798| Epidural Hospital Birth with Midwives During Covid – Christi Silano [rebroadcast]

The Covid-19 pandemic has put a strain on hospitals and health systems around the world. As a result, many women have had to face significant changes to their birth plans and experiences. In this episode of The Birth Hour, we’ll be talking with Christi Silano about her epidural hospital birth with midwives during the pandemic.

Christi’s Experience

Christi Silano, who is originally from England but now lives in Australia, experienced the Covid-19 pandemic first hand. Having a baby during a pandemic was never her intention, but being pregnant during the pandemic did bring some changes to her birth plan. After talking with her midwives at the hospital, she decided to get an epidural during her labour and birth.

Epidural Hospital Birth with Midwives

Christi’s hospital birth with midwives was a very different experience from a home birth or birthing centre birth. Firstly, the environment felt more medicalised due to the presence of medical staff. It also provided her with the peace of mind that if her labour and birth were to get complicated, she had medical professionals on hand to intervene.

Benefits of an Epidural During Labour

Christi’s epidural during labour provided her with a number of benefits.

• Pain Relief:Christi found that pain relief was one of the biggest benefits of having the epidural. It allowed her to relax and focus on bringing about her baby in a calm setting.
• Bonding with Baby: Having the epidural allowed her to fully engage with her baby during the birth and bond with her in a way that she wouldn’t have been able to do if she had chosen to birth without the use of an epidural.
• Medical Support: Lastly, having a hospital midwife birth with the assistance of an epidural meant that there was a doctor on hand to intervene if needed.

Conclusion

Christi was incredibly pleased with her epidural hospital birth during the Covid-19 pandemic. She found it to be a very positive experience overall and highly recommends it to other women who may find themselves in the same situation.