70 birth guides
Labour and birth
Signs of labour, pain relief, induction, caesarean and assisted birth — what actually happens, sourced to NICE, RCOG and the NHS.
BirthAsking for a CaesareanThere is a written pathway for this, and it ends with your choice being supported. What NICE asks…BirthAssisted Birth: Forceps and VentouseAround 1 in 8 UK births are assisted, and 1 in 3 first births. What happens in the room, how the…BirthBaby's Heart Rate Dropping in LabourWhat the team does when the trace changes: the position change, the drip that gets stopped, the…BirthBack Labour and Back-to-Back BabiesWhy some labours are felt almost entirely in the back, what a back-to-back baby has to do with it,…BirthBeing Sent Home From Hospital in Early LabourBeing sent home in early labour is normal and demoralising. The exception written into NICE's…BirthBirth Centre vs Labour WardBirth centres cut intervention rates, and a third of first-timers transfer out. The NICE numbers…BirthUnplanned Birth at Home or in an AmbulanceIf your baby is coming before you get there: who to call, what to do while you wait, how to keep a…BirthThe Birth Partner's RoleContinuous support in labour is one of the few things shown to change outcomes. What a birth…BirthBirth Plan: What to IncludeA birth plan is a record of preferences, not a script. The NHS checklist, the decisions worth…BirthBlood Transfusion at BirthWhy blood is offered around a birth, what a transfusion involves, the alternatives the RCOG lists,…BirthBreech Birth and ECVECV works about half the time and has a 1 in 200 chance of needing an emergency caesarean. The…BirthCatheters and Bladder Care in LabourNobody warns you that your bladder becomes a monitored organ in labour. What NICE asks midwives to…BirthComplaining About Maternity CareWhat you can complain about, who to send it to, the time limits, and the difference between PALS, a…BirthConsent and Saying No in LabourAlmost everything in labour is an offer. What consent means once contractions start, what undue…BirthCord Blood Banking and DonationDonating cord blood to the NHS is free, and collected after the placenta is delivered. Private…BirthCord ProlapseRare, unpredictable and time-critical. What cord prolapse is, the position the RCOG asks you to get…BirthDelayed Cord ClampingNICE sets a floor of one minute and a ceiling of five for active management. ACOG says at least 30…BirthDelivering the PlacentaThe third stage is a real choice with published numbers behind it. What active and physiological…BirthEating and Drinking in LabourNICE says drink when thirsty and eat a light diet in established labour, with two named exceptions.…BirthEmergency Caesarean: What HappensNot every unplanned caesarean is an emergency. NICE grades urgency from 1 to 4, and the…BirthEpidural in LabourHow an epidural is placed, how well it works, the side effects and rare risks with real numbers,…BirthEpidural Not WorkingIt happens often enough that anaesthetists publish numbers for it. Why an epidural can miss a side,…BirthEpisiotomyEpisiotomies are not routine in England. When NICE says one is indicated, the exact angle the cut…BirthFetal Monitoring and CTG in LabourIntermittent listening or continuous CTG is a real choice with a downside either way. What triggers…BirthFever in LabourNICE puts exact numbers on it: 38C once, or 37.5C twice an hour apart. What a raised temperature in…BirthFGM and Giving BirthWhat NICE asks teams to tell you, what deinfibulation is and when it can be done, and why…BirthFreebirth and Unassisted BirthChoosing to give birth without a midwife is lawful for you. What is not lawful is someone else…BirthGas and Air (Entonox)How to time the breaths so it actually works, what the side effects are, the 24-hour vitamin B12…BirthGeneral Anaesthetic for a CaesareanMost caesareans are done awake. This is what happens when they are not: why a general is used, what…BirthGetting Your Maternity NotesYou do not need a reason, a form or a fee. How to ask for your maternity records, how long they…BirthGoing Home During an InductionNICE has a whole section on outpatient induction, and most people are never told it exists. Who can…BirthGoing Into Labour Before a Planned CaesareanContractions before the date in the diary. What to do, why the operation is still a caesarean, what…BirthGroup B Strep in LabourAntibiotics in labour cut the risk to your baby from around 1 in 400 to 1 in 4000. Who is offered…BirthHome BirthWhat the NHS and NICE publish about home birth outcomes, how the figures differ for first and later…BirthHow Long Labour TakesReal numbers from NICE, the NHS, the HSE and ACOG for every stage of labour, why the published…BirthHyperstimulation During an InductionContractions stacked on top of each other with no gap has a name, a threshold and a treatment. What…BirthHypnobirthing and Breathing TechniquesBreathing is recommended by NICE for early labour. Hypnosis is not offered but is supported if you…BirthIf Your Baby Needs Help to Breathe at BirthThe resuscitaire in the corner, the timer, and the team you did not expect. What is being assessed…BirthInduction of LabourWhy induction is offered, the methods in order, how long each stage takes, how it changes your…BirthInterpreters and Communication Support in LabourNICE says interpreters must be independent of you, not a relative. What you can ask for if English…BirthThe Latent Phase of LabourEarly labour is the longest, least structured stage and the one spent at home. What guidance says…BirthMeconium in the WatersGreen or black waters change the plan, and NICE defines exactly when. What significant meconium…BirthMembrane SweepWhat a sweep physically involves, why it is offered after 39 weeks, what national guidance will and…BirthMucus Plug and Bloody ShowWhat the mucus plug looks like, how a show differs from discharge and from waters, what it tells…BirthObservations and Checks in LabourPulse hourly, temperature four-hourly, contractions every half hour. The schedule NICE sets, what…BirthPethidine and RemifentanilHow the injection and the pump differ, how long each lasts, the effect on the baby's breathing and…BirthPlanned Caesarean: What HappensFrom the pre-op appointment to the recovery room. The anaesthetic, the screen, the catheter, the…BirthPooing During LabourThe fear almost everyone has and almost nobody asks about. What the pushing sensation actually is,…BirthPositions for Labour and PushingLying flat on your back is the one position NICE advises against. What the guideline says about…BirthSeeing an Anaesthetist Before BirthWho gets referred to an anaesthetic clinic in pregnancy, what the appointment actually covers, what…BirthShaking and Shivering After BirthUncontrollable shaking after a birth is common and usually harmless. What causes it, what the room…BirthShoulder DystociaThe emergency where the head is born and the shoulders are not. How often it happens, what the room…BirthSigns of LabourThe five signs national guidance actually lists, what each one tells you about how close labour is,…BirthSkin-to-Skin and the Golden HourNICE says avoid separating you and your baby in the first hour for routine care. What skin-to-skin…BirthSpinal vs EpiduralTwo injections in the same part of your back that do different jobs. What a spinal does that an…BirthThe Stages of Labour and BirthFirst, second and third stage: what defines each, how long guidance says they take, what monitoring…BirthTENS and Water for Pain ReliefTwo drug-free options with very different evidence behind them. When TENS actually helps, why it…BirthThe Pushing Stage of LabourPassive and active second stage are different things, and only one of them is timed. The NICE…BirthTiming ContractionsMeasure from the start of one contraction to the start of the next, not the end. What length and…BirthTokophobia: Fear of Giving BirthNICE names it, and attaches a referral to it. What tokophobia is, what support should be offered,…BirthTransition in LabourTransition is the end of the first stage of labour and the part people remember. What it feels…BirthVaginal Examinations in LabourNICE puts a number on how often one is offered, lists what the midwife is feeling for, and asks…BirthWater BirthNICE now says consider birth in water and lists what the evidence shows. ACOG says birth should…BirthWaters BreakingHow to tell amniotic fluid from urine, the colours that mean call now, and what national guidance…BirthWhat a Doula DoesA doula is a paid companion, not a clinician. What one can and cannot do, what UK guidance says…BirthArriving at Hospital Too Early in LabourWhat the triage assessment involves when you go in before established labour, everything the…BirthWhat Labour Actually Feels LikeA walk through the whole thing: the early twinges, established labour, transition, the urge to…BirthWhen Labour StallsContractions that slow or stop are normal in early labour and defined differently once labour is…BirthWhen to Go to Hospital in LabourThe thresholds the NHS, HSE and ACOG publish, why going in early often means being sent home, and…BirthWho Can Be With You When You Give BirthHow many birth partners, whether they can come to theatre, what happens with students and…