How To Plan For A Positive Birth In The Midst Of A Global Pandemic
You probably didn’t anticipate giving birth in the midst of a global health crisis. Right now, you may be feeling anxious about catching the virus, nervous about changes to your birth plan and scared about the possibility of labouring without your birthing partner. All the while, there’s uncertainty about how the situation may develop.
It’s tough, but Siobhan Miller, founder of The Positive Birth Company, says it is still possible to have a positive pregnancy and birth experience amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
“Often anxiety and panic comes from a period of feeling out of being control, so I try to help women take control of what they can and let go of what they can’t,” she tells HuffPost UK. Here’s how to do it:
Accept the unpredictability of birth
Over a fifth of local midwife-led maternity units had been closed, with more than a third of areas also either stopping or restricting home births, according to the Royal College of Midwives. Those numbers may increase as the NHS shifts from usual protocols in its best attempts to tackle the virus.
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Miller says she’s heard from many women who are upset because their birth plans have had to change. But recognising that birth plans are never set in stone may help you accept what is happening.
“I think it’s important to remember that actually, even if this wasn’t going on, there’s a chance that you might not get exactly wanted anyway. There’s lots of variables,” she says.
“You might have been planning a home birth, but even before coronavirus was a thing, there’s always a chance that you wouldn’t be able to have a home birth because the midwife isn’t available, or things might not have progressed in the way that you’d hoped.
“Or you might have your heart set on a birth centre water birth, but then you...
