In Australia, over 98% of mothers birth their babies in hospital and I'm one of them! As well as planning and preparing for low-intervention births, I was comforted by the fact that medical assistance was there if I needed it. Maybe you feel the same? All birth preparation is worthwhile yet there's a few things you may want to consider if you're planning a hospital birth: - if you "go with the flow" your birth will, statistically, include intervention. Birth intervention is sometimes incredibly necessary but if you want to avoid it, you need to have skills to navigate labour, a prepared birth partner to advocate for you when you can't, and a good understanding of the risks and benefits of interventions and how they can help and hinder your labour and birth. - it's important to understand the concept of informed consent. Throughout pregnancy, labour and birth, your care provider is required to seek your consent every step of the way - for everything from blood tests and measuring your belly in pregnancy to vaginal examinations and CTG monitoring in labour. However, a 2019 study by Human Rights in Childbirth found that informed consent is not standard practice. On the flipside, studies show that birth satisfaction is rooted in a woman's ability to make informed decisions and be supported in her choices. In short: get educated, write an informed birth plan, ask questions and remind yourself every day that this is YOUR birth. - once you're admitted to the birthing unit it's also common for your labour to slow or stall because the flow of oxytocin (the hormone that drives contractions) is halted by bright lights, an unusual setting, adrenaline and anxiety. It's for this reason that your care provider will encourage you to labour at home for as long as possible. The question is: do you have the birth skills and confidence to do this? And is your birth partner confident and prepared enough to support you? To learn more you can check out my online Birth Education course @the.birth.class 📷@hilarywalkerphotography of me @australianbirthstories