Home birth service returns after Covid pause and sees three new arrivals in one week

Walsall Healthcare’s home birth service was paused during the pandemic as community midwives were asked to support colleagues within Walsall Manor Hospital, where most mums give birth.

The first of the three newborns to arrive was baby boy Jax Leo-James Reid on March 22 March.

Jax, who weighed 7lb 2oz, is son to painter and decorator Amy, 30 and her partner, carpenter Robert, 31, both of Walsall.

Next was Lunay Joan who arrived at 9.40am on March 25, weighing 7lbs 13oz.

Lunay is the fourth daughter of Semarri Woollery, 39, from Walsall and partner Lawrence Service, 46, a cleaner and maintenance worker.

Finally, Chantel Bibb, 37, gave birth at home in Willenhall to Gaia, also on March 25 at 9.04pm.

Gaia, who weighed 7lbs 1.5oz, is brother to Theo, aged two and new daughter of Chantel’s husband Barry, 40.

Chantel, a diet consultant, said: "The midwives are really supportive of home births as long as it’s safe for everyone."

She took part in a three-week course at Walsall’s Midwifery-Led Unit (MLU) on hypnobirthing – a method of pain management that can be used during labour and birth using a mixture of visualisation, relaxation and deep breathing techniques, before having Gaia.

Chantel wanted delayed cord clamping which allows beneficial blood cells to get through the cord to the baby.

"They were great, really considerate," she added.

"The midwives had read my birth plan so they knew about the delayed cord clamping and they waited until Gaia had finished feeding until doing any checks on me.

"They were so relaxed, everything was a discussion and a request."

With the service now back in operation, Walsall Healthcare wants to encourage all mums to use it as appropriate.

Carla Jones-Charles, divisional director midwifery, gynaecology and sexual health said: "We are happy to offer a home birth service to those mums who are low risk and have made an informed choice about where they want to give birth, weighing up all the factors involved."

Laura Parsons, matron for community, MLU and outpatients, is more than happy to provide any reassurance to women about having their babies at home.

She said: "We’re really excited as a team to be able to offer this service again and to promote it to the women who wanted it to be reinstated.

"We had a flurry of women who wanted home births and our community midwives are supporting them to do that.

"We don’t want to discourage any mums from coming into hospital, but we’re happy to offer a home birth service to those who are low risk and have made an informed choice about where they want to give birth, weighing up all the factors involved.

"The fact we will have had eight in a couple of months is amazing – a real achievement.

"In fact we had three in one week, which we’ve never had before – and two of them were within 12 hours. So it was lovely, and a massive achievement for us.

"Any woman interested in having a home birth, should contact their community midwife and our team leaders will happily see them at home and support them in their choices."