'˜He didn't have that shock coming into the world': Leeds parents tell of '˜relaxed' homebirth

'He didn't have that initial shock coming into the world - it was very gentle.'
Rhianna and Nick Rose, with Sefton, 6 wks.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce RollinsonRhianna and Nick Rose, with Sefton, 6 wks.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Rhianna and Nick Rose, with Sefton, 6 wks. Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting. NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital. 29 January 2018. Picture Bruce Rollinson

With pride in his voice, new dad Nick Rose tells of the calm, relaxed and familiar environment that his son was born into six weeks ago.

Mr Rose, 39, and his wife Rhianna decided to have a homebirth at their house in West Park as an alternative to going into hospital.

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Surrounded by a dedicated homebirth midwife team, their healthy baby Sefton was born in December.

Jennifer Harris, home birth support group, Sarah Walker with May, Sarah Bennett, lead midwife for maternity strategy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and Emma Jennings with Thomas.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce RollinsonJennifer Harris, home birth support group, Sarah Walker with May, Sarah Bennett, lead midwife for maternity strategy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and Emma Jennings with Thomas.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Jennifer Harris, home birth support group, Sarah Walker with May, Sarah Bennett, lead midwife for maternity strategy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and Emma Jennings with Thomas. Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting. NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital. 29 January 2018. Picture Bruce Rollinson

Today the couple are sharing their experience as bosses at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are encouraging more women to opt for a homebirth and understand its benefits.

Mr and Mrs Rose first looked at homebirth as an option last year after friends recommended it following their own positive experiences.

After attending support group classes, and finding out more information about what it would involve, they decided to choose a waterbirth at home, and hired a birthing pool.

“It was amazing,” says Mrs Rose, 36.

Naomi Robinson, team leader home birth team, with Adrien and Nicole Moko.  Elijah, 1 mnth, and  Amelia, 2.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce RollinsonNaomi Robinson, team leader home birth team, with Adrien and Nicole Moko.  Elijah, 1 mnth, and  Amelia, 2.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Naomi Robinson, team leader home birth team, with Adrien and Nicole Moko. Elijah, 1 mnth, and Amelia, 2. Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting. NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital. 29 January 2018. Picture Bruce Rollinson
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“You are in your own comfort zone with a homebirth and being in your own space is relaxing. The midwife team was fantastic.

“They were very calm and accommodating. When I was in labour, they were very respectful of my wishes, they gave gentle suggestions.

“A lot of people think that if medical staff say something it’s like giving you an instruction. But I had choice.”

So relaxed was Sefton that he didn’t actually cry when he was born, a common occurrence for babies born at home, midwives have said.

Jennifer Harris, home birth support group, Sarah Walker with May, Sarah Bennett, lead midwife for maternity strategy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and Emma Jennings with Thomas.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce RollinsonJennifer Harris, home birth support group, Sarah Walker with May, Sarah Bennett, lead midwife for maternity strategy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and Emma Jennings with Thomas.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Jennifer Harris, home birth support group, Sarah Walker with May, Sarah Bennett, lead midwife for maternity strategy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and Emma Jennings with Thomas. Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting. NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital. 29 January 2018. Picture Bruce Rollinson
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“He wasn’t born into bright lights in an unknown place,” says Mrs Rose.

“Sefton didn’t have that initial shock into the world. It was very gentle.

“He is a very good and chilled out baby, which I put down to the home waterbirth. He is very calm and happy to soothe himself.”

Mrs Rose’s praise for the midwife care she received from the team comes after the YEP launched our We Love Our NHS campaign earlier this month, which aims to recognise the hardworking NHS staff in our region for the vital but often unseen work that they do.

Naomi Robinson, team leader home birth team, with Adrien and Nicole Moko.  Elijah, 1 mnth, and  Amelia, 2.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce RollinsonNaomi Robinson, team leader home birth team, with Adrien and Nicole Moko.  Elijah, 1 mnth, and  Amelia, 2.
Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting.
NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital.
29 January 2018.  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Naomi Robinson, team leader home birth team, with Adrien and Nicole Moko. Elijah, 1 mnth, and Amelia, 2. Midwives and mums gathered in Leeds to help raise awareness of homebirths as an option for women who are expecting. NHS bosses are trying to encourage more mums to have homebirths rather than having babies in hospital. 29 January 2018. Picture Bruce Rollinson
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Mr Rose, who runs his own graphic design and social media agency, admitted that there was apprehension before the final decision was made to go with a homebirth.

“I’m the kind of the person who wants to find out absolutely everything before I make my decision,” he says.

“But going to the homebirth groups and listening to what others were saying, I thought ‘this is worth investigating’.”

He urged other expecting parents to consider homebirths as an option.

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“The one thing I would say to other guys out there is that there is personal care from a homebirth - compared to a hospital and you have got a team for one-to-one care,” he says.

“I felt even more reassured because of that and we were in the comfort of our own home.

“My real take away is that as a father you are in more control.”

Midwives, new parents and their babies who were born at home yesterday gathered at Carr Manor Primary School in Leeds, organised by the Leeds Homebirth Team, to celebrate, share experiences and raise awareness of homebirths.

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Sarah Bennett, lead midwife for the Maternity Strategy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said: “It is important that women have a choice regarding their place of birth.

“In Leeds we have a dedicated team of experienced homebirth midwives who are able to provide care during labour and birth at home - something mums-to- be may not have considered.”

‘It’s about making women aware that home birth is a safe and realistic option’

Maternity chiefs in Leeds have set an ambitious target to boost the number of women choosing to have their babies at home.

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Naomi Robinson, homebirth team leader at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said encouraging mums-to-be to make the decision is now a priority over the next five years.

Leeds currently has a homebirth rate of between one and two per cent, below the national average of 2.4 per cent.

But the hospital trust hopes to increase the figure to three per cent by the end of next year, reaching five per cent by 2021.

“ Hopefully we can spread the word and get more people seeing homebirths as an option,” Ms Robinson said.

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“When babies are first born, they come from an environment that is dark, warm and cosy and go into an environment in a hospital that is very bright and different. It is a big shock.

“There is something about being born from the warmth and darkness, into the warmth and darkness that is really comfortable for babies.

“You often find that babies don’t cry initially if they are born at home and we say they don’t need to cry. They have everything they need at home and the same with mums - they are in their own environment, they feel at home.”

She said getting more mums-to-be to choose homebirths needed a culture change.

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“It’s about making women aware that homebirth is a safe and realistic option,” she said.

“A lot of women, when they look back, might not have realised it was a choice that they could have made. It’s a culture change too.

It’s changing that mind-set so people think, ‘actually, there is no reason to go to hospital and at home it’s probably the place I will feel more relaxed’.

“They don’t have to think about how they’re going to get there, where will they park, who will come with them.

“They are going to be looked after by experienced midwives.

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“It’s also empowering women to believe that they can absolutely do this.

“If, bit by bit, we can change that culture, women will see that homebirth is an option.”

The NHS trust has teamed up with local children’s centres to offer Homebirth Clinics across the city for women.

The clinics, which started this month, include City and Holbeck Children’s Centre (CC), Beeston, Gipton South CC, Wetherby CC, Calverley and Farsley CC, Carr Manor CC and at Seacroft Hospital.

Leeds’ hospital sites also offer clinics.