Trinidad: Mamatoto

I had my first antenatal check-up while we were in Trinidad.

There is a lovely place called Mamatoto Resource & Birth Centre. This little birthing sanctuary opened about two years ago and has helped give Trinidadian women a safe birthing alternative to the standarized, medicalized hospital birth that is still very common there. 

Unfortunately, first-time mothers are discouraged to try for homebirth and many obstetricians will not support their birthing choice. Mamatoto gives these women a chance to have a truly natural, organic experience. Their belief is that all women should have this opportunity and in this spirit they also give pro bono care to ladies that would not otherwise be able to access their services.

In addition to the homey birthing rooms they have a library and resource room, a classroom for pre/postnatal yoga and antenatal classes and a wall dedicated to all the children that were born in their centre.

Mamatoto was all too happy to care for me just like I was one of their own. My midwife carefully went through my history, checked my fundus, weight, blood pressure and all the usual things that happen in an antenatal visit. At 14-weeks everything looked as it should and much to Claude's delight we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time.

Our one-off visit cost us the equivelant to about £25, which we thought was very reasonable.

Now, I have the challenge of securing a visit with a patera (midwife) at some point while we are in Argentina. Wish me luck!

Comments

[Francis & Christine Davis]

Great to learn all is well. Wishing you the very best . Francis& Christine

[Olivia]

Good luck guys!! I can't wait to see my new cousin. Love Olivia xxxxx

[Jamie]

Thanks Francis & Christine!

Olivia I am sure the new babe will feel very lucky to have a cousin like you!

[Anax]

hello, as a GP and homebirth adoavcte who happened upon you site whilst doing some research i feel compelled to comment. I had a homebirth midwife for my own birth and had no antenatal testing of any kind including ultrasound. This was because i felt clear about my informed decision. I am a firm supporter of women's informed choice. I am a firm supporter of midwives. I am exasperated by divisions into doctors' and the medical system' as if they were the bad guys whilst midwives/natural medicine are all good. the reality is there is plenty of good, and good people in medicine. we all know where we would want to be with a very complicated delivery with no delivery after 3 days and lots of thick meconium and a failing foetal HR. hospital. on the other hand, in a staight forward pregnancy home is a brilliant choice. and there is no doubt that some in medicine do give misleading messages about risk. however, it stands that your comment about 95% false positive rate for down's syndromw testing is frankly wrong as any research of the papers will show. the false positive rate is around 5% and probably around on average 85% downs are picked up. whether or not that rate is acceptable to you or whether you consider this to be eugenics are separate matters, and part of a personal decision making process that should be respected. as long as each woman having this test understands the implications and outcomes and still feels that she wishes to have the test, we are doing a good thing. lets all work together to get the correct information, free of bias, to pregnant and birthing women to allow them to make their own informed decisions and birth in their own power.i think the comments about amy's post have been a bit over the top. she is right about your information being wrong and you are wrong to say she thinks an outrageous false positive rate is right. we are all working with the best tools we have.may all women give birth as they wish, in the safest and most deeply nurturing way possible.