Preparing for Labour and Birth

The end of pregnancy goes better when you know exactly what to look for and what happens next. This is it, plainly.

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How you will know labour has started

Your body gives you signals:

1. Your waters break — a gush or a steady trickle. Come in.
2. Strong, regular contractions — about every 5 minutes, lasting a minute.
3. A bloody show — often early. No rush, but tell us.
4. Baby moving less — always worth a call, day or night.

Not sure? That is okay. Call first — we will guide you, day or night. Call, then come in.

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What to pack

Have your bag ready from around week 36: your ID and medical aid card, comfortable clothes, toiletries, things for baby’s first days, and anything from your birth plan (music, snacks for your support person). Your birth plan itself is already on file — you do not need to bring paperwork about your own care.

When you arrive

Your team already knows your history, your plan and your preferences. One team, one record — you do not repeat your story at the door. Your care is midwife-led, with obstetric, anaesthetic and paediatric cover on site throughout.

Your birth plan

At your birth preparation visit (weeks 34–35) we talk through your preferences for labour and birth — pain relief, who you want with you, and your worries. You leave with a written plan your whole team can see, and the final decisions about the safest way for your baby to arrive are made with you at the 36-week review.

The plan can change — and that is part of the plan

Birth is not fully predictable, and honesty about that keeps you safer than reassurance would. Complications can arise without warning, even in a low-risk pregnancy that has gone perfectly until that moment. When they do, the safest decision on the day may differ from your birth plan — labour that needs help along, or a caesarean that was never the intention. Your team trains and drills for exactly these moments, the escalation path to specialist care is defined before you ever need it, and every change is explained to you — or to your support person if you are not able — as it happens, not afterwards.

Your team on the day

Midwives conduct normal vaginal deliveries in their own right — they are qualified, registered professionals and this is their craft. Midwife-led does not mean doctor-absent: obstetric, anaesthetic and paediatric cover is on site throughout, and steps in the moment it is needed. Your doula is your continuous support — comfort, encouragement, and a steady voice keeping you informed while the clinical team works. She does not leave your side. She is also your care coordinator: the person who connects your visits, your questions and your team throughout your pregnancy — not only on the day.

About costs, honestly

Your agreed fee covers the defined care pathway — the visits, the birth, and the after-birth checks described in your plan. Complications are unpredictable, and some of what they require falls outside that fee: specialised neonatal care, extended hospital stays, or services from providers outside the programme are charged separately by those providers. We tell you upfront what is inside and outside your fee, and when something changes on the day, we tell you as soon as we safely can. What we will never do is surprise you quietly.

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If something is not right, tell us

Your feedback is not a courtesy — it is how this service improves. If anything about your care is not right, tell us straight away: your team first, or WhatsApp 066 499 2713. A named person takes ownership of your concern, and our target is a same-day response. Compliments help too — they tell us what to protect.

Questions before the day? WhatsApp 066 499 2713 anytime, or bring them to your next visit — the pregnancy companion has a place to write them down so nothing gets forgotten.

Version 1.1, updated 2026-07-13. This guide is education, not a diagnosis. If you are worried, talk to us or to your own doctor.