ABSTRACT
In this chapter we consider the kind of support that a woman and her birth companions may need in various situations that could be described as ‘complex’. This might be due to complications identified during pregnancy or labour; interventions, such as induction of labour; or the use of various forms of technology. We also explore the language of risk and how this may impact on the care that a woman receives.
We have concentrated on interventions that you are most likely to encounter; for example, where women have epidurals, induction of labour, caesarean birth or continuous CTG monitoring. In all these situations, we focus on how to best support the woman by normalising the birth environment, optimising normal physiological processes wherever possible and offering individualised physical and emotional support.
Finally, we explore the particular support that will be needed when women feel disappointed or traumatised by their experiences, when their babies need medical care and when women suffer grief and loss, for example when a baby dies or is removed to the care of social services.
Throughout the chapter we emphasise that a woman with complex needs in labour should feel listened to and seen as an individual, not a ‘case’ or a ‘high risk woman’, and that their emotional needs will be attended to with as much attention as their physical needs.
