BIRTH
Midwifery Care in Natural Birth
During the birth, I will be with you from the very beginning, when you are still at home and up to two hours after delivery when the whole family will be transferred to the maternity hospital’s recovery room. This means that the mother receives personalized care and monitoring during birth based on personal needs – desires and delivery conditions and she is in the company of familiar faces. The main objective is for the birth to be a good experience for the mother, the child, the couple, and the family.
In addition, every effort is made to ensure a tranquil, safe environment with dimmed lighting, soft music of her choice, freedom of movement for the mother and the use of a birthing ball. I undertake all the nursing care, so that the mother is given the time that she needs to give birth as calmly and as naturally as possible.
The child is immediately placed on its mother skin-to-skin after birth and stays with her until it is breastfed for the first time in a room together with the father for two hours after birth or in the recovery room if no other room is available.
Midwifery care in TOLAC – VBAC
TOLAC (Trial of Labor after Cesarean) is the attempt to have a vaginal birth after Cesarean delivery. VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean) is a vaginal childbirth by a woman who has had a Cesarean section delivery in the past. A successful TOLAC leads to VBAC. Factors of consideration should be the mother’s desire; the causes that led to the previous Cesarean should no longer exist; TOLAC – VBAC prerequisites should exist as determined by the ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) and the HSOG (Hellenic Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology) and the healthcare professionals – obstetrician and midwife – that have undertaken the mother’s monitoring and care to have the scientific background, skills, desire and patience to support this choice.
I am one of the midwives that undertakes the care and monitoring of mothers who wish to experience a vaginal delivery after a Cesarean section in cooperation with the woman’s obstetrician. We stay together throughout the entire delivery to ensure a calm, safe delivery for both mother and child.
Midwifery care in Cesarean Section
A midwife’s presence and assistance is equally important in a Cesarean Section delivery. We stay together from the mother’s arrival in the maternity hospital’s reception area and her preparation for the procedure; I undertake all the nursing care. I will be by your side in the operating room, during the birth of your child—the father’s presence is not permitted in Greece—for all the assistance and psychological support that you may need. The newborn immediately comes into contact with its mother skin-to-skin and breastfeeding can start while inside the operating room. Alternatively, this is continued in the operating room’s recovery area, where we will stay for two hours after the Cesarean section and until mother and child are transferred to their room. This means that the mother receives personal care and support from start of the Cesarean section until finish.
