Expectant mothers in the Bega Valley are reportedly being denied the option of a water birth at the new regional hospital.
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The recently opened South East Regional Hospital has been celebrating its state of the art modern facilities, including a fully featured maternity suite.
However, the “island baths” advertised as a special feature of the birthing suites are apparently off limits, for now.
A Bega couple due to give birth within weeks raised the issue as one of significant concern for users of the new hospital.
The couple, who prefer to remain anonymous, said mothers and parents need to be made aware of SERH management’s apparent stance against water births, even though, given their imminent arrival, they themselves may miss out on their preferred pain relief method.
I sense there’s a lot of people asking why.
- Bega mother-to-be
“The midwives are fantastic and I don’t think it’s to do with them,” the heavily pregnant mother said.
“Someone higher up is being obstructive.”
The Bega couple also said the potential to use the birthing suite baths as a means of pain relief through labour was advertised to them throughout their pregnancy, and became a key factor in their birth plan
Only in the past fortnight – with less than a month to go – were they told water immersion was unavailable.
“It’s noted as a major feature in all the brochures, and Royal North Shore Hospital – which this one is modelled on – uses water for births without incident,” she said.
“They’ve worked so hard and it’s beautifully set up – I sense there’s a lot of people asking why.”
A NSW Health government policy directive dated 2010 – Towards Normal Birth in NSW – states access to water immersion during labour and birth is one of 10 mandatory requirements of all public health organisations offering maternity services.
It says 2015 was a target for 100 per cent implementation of access to water immersion during labour across the state. Another mandatory requirement was the training of all health care staff “in skills necessary to implement this policy” – which by its own design includes water immersion for pregnant women.
A handout from the SERH maternity unit states the baths “will only be available for water therapy during early labour” and safety protocols needed to be confirmed before they could be used.
While expectant mothers raise concerns over their lack of access to water immersion therapy, health service management say delays are due to making safety paramount.
Risk assessments underway
The South East Regional Hospital opened to much acclaim last month, with state of the art modern facilities including “island baths” advertised as a special feature.
However, they are yet to be used.
We would like to provide a service where the mother has a choice and knows she is safe no matter what.
- Bega Valley Health Service general manager Heather Austin
General manager of the Bega Valley Health Service Heather Austin said the hospital is “doing the sensible thing” and performing a thorough risk assessment on the baths before allowing pregnant women to use them.
“We have had several ‘practice runs’ with staff on how to manage in emergency situations,” Ms Austin said.
“When we get the risk management report and recommendations back, and if we can guarantee safety [they will be made available].
“Without pre-empting what that report says, we would like to provide a service where the mother has a choice and knows she is safe no matter what.
“But we need to establish a proper and safe protocol first.”
Water empowers women
As a trained doula, Bermagui’s Emma Vassallo advocates on behalf of her clients and offers emotional and some physical support during labour and birth.
She said most of her clients wish for and use water immersion as therapy during pregnancy and labour, and it was disappointing SERH wasn’t offering it.
“You just look at their faces light up when they get in the water, it’s like they’re high,” Ms Vassallo said.
“We call it a natural epidural – they feel less pressure, less pain from contractions, women feel relaxed and safe.
“And birth is safer and more effective if the mother is in a calm state,” she said.
Ms Vassallo said for most mothers it’s about having a choice, and that in turn leads to feeling empowered with their decisions on pain management through pregnancy and their birth plan.
“In the births I’ve seen, I’ve never been in an emergency situation, so I can’t comment on that, but if there are risks, they [the hospital] aren’t going to put them in the water in the first place,” she said.