FAQ | Grace Birthing Hospital

I still cant put into words just how incredible my experience was a grace! As a first time mum it’s so scary not knowing how you’re going to labor or if you can do it! I had a mum say to me that she wishes she had been brave enough to give birth at Grace as she could have been spared a c-section! This gave me the courage & I got my dream water birth!

I’d been waiting for labor since early December, convinced she’d arrive early for Christmas. Overdue, I took my first shot of castor oil at 5am. The cramps started — nothing consistent — so I spent the whole day resting and dozing with my TENS machine on the midwives in constant communication.

The next morning, I took another dose. Still nothing steady. I floated in the pool, danced around, listened to music — just soaking in the moment. That evening, I took one last dose… and an hour later, boom. I ran upstairs to be sick, and suddenly the contractions hit hard and fast. We made our way to the birth center with no traffic. I was already 7cm when we arrived. Straight into the shower, then into the bath — my labor sanctuary.

Two hours later, my body shouted, “Time to push!” I hadn’t expected it to use every single muscle I owned — arms, legs, abs — the works. I pushed for over three hours, completely exhausted but so ready to meet my little human. Between contractions, I even managed to nap in the warm water, listening to the rain.

I didn’t use any pain medication, which still surprises me — but somehow my body knew exactly what to do. My natural painkillers kicked in and carried me through.

My husband was my rock — keeping me fed, hydrated, and supported without ever losing his cool. My mum was the calm in the storm. And our midwife? Just amazing — gentle, reassuring, hands-off in all the right ways. She just kept saying “it’s okay, you’re safe” and I felt so safe in her care.

And then — she was here. Her head was born underwater, and a few minutes later, her body. I pulled her up onto my chest, and she looked straight at me with wide, knowing eyes. The midwife gently unwrapped the cord from around her neck, and there she was: perfect.

We were then reminded to check the gender (in the excitement, we completely forgot!). Banni looked and said, “It’s a girl!” — the biggest shock of all. I’d been so convinced she was a boy. Mostly because my husband swore he saw a penis on one of our early scans 😂 (Spoiler: he’s not a doctor.)

She stayed skin-to-skin on my chest, her tiny body melting into mine. Then my husband whipped off his shirt and held her against him too — their first magical moment together. I showered, high on oxytocin and while being checked out for a few minor stitches, she came back to me and latched like an absolute pro. No hesitation — like she’d always known exactly what to do.

We walked across to our room and settled into the most incredible space — cozy, calm, and just ours. They brought us eggs Benedict (hands down the best breakfast of my life), followed by the best sleep of my life. We were cared for so gently and lovingly for two beautiful days at the birth center — it felt like a complete dream.

I walked out of that birth center feeling like I could do anything. And honestly? I’d do it again tomorrow. A hundred times over.

We normally have a thorough and detail Birth Appointment where all these details are discussed. But normally yes, if you would like to do that!

It's important to note, however, that there are 2 cash packages:

BASIC and PREMIUM. The Basic Package would probably mean that you would stay in the birth suite that you have delivered in until you are discharged. The Premium Package would normally mean after birth you would be moved to your postnatal suite. However, some Premium Package moms may wish to stay in the same suite that they birth in, and this can be arranged.

No ways!

Many of the reasons why our caesarean section rate is so high in South Africa (particularly in the private sector) is due to a mama's movement being restricted.

Hours and hours strapped to a bed with continuous fetal monitoring isn't even recommended for a healthy, low risk pregnancy by WHO!

While fetal monitoring is important, at Grace it can be done while you are in the birth pool or standing upright or even sitting. We work around you, whatever your position happens to be! So, we definitely encourage lots of movement and freedom from straps in labour!

In most cases they are really and truly an unnecessary intervention.

It may be indicted in a case where there is fetal compromise but rarely so.

Out of our +-500 births so far at Grace, we have performed 5 in total. That is approx. 1% and is in line with what it should be.

Sadly, this is normally a routine procedure done on first time mommies, they are in a rush to get baby out and don't give the much-needed time for that perineum to stretch during the pushing stage. We have had so many first timers delivering intact, including a 5kg baby born to a first time mom just recently!

As far as possible we try with non-pharmacological forms of pain relief. This support is provided by a birth support person who is from Grace. These amazing ladies will assist in any way they can to help get you through! Their hand on support includes massage therapies, assistance with breathing, hypnobirthing techniques, meditation, visualization, aromatherapy, pressure points, hot and cold techniques and getting your partner involved in assisting.

Should the need arise and as a last resort we can also use pethidine. We don't offer epidurals at Grace but employ many other methods. Moms cope amazingly well! 😉

As much and as far as possible we help mom to obtain her natural birth.

There are some scenarios where a transfer to hospital may be necessary and indicated by the lead midwife. These include but are not restricted to: moms request, pain getting to a point where mom cant bear it any longer (rare), fetal compromise (where the midwifes observe that baby is starting to struggling with the labour process in one way or another), maternal compromise (e.g. excessive blood loss, exhaustion), delayed progress of labour in the 1st or 2nd stage, retained placenta.

These are some of the reasons however are rare. Before a mother even begins labour there a number of bloods and tests done. If we determine even before labour that there are risk factors, we will transfer care before labour begins.

PS: In the case of a mother becoming 'high risk' and needing to be referred PRIOR to labour, she would be refunded in full)

Normally a mom will realize too that her birth has got to the point where a transfer is necessary.

Throughout your labour the lead midwife will be in touch with your back up Dr (would have been discussed beforehand). When a joint call is made (you and partner/midwives and dr), you will be transported via ambulance to the chosen hospital.

The midwives will hand over care to the paramedics who will assist in transport you. Care will be handed over by the paramedics and the hospital will resume care.

Our hospital is registered with most medical aids and will be able to claim from them directly after your birth.

The midwife fee is a seperate fee to the hospital and there may be shortfalls. Please check with your medical aids directly. Reception can also guide you further on how to do this.

Please note that it is your responsibility to find out what your medical aid will cover for the birth and to get authorisation. Please send this through to us when you have received it.

Cash moms are required to pay before their births. At 30 weeks a R10k non refundable booking deposit is required. If you manage to pay by 36 weeks the discounted rates will apply. Anything after 36 weeks means the standard rates will apply. If you can pay before 36 weeks this would be a real cost saving!

We would normally request that the medical team seeing to mom and baby be given 3 hours post delivery to ensure both mom and baby are stable. This is also to give the team a chance to help mom to establish breastfeeding.

After 3 hours visitors are welcome.

We ask that you limit the number of guests to 5 and a maximum of 2 vehicles on the premises, at any one time, to ensure the other laboring mamas aren't disturbed.

No visitors after 7pm.

{Google Review didn't provide enough character space to respond to this review thoroughly}

Dear James & Jessica Hattam, We would like to start with the fact that we have requested numerous times via email to meet with you and bring some insight into your particular labour situation. Unfortunately this request has been met with hostility, even though our appointments together have always been face to face and been “Warm & Friendly”. It's in the same manner that we had hoped to resolve this with you but unfortunately it's resulted in this review.

The rush to start labour and get the baby out after the waters have broken is fairly new concept. Twenty years ago in the UK, the standard hospital advice for a woman who called a midwife to advise that her waters had broken (and all else was well) was: "If you're not in labour in 3 days time (72 hours) ring us back." Over the following years, this reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours, then 24 hours, then 18 hours, then 12 hours and now 0 hours. You might assume that this change was based on some new evidence about the dangers involved in waiting for labour. You would be wrong. Aren’t the hospitals supposed to base their policies/guidelines on research evidence?

We would like to address your review point by point:

(1) Limited Support When Labour Stalled Grace Birthing Centre may seem like a warm, supportive environment for a natural birth. But my experience showed how dangerously unprepared they are when complications. When my labour stopped progressing, the support disappeared—and I was left alone during a critical, high-risk period. arise.

My waters broke at 11 PM on a Wednesday, but I never progressed beyond 2cm dilation. Around the 24-hour mark, Grace checked me but still refused to admit me or provide personal monitoring. This is exactly when the risk of infection increases significantly, yet they did not offer any guidance on how to safely monitor the situation at home.

I was never told to watch for changes in the colour of my waters, or what signs might indicate that my baby was in distress. The only advice I received from Grace was to take castor oil, which I later learned has no proven benefit and can actually cause uterine irritation—potentially worsening the situation.

The way you are describing your waters breaking is in a way that makes it sound like it was a complication when in fact it is a normal part of the labour process (this happens in about 10% of labours). In addition, the risk of the baby getting an infection with PROM (water breaking before labour starts) is 1% compared to 0.5% if there is no PROM. So, 99% of babies will not get an infection following PROM.

We went into a lot of depth during the birth plan appointment (1,5 hours) about this being a possibility (James, you even kept covering your face processing all the information). PDF summaries of the Birth Appointment were also sent to Jessica on the 11/04/2025 via WhatsApp. This included:

· Birth Plan Summary

· Fetal Kick Counter Monitoring

· The Miles Circuit (for labour stalling as you say)

· The Contraction Counter

· The emergency number as well as

· What to bring etc

So when it came to the actual day of labour, we brought you in twice for monitoring within that 24 hour period, not once as your review states. Once at 9 hours post rupture, then again at 26 hours, not once. The monitoring for both assessments included:

· CTG monitoring (stress tests) of the fetal heart rate

· Palpation to determine fetal position

· Contraction tracking - frequency and Intensity

· Amniotic Fluid Assessment (colour, consistency and cord)

· Vital Signs – including:

blood pressure

pulse

respiration as well as

temperature checks

Both independent checks revealed non-pathological traces, with good beat to beat variability. Elijah couldn’t have been happier! Moms vital signs were stable and the amniotic fluid was draining clear, there were no concerns whatsoever. It was also at both checks that you were both given health education (in addition to the birth appointment) on waiting for nature, explanation of this being common for first time mothers, all was well - reassured on baby and mothers condition, medication such as panado, Buscopan and antibiotics and how they help, coping mechanisms at home and availability of the labour phone.

There was also progress from one check to the next check, things were heading in the right direction, however contractions were still spaced out and irregular. Besides the face to face contact, you were both continually in communication via the 24 hour emergency labour line, which was available to you both and where MANY messages were received and of course responded to at all times of the day and night. This is the support we give, far more than what you would ever experience anywhere else. Our facility aims at doing our best in getting mothers admitted to the facility at the appropriate time to increase their chances of a normal vaginal delivery, all within safe boundaries.

Jessica’s labour was typical of a first time mommy and still needed time as we were still in the latent phase of labour, we were however extremely happy with both mom and babies conditions up to this point with both assessments(which are well documented) that had been done. We needed the contractions to become more frequent and to increase in intensity before it was time to admit you to the facility.

You can see that there does seem to be a discrepancy in what you are saying and the actual facts at hand.

(2) Ignored Warning Signs and Lack of Medical Guidance As my labour continued and my baby’s movements began to slow, I contacted a UK midwife for independent advice. She urged me to go directly to the hospital. Grace, however, insisted I drive 40 minutes to their centre—despite my clear concerns and warning signs. At the hospital, it was immediately discovered that there was meconium in my waters. This is a sign of serious fetal distress and can lead to life-threatening complications. I was rushed into an emergency C-section, and NICU staff were prepared for my baby’s arrival.

As explained above, there were no red flags up to this point, baby was moving well (and the CTG confirmed this) and nothing was mentioned regarding the movements ‘slowing’ – this behaviour is also quite typical for a baby in labour even! We believe that it was at this point that Jessica's birth was sabotaged. It is always a couples prerogative to withdraw from care even in labour, but TRUST is a critical component to the labour process. After you received advice from a medicalised (probably hospital based) midwife who wasn’t even around to assess the situation herself, you both decided to take matters into your own hands. Realistically a mindset was established and the course was changed that was unfortunately out of our hands. No amount of reassuring at this point would have changed anything, you did not trust our guidance and even refused to come back to the centre when requested.

Do you know that in the Government Sector (where all Grace Midwife's have trained and worked) grade one (yes there different gradings – we guessing yours was one as no emergency care was required post-delivery) meconium stained amniotic fluid is no cause for concern? We progress with labour as usual. However, just a note – when our assessments were done there was no meconium in the waters at all.

We would like to also share a bit of context regarding South Africa’s private sector and the disturbing caesarean section rate. It is currently between 80% - 90%, the second highest in the world! One has to ask WHY?

· Medical aids pay disproportionately more

· it’s a controlled environment with mostly elective caesareans (in fact it’s almost miraculous to have a natural birth). The art of natural birth has been completely lost

· Drs have the convenience of not having to manage a whole, long labour process (long labours are very typical for first time mothers and any practitioner who knows truly natural birth knows this to be true)

· hospitals get paid for 3 nights accommodation and stay, theatre fees and

· other provider fees (anaesthetists, paediatricians).

This goes on day after day and is unchallenged! It's so frustrating! Could it be that our medicalised Private System that loves to cut so much took huge advantage of you in your vulnerability and made it out to be much worse than it really was? When we look at the evidence we have in terms of fetal wellbeing, what you saying does not add up. We know that if Elijah was as serious as you have suggested after you chose to withdraw from care -as you say “life threatening” ,they would have definitely used the opportunity to capitalise on the moment and put him in the NICU, even just overnight!? It clearly wasn’t as bad as it was made out. Even chatting with the Dr thereafter, it was just another regular day and not even a mention of fetal distress that was “life threatening”. Elijah wasn’t even separated from mom except for the normal newborn checks.

As a team we felt very sad at this point. We feel that Jessica’s chance of a normal birth was taken away from her, she wasn’t given the time that was needed. Did the midwife even check her dilation when she reached the hospital? You will probably find she was starting to move into the active stages of labour, but this we will never know! Instead she was rushed of, ‘conveniently’ to theatre. The system is broken, not our approach.

(3) No Effort to Investigate or Support None of this had been communicated or anticipated by Grace. They made no attempt to explore why my labour had stalled. I have since learned that there are safe, evidence-based techniques to support stalled labour—such as assessing fetal positioning and using specific movements to help progression. But none of these options were discussed. I felt completely unsupported. There was no concern, no curiosity, and no clinical insight offered. Just warm words and hands-off care—until it was nearly too late.

This has been discussed in the paragraphs before. Did you manage to go through the PDFs we sent? The Miles circuit one goes into detail about things you can do and was highlighted at the ‘check points’. Labour also hadn’t stalled as you are suggesting, Jessica hadn’t dilated further from one check to the next BUT:

· the head had descended further into the birth canal

· the cervix had thinned (fully effaced at the second check!) and

· the cervix was central compared to the previous checks (it was posterior at the first check)

Maybe your UK based midwife used the word “stalled” but it was certainly not our position after doing the actual physical assessments.

Progress isn’t just about dilation, there lots of other parameters that have to be considered! A well managed “hands off” approach protects what your body is meant to do on its own instead of forcing it to happen. Once you start interventions, there is always a knock on effect which eventually lands up in the inevitable caesarean section. We tried to safely hold the space for things to progress naturally to maximize your chances of a normal birth. Both of you had been in our care since 11 weeks pregnant and this natural approach would have been explained more than once. Its our Ethos and what Grace is all about, waiting for nature, especially in the early stages of labour! Intervening at this point would have been detrimental to the process!

(4) A Warning to Others I still believe in natural birth when it’s safe and well-supported. But Grace Birthing Centre failed to provide even the most basic medical safety net. I was misinformed, left in the dark, and placed in a dangerous situation that could have been avoided. I’m sharing this because I believe people deserve the full picture. Grace may seem warm and welcoming, but when things go wrong, that support may vanish. If you choose to birth with Grace, do so with caution—and ensure you have independent, qualified medical support available. Because when it really matters, Grace may not be ready—or willing—to help.

Its one thing to believe in the natural process but when it came down to it you did not want the natural process to unfold. Instead you chose to opt out and its our fault. Waiting could have had a different, far better result but unfortunately we will never know. We believe that trust is a crucial component to birthing with us. You need to choose your provider carefully and not be double minded with dual care, this is confusing to a mother and can result in unwanted outcomes like you had.

We have an 87% NVD rate after over 500 births at Grace. Each Grace Midwife has extensive experience and truly believes in a well-managed natural process. This is sometimes difficult for moms as our approach differs so radically to the medicalized world and involves appropriate timing and allowing for nature. This is why we have the success that we do, statistics don’t lie. Mothers, babies and families thrive here. Our approach in the labour process, sets parents up for parenthood because they understand that going through such a tough thing can help them overcome many tough things that parenting brings. The public only needs to take the time to read other reviews to understand this - Truly natural birth empowers parents from birth and way beyond the Grace Facility.

We would still like to meet you in person as our hearts toward you have still not changed.

Westville Durban, KZN

Frequently Asked Questions:

Review from Alysha Erskine

Can you provide a brief tour of the Birthing Hospital?

How many birthing rooms are available & are the birthing rooms private?

Can I labor, deliver and recover in the same room?

How many staff members will be involved in my care?

How flexible is the Hospital with birth plans?

Are there restrictions on movement during labour?

What is your episiotomy rate and what is the approach toward them?

Can I choose the position in which I give birth?

Are there any restrictions on the number of people allowed in the room during delivery?

How does the Hospital handle pain management requests?

Is there a different cost for a water birth versus a traditional birth?

When should I book my first appointment?

How close is the nearest hospital in case of transfer?

In what situations would a transfer to a hospital be necessary?

In the event of a c-section, what process is followed?

Are all staff members CPR-certified?

Can you provide assistance with insurance claims and paperwork?

Are payment plans or financial assistance available?

What is the cost breakdown for a normal delivery at the hospital?

Are there any hidden costs I should be aware of?

What is the visitation policy post-delivery?

Do you provide lactation consultation services?

Can family members stay overnight with the mother and baby?

Review Response to Jessica

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