Abstract
Author(s): Grazyna Baczek, Edyta Dzierzak-Postek, Urszula Tataj-Puzyna, Dorota Sys, Barbara Baranowska
Introduction. According to the definition of the International Confederation of Midwives, the midwife is recognized as a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with women to give the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period, to conduct births on the midwife’s own responsibility and to provide care for the newborn and infant. Aim. The aim of this study was to describe the experience of the Birth Center at the St. Sophia Specialist Hospital in Warsaw (BC SSSH) during the first five years of its operation. Material and methods. In this quantitative, descriptive and retrospective study, the medical documentation of 3,743 women who began to give birth at BC SSSH has been analysed. Maternity and neonatal indicators have been assessed. Results. In thestudied group, 15.5% of women left the birth center before labor, and 79.5% of women gave birth naturally. No maternal or perinatal deaths were reported. The percentage of transfers of women in labor amounted to a total of 14.9%, and decreased by half in five years. The most common cause of transfers was failure to progress (29% of all transfers). Among the transferred women, 60.6% gave birth naturally and 15.4% underwent caesarean sections. Babies born with an Apgar score below 8 points accounted for 0.4%. Conclusion.. Obstetric and neonatal outcomes among women who gave birth at the BC SSSH indicate high safety of delivery in this setting. Women who give birth at the BC SSSH mostly experienced non-medicated births, and babies were born in a good condition.