2020 Annual Stats

Posted in Inspiration & Information by surreyhillshomebirth

Here’s an overview of our Annual Stats from 2020 – an unusual year for everyone to say the least, but babies kept coming, and it continued to be magical to provide continuity to our caseload throughout 2020.

During 2020, Surrey Hills Homebirth team cared for a total caseload of 174 families – 84 baby girls and 90 baby boys! Of these families, 97 started labour at home. We are proud to support a mixed caseload of mums including both those requiring consultant input during pregnancy as well as those who are midwifery led care to make informed birthplace decisions. As well as prelabour clinical reasons for changes in planned birthplace, Covid had its own impact on our families birthing in 2020.

Of our Mums who started labour at home..
-98% had vaginal births
-61% birthed or laboured in a pool
-81% had physiological third stages
-88% knew the team members who cared for them in labour
-19 required transfer in labour, and 8 postnatally

Of our total caseload, including those families who birthed in hospital and we provided continuity for antenatally and postnatally,
a fantastic 97% were feeding their babies as intended on discharge to the health visitors.

During the height of lockdown 1 the team was temporarily suspended from providing Homebirths due to the impact of Covid on the ambulance service. This suspension lasted 7 weeks, from the 24th March till the 11th May. During this time the team covered labour ward shifts to support as many of our families as possible. 25 babies from our caseload were born during this suspension. Of these, the majority were cared for by the team and 96% had vaginal births.

In addition to the Covid suspension having an impact on the plans of those mums birthing during this time, it was naturally an unsettling time for Mums due in the following month, who had started to prepare for their midwifery led hospital birth. We continued to support our caseload throughout this transitional time.

2020 was a whirlwind and it was an absolute privilege as a team to support so many wonderful families welcome their bundles of joy during this unforgettable year!
2021 has been wonderful so far and we look forward to sharing our first quarterly stats with you soon!

If you would like to explore your option of Homebirth or arrange an individualised face to face appointment with a team member, get in touch:

RSCH.Homebirth.Referrals@nhs.net

9Feb2021

October – December 2020 Stats

Posted in Inspiration & Information by surreyhillshomebirth

9Nov2020

July – September 2020 Stats

Posted in Inspiration & Information by surreyhillshomebirth

We are delighted to share our Team Stats for the last quarter!

Even through all the uncertainties that this year has thrown at everyone, we are so pleased to be offering our homebirth service as normal (with PPE). To support birth choices is both a priority and a privilege to us all in the Surrey Hills Team.

52 families were cared for within our caseload during this period.

Out of these Mums, 93% of their babies were breastfeeding or receiving breastmilk at discharge to the health visitors. A total of 99% of babies were being fed using the feeding method of their mothers intention.

Of the 52 Mothers, 40 were still planning a homebirth at the start of active labour. The 12 babies who were transfers to hospital pre-labour, all received postnatal continuity from the Surrey Hills team. Of these 40 women who started labour at home, 98% had vaginal births.

Of these 40 mothers who started labour at home:

7 required transfer in labour, 3 required postnatal transfer (Transfer rate of 25%).

75% had physiological third stages with optimal cord clamping

48% of the births that occurred at home, happened in the pool. A further 20% of clients who laboured at home used the pool for pain relief.

If you would like to learn more about the team and birthing your baby at home, and you live within the teams catchment, please email us at:

rsch.homebirth.referrals@nhs.net

9Sep2020

2020 January – June Stats

Posted in Inspiration & Information by surreyhillshomebirth

It’s been a whirlwind of a year so far, with Covid restrictions and the temporary suspension of the team having a impact on this half years statistics.

83 clients were cared for within our caseload during this period. This includes those clients who were impacted by the temporary suspension of the team due to covid.

Out of these 83 clients, 89% of their babies were breastfeeding or receiving breastmilk at discharge to the health visitors.

52 of these clients changed their planned place of birth prior to the start of active labour – 25 of these were due to the covid suspension. Of these 25 Mums, 14 were still cared for by the team at The Royal Surrey. Additionally we have seen a change from a midwifery led caseload to a mixed caseload with a higher number of clients (24%) joining the caseload having consultant input in their pregnancies.

31 clients from the total caseload were still intending to birth their babies at home at the start of active labour. Of these mothers, 100% had vaginal births, and 84% were cared for by a midwife they knew.

Of these 31 mothers who started labour at home:

5 required transfer in labour, 3 required postnatal transfer (Transfer rate of 26%).

76% had physiological third stages with optimal cord clamping

58% of the births that occurred at home, happened in the pool. A further 10% of clients who laboured at home used the pool for pain relief.

If you would like to learn more about the team and birthing your baby at home, and you live within the team’s catchment https://surreyhillshomebirth.org/about/

12Aug2020

BRAIN: Continuity

Posted in Inspiration & Information by surreyhillshomebirth

Surrey Hills homebirth team provide a continuity model of care to families planning to birth their babies at home.

Our clients are allocated a named midwife who provides the majority of their antenatal care. Towards the end of pregnancy clients are provided with the opportunity to meet the other members of the team, increasing the likelihood that they will know one or both midwives who attend their labour at home.

The team also continues to provide care in the postnatal period until they handover of care to your Health Visiting teams and GP.

In 2019, 82% of our clients knew the midwife who cared for them in labour.

A Cochrane review of 15 trials, involving 17,674 women, compared women who received continuity of midwifery care with shared or medically led care.

The results found continuity of midwifery care was associated with significant benefits for mothers and babies, and had no identified adverse effects. Findings demonstrated Women who received continuity of midwifery care were…

19% less likely to lose their baby before 24 weeks

16% less likely to have a late pregnancy loss (after 24 weeks)

24% less likely to experience a preterm birth (birth prior to 37 weeks)

15% less likely to have regional analgesia (Epidural)

7 x More likely to know their midwife in labour

16% less likely to have an episiotomy

If you would like to learn more about birthing your baby at home contact us at rsch.homebirth.referrals@nhs.net

12Aug2020

Second birth partner

Posted in Inspiration & Information by surreyhillshomebirth

alt text: image of hand holding. One participant is holding the others in a double handed grasp

We are delighted to report that @RSCH_Maternity will now be able to support clients to have two birthing partners support them in established labour. This includes birth at home. Click here for details facebook.com/85531519460020…

3Aug2020

BRAIN: The Benefits of Homebirth

Posted in Inspiration & Information, Uncategorized by surreyhillshomebirth

Research over the last two decades has found that planned home birth is at least as safe as hospital for healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies, it is also associated with good outcomes for birthing parent and babies

Clients choosing home birth are half as likely to have a caesarean section, half as likely to have an assisted delivery and have a lower risk of haemorrhage and infection, perception of pain is reduced, and babies born at home are less likely to need resuscitation

Overall studies have shown that clients who give birth at home feel more in control of their labour and feel it was a positive, empowering experience. They enter parenthood with increased self esteem and have an overwhelming preference for planning home birth again for future pregnancies.

In their recent systematic review, Reitsma et al (2020), explored the outcomes of 500,000 planned homebirths. They Concluded that “Among low-risk women, those intending to birth at home experienced fewer birth interventions and untoward maternal outcomes.”

Further findings from the Lancet (2020) study demonstrated that people with uncomplicated pregnancies planning homebirths, when compared with those with similar health backgrounds intending to give birth in hospital were…

40% less likely to have a caesarean birth
50% less likely to have an instrumental birth
70% less likely to have an epidural
55% less likely to have an episiotomy
40% less likely to have a 3rd or 4th degree tear
60% less likely to have their labour augmented (sped up) using an oxytocin drip

The Surrey Hill’s team stats also reflect these findings and in 2019 98% of their clients had vaginal births.

The main hormones that facilitate labour, Oxytocin (the love hormone) and Endorphins (your natural morphine), are produced when you are relaxed, safe and comfortable so the best place to birth is where you feel safe, supported and empowered.

If you are having midwifery led care (low risk), you are an ideal person to consider a homebirth. If you have additional considerations recommending obstetric input in your pregnancy and would like to
explore the option of homebirth, please contact the team for an individualised discussion.

To discuss your birth place options further, including the Benefits, Risks and Alternatives of Homebirth contact the team at Rsch.homebirth.referrals@nhs.net

For more information on BRAIN see this post from Royal Surrey Maternity https://www.facebook.com/royalsurreymaternity/photos/a.856651127799946/1883734445091604/?type=3

31Jul2020

#FridayFeedback

Posted in Inspiration & Information by surreyhillshomebirth

alt text: white speech bubble graphic sitting on a black background. The speak bubble contains a quote from the post’s main text

“Just a little note to say thank you for all of your support in bringing our little girl in to the world.

Lucy made me so excited about birth and gave [redacted] the confidence to support me and be apart of the birth.

Caroline’s advice on baby care will also stick in my head- Pringle fingers and poo pockets. She also gave me the confidence to have a positive hospital birth once we knew that was the route we were taking.

Kirsty and Becca have been great now our little one is here and helped us adjust to parent life.

Thank you so much for everything,

Lots of love,

[redacted]”

27Jul2020

Myth-Busting: Am I a Homebirth sort of person?

Posted in Inspiration & Information by surreyhillshomebirth

Homebirth Myth-Busting

Question: Am I a Homebirth Sort of person?

Answer: Maybe

There is no set “homebirth sort of person”,
homebirth can suit people with a variety of backgrounds, beliefs and experiences. Home birth allows many women to remain in their own familiar and comfortable environment.

The main hormones that facilitate labour, Oxytocin (the love hormone) and Endorphins (your natural morphine), are produced when you are relaxed, safe and comfortable. The best place to birth is where you feel safe, supported and empowered.

In their recent systematic review,
Reitsma et al (2020), explored the outcomes of 500,000 planned homebirths. They Concluded that “Among low-risk women, those intending to birth at home experienced fewer birth interventions and untoward maternal outcomes.”

If you are having midwifery led care (low risk), you are an ideal person to consider a homebirth.

If you have additional considerations recommending obstetric input in your pregnancy and would like to explore the option of homebirth, please contact the team for an individualised discussion.

For more information about birthing at home contact the team for a chat at rsch.homebirth.referrals@nhs.net

Read this birth story of a previous client who didn’t think that she was a homebirth sort of person before she met the team https://surreyhillshomebirth.org/2016/09/20/home-birth-sort-of-person/

Homebirth #continuity #Choice

18Jul2020

Introducing…Becca

Posted in Inspiration & Information by surreyhillshomebirth

alt text: head shot of team member Becca wearing a light blue scrub top. Over payed with text box that reads “hello my name is Becca Surrey Hills Team”

Hello my name is Becca and I have joined the Surrey Hills Homebirth Team in June 2020.

I am so excited to join this team of dedicated midwives. I know that continuity of care and caseloading are the safest and most gratifying experiences I can give to the family’s I care for.

I grew up in a very busy household (7 brothers and 1 sister!!). Having planned to give birth at home with her fourth baby, my mum has always talked about having a friendly familiar face throughout all of her later pregnancies and how this improved her relationship and trust in her self and her midwife who she still remembers fondly all these years later.

I started my training in 2014 in Worcester and since qualifying I have worked in Somerset and in Essex. I am now looking forward to coming home to the beautiful Surrey hills with my husband.

I am looking forward to individualising my care for you to create your perfect pregnancy, blissful birthing environment and fabulous first days at home with your newborn.

If you would like to learn more about the team and birthing your baby in your own home contact us at rsch.homebirth.referrals@nhs.netto arrange a chat.

#HelloMyNameIs #MeetTheTeam #SurreyHillsTeam #SurreyHillsHomebirthTeam #Homebirth #Continuity #Caseloading #Choice #Supportyou