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flipped_paula.jpegWelcome to Kiwi Families and our section on Child Birth !

Most women feel apprehensive leading up to the birth - gaining knowledge of what to expect can be an enormous help for women and their birthing partners.

We have some great articles here covering normal child birth, as well as interventions and complications that that may occur in labour and childbirth, such as induction of labour and Caesarean sections. Some of our articles go into great detail, others provide a summary of the information available - you can choose whichever suits you best.

Good luck for your birth.

Kiwi Families - helping to bring little kiwis into the world

Glossary Definitions of the terms commonly used in pregnancy and birth
 Am I in Labour ?
 A description of all the signs of labour --- including contractions --- what are they and what do they mean?
 Assisted birth
 Why you might need help to birth your baby, and what is involved with forceps and ventouse
 Birth Plan
 A birth plan can help to guide your midwives and doctors and make them aware of your wishes.
 Caesarean in Detail A detailed explanation of the operation and the pre and post op procedures
 Caesarean Section
 What is a C Section ? Why you might need one? What are the possible complications?
Recovery After Caesarean These three articles examine different stages of the recovery process and can be read in conjunction with our Kiwi Families articles on Caesarean Section and Caesarean in Detail
Episiotomies and Tears

Episiotomies and tears are common after childbirth. This article explains episiotomies and different types of perineal tears and how they are repaired.
Fetal Distress What causes some babies to become distressed in labour
Induction: Detail
 Why you might need an induction and a full explanation of the procedures involved
Induction: Summary
 A summary of induction of labour - for those who just want an overview of this process
Labour: the 3 stages
 The 3 stages of labour - what each stage means to you and your baby
Normal Birth
 The unknown can be daunting - we describe what to expect in a normal labour
Pain Relief in Labour
 We outline the pain relief options available, how they work and their advantages / disadvantages
Promoting Natural Childbirth Visit our new article for great advice to help promote a natural birth
Spontaneous Rupture of Membranes We explain what Spontaneous Rupture of Membranes is and how it can affect the progress of labour if membranes rupture before labour.
Third Degree Tears

Third degree tears are not common but can have long term effects on the woman’s health – find out how to minimise the risks of third degree tears.

Twin and Multiple Births Twins are increasingly common in NZ – find out more about twin births and multiple births
Vaginal Birth after Caesarean - VBAC Many women choose Vaginal Birth after Caesarean, or VBAC, after a previous Caesarean section. Find out more about VBAC in New Zealand.