Home Birth

Many prospective parents, particularly those having a first baby, dismiss the idea of having a home birth because they think that it is not as safe as a hospital birth. However, research shows that a planned home birth is safe for healthy women having a normal pregnancy compared with being in hospital.^1,2,3

All women have the right to give birth at home. If you are booking a home birth, you have the option to change your mind, any time before your baby is born.

Advantages

• You can labour and give birth in familiar surroundings. You are likely to be more relaxed and this can help your labour to progress
  
• You don't have to make a decision about when to go to hospital or interrupt labour with a journey
  
• You will probably be looked after by a small team of midwives who will have got to know you during your pregnancy, and they will also look after you in the days following the birth of your baby
  
• You may find labour less painful and are less likely to want strong pain-relieving drugs⁶
  
• You are less likely to have medical interventions. (One study showed that planning a home birth halved the incidence of both assisted delivery and Caesarean birth⁶)
  
• You won't have to be separated from your partner after the birth
  
• If you have older children, you will not need to leave them
  

Considerations

• You will need to transfer to hospital if you want an epidural or there are complications, although there is usually time to discuss this decision. (One study showed that about 40% of first- time mothers needed to transfer, and about 10% of women expecting their second or subsequent baby⁶)
  
• You may feel more anxious if you are not in hospital. Most women actually feel more relaxed at home, but if you were to start feeling anxious either before or during labour, you can still choose to go to hospital
  
• You may find that there is disapproval from family or friends, although this should not deter you if you think that giving birth at home is the right decision for you. There are also some health professionals who are not particularly supportive of home births, despite the research on their safety
  
• There are specific safety issues for you to carefully consider if your baby is breech, if you are having twins or if you have had a previous Caesarean birth, although it may still be possible to have a home birth in these circumstances. You also need to take your own health into consideration when planning a home birth. If the birth is not likely to be straightforward, you may find it more difficult finding support from health professionals
  

For more research information about home birth, see Place of Birth Research Summary.

To see the home birth rates for your local area see the statistics derived from information collected at birth registration provided to BirthChoiceUK by the Office of National Statistics.

Who will look after you

If you are having a home birth, you will be looked after by Community Midwives who work for the National Health Service and are attached to a local maternity unit. Your antenatal appointments will usually take place in your own home or in a local clinic. Once you are in labour your midwife will stay with you until your baby is born, and will visit regularly for between 10 and 28 days after your baby has been born. For more about midwives click here

If you wish to book a home birth or just discuss it further, phone up the Community Midwives at your local maternity unit (see our maternity unit contacts page). You do not have to have the support of your GP to book a home birth, although they may agree to be present at the birth if you want them to.

If you are having problems booking a home birth you want, contact the Association for Improvements in Maternity Services (AIMS) for support and information about your choices and rights.

You may wish to use the services of an Independent Midwife to look after you during your pregnancy and during the birth of your baby. These midwives specialise in home birth and may be willing to help you even if your Community Midwives are not confident to attend a home birth.

To find out much, much more about home birth, visit the Home Birth Reference Site

Now you have found out the facts about Home birth, return to the BirthChoiceUK Checklist to continue choosing the best maternity care for yourself.