easier. It includes a program of education in self-hypnosis to learn how to dismiss common preconceived fears and anxieties you may have so that you can deliver your baby in a calm, gentle way. Once you are in a calm state, endorphins (which are a natural relaxant) will replace the stress hormones that cause constriction and lead to additional pain.
You've probably heard of childbirth via vaginal delivery and caesarian section, water birth, where a woman gives birth while in a tub of
warm water, is anther option. You may undergo labor in the water and exit the tub just prior to delivery, or you may stay in the water throughout the whole process. Furthermore, there are various positions you may be in during delivery: side-lying, squatting, sitting, or a hands-and-knees position has proved to be comfortable for many women.
The use of a
birthing ball can help make these positions even more effective. A birthing ball is basically a gym or medicine ball that usually has a non-slip finish so that it stays in place on the floor. Majority of deliveries occur in the lying-down position, likely because majority of births take place in hospitals, in which case lying down is the easiest position for nurses and doctors to work around the mother.
(located at 800 Commissioners Rd. E) offers a perinatal care program that supports and informs you from before labour to after delivery. There are three main facilities within Victoria hospital that provide this service: The Assessment/Triage Area is where you and your family have your first meeting with a nurse, the Birthing Centre is where the delivery takes place, and the Mother/Baby Care Unit helps you and your baby prepare for leaving the hospital and going home.
is another hospital in close proximity that has a Maternal Child Unit, located 310 Juliana Drive.
If you are looking for a midwife in London, you can submit an intake application to , located at 101-345 Westminster Ave – just a few minutes away from Victoria Hospital. Their services will support you through pregnancy and labour, and provide 6 weeks postpartum care. As stated on their website, a midwife acts as a care provider for healthy, low-risk women; this is another piece of information to keep in mind when choosing who you prefer to deliver your child.
is another London-bound midwife organization located at 434 Maitland Street. To submit your Client Intake form, visit
this page.
The variety of options when it comes to delivery may be overwhelming for mothers-to-be, but there is no “
wrong” decision as long as you and your child are not at risk and the decision is what's most comfortable and feels right for you.
