We can provide all of your midwifery care, or you can make a single appointment to help you to talk through a previous birth experience or to help you prepare and plan for labour, birth, breastfeeding or early parenting. As experienced midwives that have worked both in and out of the NHS we have a good understanding of what is offered in different areas and how to make plans that enable you to feel safe and satisfied with your experience.
Our aim is to make your pregnancy, birth and postnatal stage as magical and empowering as possible! As experienced hospital midwives as well as homebirth midwives we can offer personalised support wherever you plan to birth your baby, no one plan will suit everyone and so over the course of your pregnancy, we will work with you to make sure you feel safe and secure wherever you choose to birth.
A technique we use at almost every appointment is the BRAIN acronym, which is a decision making tool designed to help you navigate difficult decisions.
By going through the five stages you gather information about your options and preferences which means you’re in a better position to make the decision that’s right for you.
B – what are the benefits?
There must be benefits to what is being suggested, otherwise it wouldn’t be suggested, so let’s name them and make sure you’re clear about what they are.
R – what are the risks?
There is always a down side to doing something, sometimes that’s a minor inconvenience or something that doesn’t bother you, but you can’t make an informed decision without being clear about what the risks are and how you feel about them.
A – what are the alternatives?
There are usually alternatives, even if they aren’t presented as being there initially. Sometimes the alternative option will appeal to you more than the initial suggestion, other times it won’t. But by taking a moment to consider any alternatives you can come up with the plan thats right for you.
I – what do/does my intuition / instincts say?
This one is too often ignored. But we shouldn’t ignore it! Have you ever walked into a restaurant and thought ‘no chance, I’m not eating here’? These are important warning signs which our bodies have detected, sometimes it’s not clear why you feel like you do but it’s important to acknowledge it – imagine you walk into a restaurant, feel uncomfortable and like you don’t trust the food but your friend or the online reviews tell you it’s amazing so you stay. You’re then up all night with food poisoning; do you feel happy and reassured because you followed the advice of others told you it was amazing, or do you wish you’d listened to your instincts?
N – what happens if I do nothing?
This one often gives you an idea of how urgent what is being suggested really is. It can be what happens if I do nothing, full stop. Or what happens if I do nothing now….and revisit the decision in an hour/tomorrow/a week/a month depending on the situation you’re in. If you are in labour and someone is suggesting that you need to make a decision about something urgently and you ask: what happens if I do nothing now? Sometimes you will see a panicked expression and that gives an idea that actually it is rather urgent, equally you may notice a pause and that might indicate that it’s perhaps not as urgent as it sounded. It’s not an exact science but it can be useful.
Some people add an ‘S’ on the end for smile. This can be a useful way to reduce tension.
The BRAIN acronym continues to be useful when you’re making decisions as a parent, it’s not just for labour and birth. We always suggest writing it out on your birth plan so you’ve got a reminder in labour too.
For more information about Independent Midwifery or to book a one-off support/planning appointment contact us via the website www.whiterosemidwives.co.uk, by email hello@whiterosemidwives.co.uk or via our Facebook page – White Rose Midwives.
