Home birth

Women often say that they feel much more relaxed in their own home in familiar surroundings. If you are considering a homebirth, community midwives at the Birmingham Women’s hospital offer this service. You might like to discuss your thoughts about a homebirth with your midwife.

Considerations:

Research tells us that there is no evidence that hospital birth is any more or less safe than home birth for women who have straightforward medical histories and pregnancies. All women have the right to make an informed choice about where they decide to give birth (DOH 2007)

Unsuitable

If you are under consultant led care because you have underlying problems either in your history or that are pregnancy and birth related, then a homebirth might be against our professional advice. If this is the case discuss this with your community midwife who may recommend a further discussion with a consultant midwife or consultant obstetrician in the ‘opinion clinic’. At the end of the day, we are keen for you to have received all of the necessary information to ensure that as far as possible you have made an informed choice (Maternity Matters DOH 2007).

If you are not satisfied with the advice your midwife is giving you re your suitability for a homebirth, you have the option of contacting a supervisor of midwives for further advice

What happens next?

At thirty six weeks of your pregnancy your midwife will visit your house to discuss your planned home birth with you and include:

• talking to you about the carers who will assist you during your birth
• when to call the midwife and the numbers for contacting them
• options for pain relief
• leaving some equipment at your house in preparation for your birth.

she will need to make sure the room in which you intend to birth in safe.

When you think that labour has started:

• It doesn’t matter what time it is when you ring us!  
• The midwife may find out from you how you are coping and then decide with you whether or not to visit straight away. She will ask you to keep in close contact with her but will not need to give you continuous care until labour is established. See ‘Early Labour Support’ leaflet for further advice.   She may come and see you and then leave again after establishing that you are coping well.

When you should definitely ring us?

• If you are worried
• If you are bleeding
• If you think that your waters have broken
• If your baby’s movements are reduced from your normal pattern

During your labour and birth

• Your midwife will be constantly assessing you and your baby’s condition to review your on-going suitability to remain at home.
• She will set her equipment and contact a colleague to assist her with the birth.
• Once your baby is born she will stay with you for a few hours to ensure both you are you’re baby are well. Your baby will need to be checked by either a paediatrician or a trained GP within 24 hours of the birth. If the GP is not trained then paediatric clinics run daily at the hospital.

If the midwife decides that, at any point, you become unsuitable to remain at home she will explain her concerns with you. If medical attention is required she will advise that you transfer care to the hospital via an ambulance.

After my Baby is Born

Breastfeeding

Claire and Ollie's homebirth experience

This page was last modified on Thu Jul 29 2010