Statistics show that the more comfortable a woman is with her caregiver, the better her outcomes in pregnancy. We encourage all pregnant couples interested in natural birth to visit us for an information session to meet one of the midwives and have the opportunity to find out more about natural birth with a midwife. The information you receive during this session should furthermore enable you to determine your own feelings concerning your personality and philosophy and whether or not it can blend with that of the midwives in the practice. You can do this in two ways:

Free Information mornings

These are hosted once a month on a Saturday morning at our practice in Rietondale. It is hosted by one of the midwives at the practice who will explain to you what a midwife birth entails and how it works, the advantages of a natural birth for you and your baby, our different birth facilities, the cost of different options and back-up plans should it be necessary. Apart from doing births, Midwives Exclusive provides a whole variety of supportive services to pregnant couples and new parents, and you will meet the professionals involved in these as well, a valuable resource available even to couples who decide not to birth with the practice. It also includes a tour of our Birth House and the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have

One-on-one information/assessment sessions

Should you be unable to attend our information morning or feel that you need an additional one-on-one session, this can be arranged at a nominal fee. This is a good idea for couples who would like a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean section) as apart from providing the general information, a midwife would need to do an assessment of risk factors to determine whether you are a good candidate for this option, and will discuss with you your reasons for choosing a natural birth.

Should you have health problems that preclude you from having a natural birth with a midwife, or if you have decided that it just isn’t right for you, then we will do our best to refer you to a family-friendly obstetrician and a medical facility best suited to your needs. If this is the case, remember that you can still make use of all the other services that we offer to pregnant couples and new parents, e.g. our antenatal classes, pregnancy sonars, breastfeeding support group and postnatal workshops.

Choosing your midwife

Once you have made a decision on what you want from your birth experience you should choose the midwife best suited to your needs. Ideally, you should meet all the midwives available before you make your decision as to who you would like as your specific midwife. However, if you are simply elated and confident with your choice after the initial visit, then go with it! Remember also that the options available to you may be influenced by which midwife still have space to take patients in the month of your birth, as we take care not to ‘over-book’ one member of the team. For this reason we prefer you to visit us as early as possible during your pregnancy so you can make an unhurried and informed decision about your pregnancy and the birth of your little one. We want you to enjoy the entire experience. The amount of care and support you receive during your pregnancy plays a fundamental role in the entire parenting experience.

Although you will receive care from a specific midwife, a big strength in our practice and an advantage to patients choosing to deliver with us is our team approach. You can know that there always will be a highly competent and compassionate midwife available to care for you in your pregnancy and birth, so should you need assistance in a time when your midwife is not available (for example when she is busy with another birth or taking a well-deserved weekend off), this will be available to you. As a team we have chosen each other carefully and trust each other 100%, and you can feel safe in knowing that you will most likely be completely happy with the care and support that you will receive, should this become necessary.

In order to book for a free information morning or for an individual information/assessment session, phone our practice on 012 329 3865 or 083 283 6999.