March 28, 1999

Marjorie Copeland

Making an entrance is just as important to any newborn as to a seasoned actor.
There is a fast-growing awareness of the importance of the first few minutes of life, backed up by professional studies which argue that the way in which you are born, helps determine the kind of person you become.

Even the police agree. The California Commission on Crime Control and Violence Prevention spent two years studying the root causes of crime and concluded that a positive birth experience, one that is gentle, loving and non-traumatic, "increases the likelihood of healthy child development and less violent behaviour".

And according to Tracey Roakes, a Durban midwife, most babies can have a positive birth experience. "It's the difference between a home and hospital birth," she says.

Roakes has transformed home birth into an easy, cost effective option for every mother.

Most important of all, it's safe, with a 5 percent Caesarean rate as opposed to 60 percent in hospitals. Having home births is on the increase, especially in European countries, such as Holland, where women need doctor's letters before being admitted.

Roakes, 32, has specialised in active home birth. She has a list of more than 50 valid reasons for having a baby at home and the full support of 140 of her happy mothers, who wouldn't have it any other way. "Better for the baby", "empowering", "an unforgettable family day", "relaxing" and "stress free" are the most common reasons given.

"Nature gently takes its course. You can eat, drink, walk in the garden, even watch your favourite soap on TV," laughs Roakes. "It's a family event, not a medical one. There's ease, familiarity and friends around you, as opposed to strangeness, machines and masked strangers."

All her mothers have a scan and see a doctor at least twice, so that if anything life-threatening should occur, they're off to hospital immediately.

Roakes has reintroduced the ancient practice of having a "doula" as her helper.

This is a Greek word meaning "women who help women" and this is exactly what Cyrennia Sorour does.

"I slip into the background and do whatever is necessary for the mother, the baby or the family," Sorour says. "I'm a helping friend, not an obstetric nurse."

She has had babies in hospital and at home and is eager to pass on the relaxed, happy atmosphere of home birth.

Roakes also insists on a "babymoon" - seven quiet days of bed rest and bonding with the new baby, which proves invaluable for breast-feeding and a quick return to normality for moms.

Roakes looks more like a young girl around town than an innovative, trend-setting midwife and her consulting rooms are equally unusual.

A riot of colour and flowers, there's comfortable settees and armchairs, candles, herbs, crystals, aroma therapy oils and homeopathic remedies. Instead of medical charts, there are pictures and a multi-coloured divan replacing an examination table.

"Midwifery is my occupation, my hobby and my love," she insists.

Cost of having a baby at home: about R2 500 complete, available on medical aid, including all checkups. Books to read: Birth Without Violence' by Frederick Leboyer, Birth Without Fear by Grantley Dick Read, Natural Birth by Danae Brook and Active Birth by Janet Balaskas. For further information contact the Private Nurses' Practitioners' Association or the Active Birth Association at 031 205 5876 or 082 655 7070. Look out for the Active Birth Association's Conference at the ICC during June.

If you are interested in additional information, or would like to set up a Families Worldwide Chapter in your community, please feel free to contact us via e-mail.

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