Table 1 Characteristics of Care During Labour in Conventional Delivery- and Midwife-led Wards
CDW | MLW | |
|---|---|---|
Patients | Low and high risk | Low risk |
Numbers of deliveries/year | 3500 | 1500 |
Antenatal care | By GPs or midwifes at standard antenatal clinic | By GPs or midwifes at standard antenatal clinic |
Environment | Conventional hospital | Home-like |
Intra- and postpartum care | Intrapartum only | Intra- and postpartum |
Philosophy of care | No explicit written philosophy | Supporting natural childbirth, written philosophy of care |
Staff | Midwifes | Midwifes |
Obstetricians | Obstetricians consulted in events of complications | |
Induction of labour | Yes | No |
Augmentation of labour | Yes | No |
Pharmacological pain relief | Opiates | Opiates |
Pudendal analgesia | Pudendal analgesia | |
Nitrous oxide | ||
Epidural analgesia | ||
Non-pharmacological pain relief | Shower | Shower |
Bath | Bath | |
Movement/massage | Movement/massage | |
Acupuncture | Acupuncture | |
Transfer | No | In case of medical complication or request for epidural analgesia in the first stage of labour |