Pregnancy & Baby 

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Home birth

The Maternity Alliance on what to do if you want a home birth and can’t get one

Every maternity unit in the country will receive a share of a new £100 million fund for maternity services, announced by the Health Secretary, Alan Milburn at the Royal College of Midwives conference in May. The investment should mean that by the end of 2002, there’ll be an extra 500 midwives, so women all over the country will be able to have personal care from one midwife during labour, and they’ll also have the choice of a safe home birth if that’s what they want.

In 1998, 716,530 babies were born in the UK – but only 2% of them at home. The number is increasing slowly, though a survey for the government funded, Changing Childbirth in the 90s, showed that 16% would have opted for a home birth if they’d had the choice.

At the moment, if you want to have your baby at home, your first port of call is your GP. He or she should refer you to a community midwife (usually working from the surgery or local health centre), who should provide your antenatal care and deliver your baby at home as you want.

Unfortunately, many women do experience problems arranging a home birth via their GP, and if it’s your first child it’s likely to be more difficult.

If you encounter problems

Go straight to the supervisor of midwives or head of midwifery at your local maternity unit (phone the hospital to find out their name and contact details), explain your problem and ask to be given a list of midwives in your area who specialise in home deliveries.

Most GPs give antenatal and postnatal care, but don’t offer care during the birth itself. However, in some areas, particularly rural parts of the country, a few GPs do offer full maternity care, including home births.

If you’d like your GP to be involved but he/she doesn’t offer this as part of the service, you can register with another GP for maternity care. However, it’s worth contacting your local health authority (HA) or your local Community Health Council (CHC) for help and advice because you need to find a GP who’ll offer this and accept you, before you make a move.

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