Pregnancy & Baby 

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Home Births

What is the deal with home births? Is everyone entitled to one and what are your rights?

Last year, the birth rate in England and Wales increased for the fifth consecutive year, with the delivery of 669,531 babies, a four per cent rise from 2005. From 2009, the government has pledged to give every woman a choice over whether to have her baby in hospital, at a midwife-led unit/birthing centre, or in the familiar surroundings of her own home.

But there is no guarantee of extra funds to ensure every woman gets her first choice, and the current staffing crises means there are too few midwives to go around.

According to the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the number of full-time midwives working in the NHS on 30 September 2006 was equivalent to 18,862, 87 fewer than in 2005. Maternity services are stretched to the limit and at least 40 maternity units are expected to close this year. Antenatal classes are also being cut or reduced, at a time when the birth-rate is on the rise.

Cynics suggest the new government pledges about choice are merely a cost-cutting measure to keep women out of hospital and in their own homes, but the RCM claim another 1000 full-time midwives are needed to make the government's plans work, while another 2000 will be needed by 2012.

Legal rights

You don't have to wait until 2009 if you want a home birth, however. You already have a legal right to give birth at home should you wish, even if it's for your first child. Research suggests that home births are at least as safe as hospital-based births for a healthy woman with a normal pregnancy. It is an attractive idea for many expectant mothers, but surveys suggest that only one in five women are currently given this option and only two per cent of births now take place at home.

NHS Trusts are obliged to provide a qualified attendant should you wish to give birth at home, and your doctor should be willing to refer you to a midwife experienced in carrying out home births. You also have the choice of registering for maternity care with another local GP rather than your usual family doctor if you wish, providing the new doctor is willing to take you on for maternity care alone.

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