Small Things Make a Big Difference: Birth Environments Matter

Abstract

Birth environment is vitally important, not only for the comfort of the mother and her birth partners, but also to enable a woman to labour undisturbed in a positive environment which is conducive to all necessary aspects of labour and birth. This includes low lighting, warmth, privacy, as well as equipment for the woman to use to enable her to mobilise in different ways, with support. The birth environment can affect the length of labour, the use of intervention, pain experience and hormonal changes due to fear. This article describes the small changes that were implemented and resulted in dramatic positive change within the maternity unit at St George’s.