Everything you need to know about midwifery-led care, Q&A
The Lindo Wing midwifery matron, Luisa Sweeney, shares information about the midwifery-led care journey and answers some key questions you might have about this form of care before deciding on the best choice for you, your family or support network.
What are the options for birthing locations when choosing midwifery-led care?
The Lindo Wing birthing suite is co-located within St Mary’s Hospital. We have two main locations for you to choose from, both providing exceptional care and comfort.You can give birth at the Lindo Wing, where you’ll be in calm, private and safe surroundings enabling you to focus completely on you and your baby.
We also have access to waterbirth facilities in our birth centre at St Mary’s Hospital. You’ll be in a relaxing room with a birth pool, soft lighting, birthing bed, birth slings and bean bags to support your comfort and help your birth progress.
After your baby’s birth, you will transfer back to your private room at the Lindo Wing, fully equipped with everything that you need. The Lindo Wing postnatal unit has a secure, 24-hour nursery for newborns, available to parents if they’d like a few hours of rest and recovery.
How does midwifery-led care support natural birth plans?
As midwives, we work closely with you to develop a birth plan that aligns with your preferences and goals for a natural birth. This plan includes elements such as your choices for pain management, birthing positions and the overall birthing environment.We can provide extensive education on the natural birthing process, including antenatal classes that cover labour, birth and postnatal care. This knowledge empowers you to make informed decisions and hopefully feel more confident during childbirth.
Midwifery-led care emphasises minimal medical interventions, promoting the natural progression of labour and birth. We encourage the use of natural pain relief methods such as breathing exercises, massages, water immersion, hypnobirthing, aromatherapy and movement to manage pain without medication.
It's important for us to pay close attention to your emotional and psychological needs, providing reassurance, encouragement and empathy throughout labour and birth.
How can other family members or support people get involved in the pregnancy and birthing process?
Family members can play an active and supportive role throughout your pregnancy and birthing process. During the earlier stages of pregnancy, you can involve family members in developing the birth plan which ensures their roles and ideas are considered.If you choose to include antenatal classes in your package, your support person can join you to understand the birthing process and learn how to assist effectively.
Family members are welcome to stay with you 24/7 to provide emotional support and encouragement. Our private birthing suites offer them comfortable spaces to rest and support you. We have room for one person to stay comfortably, though two people may be with you during labour.
Once your baby arrives, immediate family bonding is encouraged, so we encourage family members to spend quality time with your newborn in our private, serene environment.
Tell us more about your experience: What inspired you to train as a midwife?
I first witnessed the childbirth experience during my nurse training in 1985. From that point onwards, I knew I wanted to be a midwife. Empowering women and birthing people to embrace their body’s natural abilities has been my life’s passion since then.After qualifying as a midwife in 1989, I worked my way up to become the Midwifery Matron at the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital, gaining vast experience in all aspects of midwifery care.
I feel so lucky to be part of a family’s special, milestone moment and I am dedicated to making each experience as delightful and memorable as possible.
Finally, what do you enjoy most about working at Imperial College Healthcare?
I have worked in several maternity units across the country in many different birth settings; Imperial College Healthcare stands out as one of my absolute favourite places to have worked. We pride ourselves on the exceptional standards of care we provide to patients and I enjoy working with different families to provide the best support and care to them during such a special time in their lives.I feel like we have a family-oriented approach to each other as colleagues and to the patients we are privileged to care for each day which I hope helps in making our patients feel as comfortable and supported throughout their time with us.
