UHDB midwife Olivia shares her story of a waterbirth
A UHDB midwife who opted to have a waterbirth with her first child has told of the “beauty of being able to catch your child” and said she couldn’t imagine doing it without the water now.
Olivia Swaddle is a midwife at Royal Derby Hospital so when it came to the birth of her first child Annabelle, who better to deliver her daughter than her own colleagues.
She opted for a waterbirth and her baby girl was one of seven babies born in birthing pools across UHDB in May.
Being in water can help you relax and make the contractions seem less painful. The water is kept at a comfortable temperature, but not above 37.5c, and body temperature and water temperature is monitored throughout.
Now Olivia has shared her experience of having a waterbirth and said she would definitely recommend it to others.
Olivia, who is 29, said she didn’t have her heart set on using the birthing pool at first, but when she and husband Mark got to the hospital and the pool was free, she decided to give it a try and was not disappointed.
Olivia said: “I had kind of planned to have a waterbirth. I had midwife led care throughout so I wanted to give it a try but I didn’t set my heart on it.
“When I was in labour the hospital was really busy but luckily the pool room was empty, I got in and I absolutely loved it.
“I thought I would hate it because I always get too hot in a bath and want to get out but I stayed in during labour. The water really helped me to relax and looking back now I couldn’t imagine doing it without the water.”
Olivia, who lives in Moira, said relying on the support of her colleagues during labour was really special and they treated her just like any other labouring woman when she welcomed Annabelle, who weighed 8lbs and four ounces.
She said: “Everybody was really great and treated me like a mum. They said don’t think like a midwife you are a labouring woman.
“I really tried to stay open minded and I was really lucky because I know people get issues that arise during pregnancy and labour that mean they can’t have a waterbirth and lots of people just don’t opt for it, maybe because they don’t know much about it.
“But I would just urge women to ask for the pool even if you think you are not low risk.”
Olivia also praised the team at RDH and said they are “amazing at trying to facilitate waterbirths.”
She said: “They really encourage it and I think it’s wonderful because it is something that really enhanced my labour experience and now I have lots of lovely memories to look back on.
“The beauty of being able to reach out and touch your baby first before anyone else is incredible and what is more amazing than being able to catch your own baby.”
Patti Paine, Director of Midwifery and Divisional Lead Nurse, said: “I am really pleased that Olivia had such a positive birthing experience here. It is something we always strive to do for those using our services.
“We are fortunate to have birthing pools at both RDH and QHB and we know how beneficial water can be for labour and birth. We have had a lot of great feedback about how the feeling of weightlessness in the water provides relief for birthing mothers and how the water is helpful during labour.
“I would encourage all women to ask about the benefits of using water for labour and for birth in the birthing pool and see if they would like to incorporate it into their birth plan.”
Find out more about our UHDB maternity services on our website >