Labour and birth
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The resources below provide general advice for pregnancy. Please discuss your condition with your healthcare team to ensure the advice is right for you and your pregnancy.
Timing of birth
Early birth (premature birth) can happen unexpectedly or be planned. In some cases, pre-term labour or birth is planned because it’s safer for the baby to be born sooner rather than later. It may be planned because of a health condition in the mother, or in the baby. Birth can be brought forward in several ways, and your team will discuss this with you.
Mode of birth
Most women with underlying medical conditions will be able to give birth vaginally, if they choose to. There are very few medical conditions where a caesarean section is recommended, and this is usually for obstetric reasons, rather than due to an underlying medical condition.
For some health conditions, the team looking after you may make special recommendations. Anaesthetic teams may give specific advice on pain control, and obstetric teams may recommend additional monitoring, or help with the “pushing” part of labour, known as an assisted second stage, with the use of suction cups or forceps if necessary.
Your team will discuss various options for birth with you. The plan will be individualised to you, and take into account your wishes, concerns, feelings and personal circumstances.
Pain relief
Labour can be painful and understanding the different pain relief options can be daunting. Sometimes your anaesthetist may give specific recommendations for your pain relief. To help in your decision making the College of Anaesthetists has put together very helpful guidance https://www.labourpains.org/ to help you learn about the different pain relief options available to you during labour. It can also be helpful for whoever is with you to understand these options so they can support you through the birth.
