The Birth Centre for homebirth, waterbirth and natural birth

Sister Tracy Roake has helped woman give birth at home for the last 7 years. She has worked in hospitals, in labour ward and maternity. Tracy runs her practice from The Birth Centre, Manning road, Durban. This is “where babies are born smiling”. She is an advocate for mother and baby and helps woman give birth actively.

Tracy will assist you giving birth at home, in hospital or at The Birth Centre.

When a woman choses to give birth at home, she is saying “help me and guide me, don’t take control of me and don’t separate me from my baby”. Separation is the worst thing you can do to a mother and her newborn.
Mothers are carriers. We are meant to carry our babies with us. The nursery is an unnatural habitat for newborns because babies need their mothers. Research has shown that babies born at home have better outcomes with less resuscitation needed and fewer complications.
To be born at home is one of the gentlest and most graceful gifts any parent can give to their child. A homebirth stands for gentleness in the sense that technology is available but respected and only used when necessary.
A midwife is trained to provide all the care; she knows how to put up drips and how to stitch if necessary. She has all the drugs that are needed for a safe birth to occur. She is guided by the Nursing Council and she has regulations to follow. She is a registered person (so always ask for certificates).
A midwife loves babies - all she would want for you and your baby is the best. She will give you the best treatment possible and will refer you to the obstetrician if she has any concern.
No chances are taken with a homebirth; upon the first sign of a presenting problem, the midwife will refer you to the obstetrician.

Birth is beautiful. It is also painful but the more relaxed you are the less pain you will feel. Often woman want homebirths but feel that they would not be able to deal with the pain. In fact, a homebirth is less painful - you will find that endorphin levels (the bodies natural pain killers) are a lot higher in a homebirth situation than in a hospital. There are 28 forms of pain relief in a homebirth situation before drugs are resorted to (see below), while in a hospital birth drugs are offered very readily as the only form of pain relief. However, since women are cautioned to avoid drugs throughout pregnancy it seems inconsistent to take them during birth.

A very common form of pain relief in the home situation is water: The Birth Centre hires out Heavenly Birth Pools that are soft and resemble a nest or the warmth of the womb.The pool is portable and easily assembles. (Only available in KwaZulu-Natal). Other forms of pain relief are homeopathic preparations, aromatherapy, breathing, the Doula, massage, hot and cold compresses, active birth, herbs and many more.
However, should a woman need to have an epidural, she can quickly be taken to hospital without further complication. Woman should never feel like they have failed when a birth wish has not come true. There is no failing with birth even if it becomes necessary to have an elective or emergency caesarean. Babies need to be born no matter how it happens.

Midwives make you feel good about your birth experience, whatever the outcome. With a homebirth there has been a marked decrease of postnatal depression as woman do not feel the feeling of failure and feeling of having had their babies removed from their bodies like a cyst.