Pregnancy, labour, and the early days learning to parent a newborn are deeply personal experiences, and navigating the wealth of information from medical professionals can sometimes feel overwhelming. The BRAIN tool offers a simple, yet powerful, framework to help expectant parents make informed decisions about their care. This tool is especially useful when midwives, doctors, health visitors or other healthcare professionals suggest treatments or interventions for you or your baby. It ensures that your choices are informed and centered on your preferences and your legal rights.
What is the BRAIN Tool?
BRAIN stands for Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, and Nothing. It’s a quick and easy way to assess the information you’re given, helping you understand your options and make decisions with confidence.
Here’s how each aspect of the BRAIN tool works:
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Benefits: What are the benefits of the proposed treatment or procedure? How could it improve your or your baby’s wellbeing?
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Risks: What are the potential risks or side effects? Could there be any long term impacts for you or your baby?
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Alternatives: Are there any other options available? For instance, could waiting or trying a different approach provide the same benefits with fewer risks?
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Intuition: What does your gut feeling say? Trusting your instincts can be important when balancing facts with how you feel.
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Nothing: What happens if you decide not to go ahead with the suggested treatment? Understanding the implications of doing nothing can sometimes provide clarity.
Legal rights of pregnant people in the UK
In the UK, pregnant people have legal rights that protect their choices during pregnancy, labour and after the birth of their baby. These include:
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Informed consent: You have the right to receive all relevant, evidence-based information about any treatment or procedure, including the benefits, risks, and alternatives. Your consent is legally required before any intervention can take place. No treatment can be done without your informed consent unless in an emergency where you’re unable to provide it, or you lack the mental capacity to do so.
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Right to decline treatment: You can refuse any suggested treatments or interventions, even if you are going against medical advice. This includes induction, epidural, or a caesarean section. You are in control of your body and can decide what happens to you.
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Respect for personal choices: The maternity team looking after you are required to listen to and respect your individual birth preferences. While healthcare providers offer expert advice, you ultimately have the right to choose the course of action that feels right for you and your baby.
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Equal treatment: You are entitled to consistent and respectful care throughout your pregnancy and after birth. You should not be discriminated against on the grounds of disability, race, religion, immigration status and national origin.
Why Use the BRAIN Tool?
When faced with decisions during labour and birth, emotions can run high, and it’s easy to feel rushed into making a choice. The BRAIN tool empowers you to take a step back and ask important questions. It ensures that you’re not only considering medical advice but also your own beliefs and intuition. By breaking down complex decisions into manageable pieces of information, the BRAIN tool helps you maintain control and feel confident in your choices.
Ultimately, the BRAIN tool isn’t about choosing the one right option; it’s about making the right choice for your individual situation. You have the right to be fully informed and not coerced into decisions that you don’t feel comfortable with. Maternity teams in the UK are trained to use the BRAIN tool. Hopefully this will give you the confidence and clarity to approach your pregnancy, birth and early days as a new parent with confidence.
Content Disclaimer
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice, and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. New Life Classes disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.
References:
Human rights in maternity care: the key facts, Birthrights.org
![🔔 new blog alert 🔔
It's so important to educate yourself, and understand your rights as you're looked after during your pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond. Whether it's a routine check or a major procedure, YOU decide what happens to your body. 💪💜
In our latest blog, we dive into the importance of informed consent and how healthcare providers must give you clear, unbiased information so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your baby. 📋✨
Key points to remember:
🤝 Your choice matters! Always ask questions and ensure you understand the options.
🚨 You can withdraw consent at any time. It's YOUR body, YOUR baby, YOUR decision.
💕 Even your birth partner can’t make decisions for you, but they can help advocate for your preferences.
👶Post-birth, both parents may share in decisions for your baby, but until then, it’s the pregnant person's choice.
Check out the full post and empower yourself with knowledge. 🔗 [Link in bio]
https://newlifeclasses.com/2024/11/12/the-importance-of-consent-in-maternity-care/
#MaternityCare #InformedConsent #YourBodyYourChoice #EmpoweredBirthing #PregnancyJourney](https://newlifeclasses.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)