It is ironic that for a woman, the joyous occasion of birth is preceded by the difficult and rather painful process of going into labour. Often expectant mothers get flustered due to lack of knowledge on pregnancy and natal care. There is also the endless list of dos and don’ts, medical tests and check ups that add to the stress and hormones. And things don’t end with child-birth; the real deal starts then. For a woman, the nine months is reduced to juggling daily lives with the impending new addition with no respite or reassurance.
However this reality is slowly changing, thanks to Tarun Siripurapu. A former consultant at McKinsey and Company in the US, Tarun’s hope of providing a proper birthplace for the future generation has resulted in a unique birthing facility that not only provides health and maternal care facilities but adds much more to the experience of child birth.
“The joyous occasion of child birth needs proper celebration, free from the sickness at hospitals. So I came up with a place where they can do just that,” says the founder and managing director of Birthplace Healthcare Private Limited. The facility, which came into operation this April, promises to take complete care of the mother and child with a specially crafted schedule for the mother.
Tarun, an MBA graduate from IIM-Calcutta was initially working with the marketing and services department at super-speciality hospitals in the city on his return to India. It was here that he felt the need for single-speciality hospitals that could be designed according to the specific needs of pregnant women. “In the current market, there is so much more that can be offered under obstetrics, which could actually make the process of being pregnant more convenient. Plus, I wanted to remove the hospital experience from child birth,” he explains.
Since it’s inception, The Birthplace has boasted of a high natural delivery rate which, general manager Keya Karwankar points out, is because of their high-end amenities and their insistence on going the natural way. “We don’t focus only on child birth but have facilities for gynaecological procedures and post-delivery child care which enables us to take handle high-risk cases,” she says.
With 25 fully-equipped rooms, the facility provides a private and completely personalised stay for the mother and her family. “Everything from the visiting hours to the music is decided by the expectant mothers. We also recently arranged for a surprise with music and flowers on behalf of the husband,” explains Tarun, as a testament to the attention and care they provide.
“But providing facilities is not the end-all. The Birthplace is all about making the mother feel secure and comfortable and providing wholesome care,” he adds, explaining further, “It is designed to take care of the mother and child throughout the nine months of pregnancy which continues even after delivery when we provide information and take care of the nutrition and vaccination needs of the babies.”
Not restricting themselves to just the technical medical details, The Birthplace also conducts concerts and stand-up comedy sessions to keep the good mojo going. A jazz concert for expectant mothers was recently conducted at their facility in Banjara Hills. “If a woman listens to soothing music or laughs a lot during her pregnant months, it has a positive effect on the delivery and also results in calmer babies. To that effect, we conducted an extensive research on how music effects child birth and realised that Jazz was the perfect option,” says Keya. Two of Hyderabad’s very own Jazz specialists, Joe Koster and George Hull were roped in to perform at the do. A comedy session is also being planned in the coming month.
Understanding the need for expectant mothers to feel relaxed and in good hands, The Birthplace also conducts various events that cater to their prenatal and postnatal stages that includes workshops on Lamaze (a birthing technique), yoga, childbirth education and pre-pregnancy care among others for expectant mothers. “Most pregnant women in Hyderabad lack good knowledge on pregnancy care. So we conduct expert sessions to instruct them on the medical aspect of pregnancy. We also teach Lamaze breathing techniques and yoga which will help mothers during and after pregnancy,” says Keya. The birthing facility also provides expert counselling before/during pregnancy.
Another recent addition to their activity list is a unique workshop on how to play with your children. “Most people only play peek-a-boo with their child because they don’t know anything else. But one should understand that even playing has a great influence on the child’s mental and physical growth in the early stages,” explains Keya. This urged The Birthplace to associate themselves with Gymboree, a unique platform where children learn through play, to conduct playing sessions where parents are trained in playing constructively with their children.
The upcoming activities at The Birthplace include a prenatal yoga session for expectant couples on June 1 by yogini Krepanand Latika and a pre-pregnancy care session by Dr Pratibha Narayan on June 15. They are also conducting a Lamaze and childbirth education workshop on June 29 by Dr Mani Pavitra. Timings: 3 to 4:30 pm.
Details: The Birthplace is located on road no 2, Banjara Hills. All-inclusive packages range from `90,000 to `1,30,000