The year 2021 was difficult in so many aspects and I think we are all glad to see it go and welcome the new Year 2022.
Professionally, I'm happy to say that 35 couples decided to have me by their side on their journey into parenthood.
Out of that number, 20 had a home birth and 15 were transferred for different reasons.
There were 9 first-time mothers and 5 of those needed an emergency section.
The others were transfers for:
Waters broke before 37 weeks, augmentation of labour, pain relief, and waters broken more than 18hours, needing antibiotics. All four had vaginal births after transfer.
There was an exceptional transfer rate for multips (mums who had babies before): one needed a Vacuum delivery and one needed an induction which resulted in a normal delivery.
One second time mum needed a section also, which means I had five sections in total.
Thankfully the outcomes were all good and all of the mums received postnatal visits from me with a high breastfeeding rate on discharge (33 of 35).
One of my first-time mothers birthed at home without problems and 20 mums who had babies before had home births too.
These figures are showing the highest transfer rate and section rate I had in years.
Was it the 'collective fear' factor? Or is it just the way it sometimes happens?
Thankfully, all outcomes were good and I do truly believe it's good practice to abandon original plans and go down a different path to keep mum and baby safe.
Here's to another year, may it bring happiness, peace, and light to all of you.
*All images are used with permission.