In this section:

• Birth location options
• Feeding information
• Postnatal depression
• What is the National Childbirth Trust?
• Valley Cushions
  

Birth location options

Choosing where to have your baby depends on a number of things. Your medical situation may dictate one option over others but it is important you are aware of all options available to you.

In general the options are as follows:

• Home
• Community Midwifery unit (birth centre)
• Midwifery unit at hospital
• Obstetric maternity unit at hospital

The Women's Centre at Gloucester Royal Infirmary opened in January 2011 containing the following:

• The Gloucester Birth Unit (Midwife led)
• Gloucestershire's Obstetric Birthing Suite (Midwives, Obstetricians, Anaesthetists & Paediatricians); The postnatal ward, all the neo-natal (small baby, NICU & SCBU), Care for the County; the Maternity outpatients for women from the South West and the Gynaecology outpatients.
• In addition, there are the midwifery led options of home birth, the birth unit at Cheltenham General Hospital and the Stroud Midwifery led Unit.

When making your choice, it is important to think about the benefits of your choice and the risks both to you and the baby. Also consider what alternatives are available and what your instincts are telling you. It is also useful to be aware of what happens if you do nothing. How long do you have before you need to make a decision?

Asking yourself, your midwife and/or your GP these questions and thinking through the answers will help you make decisions that are right for you.

Choosing to give birth in the Obstetric unit may be for a number of reasons. Some will be encouraged to do so because they are considered 'high risk' and in need of observation by doctors. You need to be sure you understand what aspect of your own or your baby's health requires this observation.

You can visit the virtual maternity tour of the Women's Centre at GRH, the Cheltenham Birth Centre and The Stroud Maternity hospital.

For information:

• Obstetricians - doctors who specialise in pregnancy and childbirth where there are problems
• Paediatricians - doctors who specialise in children's health
• Anaesthetists - doctors who provide the anaesthetic eg epidural

They will all be based at hospital.

Further support:

Further resources may help you decide where you would like to have your baby;

www.choicesforbirth.org - leaflet W10 Where you will have your baby

www.homebirth.org.uk - information about planning a home birth

www.aims.org.uk - help if you are having problems getting the maternity care you want

www.doula.org.uk - information about finding a doula

www.independentmidwives.org.uk - information about finding an indepentent midwife

www.gloshospitals.org.uk/content/maternity/where.html - local hospital information about the choice it offers

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG55 - NICE guidance on care during labour

Postnatal depression

Postnatal depression is more common than people think, yet the illness often goes unrecognised.

Research is ongoing - there is still a big debate about its cause. There are varying degrees of postnatal distress, from baby blues through to the rare condition puerperal psychosis. There is a definite distinction between full blown postnatal depression and the baby blues. 

What is the National Childbirth Trust?

 The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) is a registered charity who wants all parents to have an experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood that enriches their lives and gives them confidence in being a parent.

"The NCT offers information and support in pregnancy childbirth and early parenthood and aims to enable every parent to make informed choices."

The NCT offers support to members and non-members alike.

WHAT DOES THE CHELTENHAM & NORTH COTSWOLDS NCT DO?

• The NCT runs comprehensive antenatal classes which incorporate relaxation, breathing and massage techniques for parents. 

• The NCT actively promotes breastfeeding and there are counsellors trained to help new mums establish and continue breastfeeding. We will also support you whichever method you choose to feed your baby.

• NCT postnatal support system introduces new mums and dads to other parents and children in their area. Each antenatal class will be offered a volunteer class supporter to host the group in their home for a weekly tea and chat until the youngest baby in the group is 6 weeks old. Special support is offered to those parents with more specific needs, such as working mothers, disabled and bereaved parents.

• The branch actively fundraises to support the work of the NCT for our future generations.

The VALLEY Cushion
This is scientifically designed to relieve perineal/perianal pain and is clinically proven to help with tears, sacral sores, coccygeal pain, prolapse, haemorrhoids, swelling, bruising, episiotomies and other surgical wounds. 

A new mother cannot avoid sitting down while a perineal wound heals.  Midwives and health visitors have long recognised this painful problem and in the past may have provided the old-fashioned ring cushions, which have been found to cause problems such as numbness, oedema or venous congestion of the soft tissues.

The VALLEY Cushion is different; its unique features stem from a combination of foam and air that provide a comfortable seating platform on either side of its central pressure-relieving channel (the valley).  Each side can be inflated and adjusted individually and the cushion can also be oriented to accommodate varying ischial widths; the narrow part of the central tapered ‘valley’ being at the back for women with a small pelvis and reversed for those with a larger pelvis.

Precision designed to avoid pressure on the sciatic nerves; the cushion will enable new mothers to remain seated for hours at a time.  Users have found wound healing time to be shorter.

VALLEY Cushions fitted with COOLTECH covers can be hired via the NCT at a cost of £15 for 5 days - Details of your nearest NCT Volunteer VALLEY Cushion Agent are:

 Emma-Jayne Covington-Cross

07816 664164

Other useful information
There are so many things you need to know quickly when you have a brand new baby - and that's why its useful to have a good support network around you. Many NCT members find their NCT group is a great source of support and information as you are all going through similar things at roughly the same time.

We are also aiming to build up a useful store of documents here that may help answer some of your questions in the early days - even starting from before your baby is born when you are thinking of the kind of birth you would like to have.

See related documents section on the home page for the following:
*Birth Plan - home birth
*Birth Plan - hospital birth
*Birth Plan - Planned Caesarean
*Birth Plan - VBAC - (Vaginal birth after Caesarean)

*Breastfeeding support groups - GBSN (Gloucestershire Breastfeeding Support Network)
*Breastfeeding - Reasons to be proud

*Sterilising information