Labor and Birth

At Spirit of Life Traditional Midwifery, Sheila and her team are with you throughout your labor and birth, wherever you choose to birth. Many women are now opting for home births rather than travelling to their local hospital. We can practice at our full capacity at a home birth, however, we are required to hand over care if you choose to birth in your hospital.

Home & Water Births:

Many women go to a hospital to have their babies without even considering the option of a home birth. We promote home births for healthy, normal delivies as your home is as safe, if not safer than a hospital. Spirit of Life Traditional Midwifery specializes in home and water births, we can assist you with by providing recommendations for the correct equipment and resources. Women who have water births tend to require less intervention with quicker, easier and more comfortable labors. In addition it provides a gentler birth for the baby as they appear less traumatized by birth.

With regard to safety, there is no evidence to support that home births are less safe than a hospital. The risks associated with a hospital birth such as infection, less one-to-one care, more medications being administered are often overlooked and can be equal or greater than the benefit of immediate access to medical attention. We can discuss the pro's and con's of home and water births with you in more details so that you feel well informed to decide what suits your needs best.

What happens when I go into labor?

Sheila needs to be notified at the onset of your labor, as soon as you suspect it. It does not mean that she needs to come to your home immediately, but she will go on alert and be ready to come when you ask her to. Sheila is always available by telephone or pager.

What if you are past your due date?

Should you continue to 10 days past your estimated due date, you will be sent to a local hospital once every 3 days for what’s commonly called a NST (Fetal Non Stress Test).

Emergency Care Plan and Your Birth Team:

Your birth team will consist of your primary midwife and one or two assistants. The assistant will attend the 36-week home visit to become familiar with you and your home and others that will be present for the birth.