The best way to find out all about the care at your local maternity units is to visit them and ask questions. Many maternity units organise tours with the chance to ask questions, or you can contact the Director of Midwifery directly to find out the information you need.
If you have answered the BirthChoiceUK questions about your plans for the birth , then you will probably have some ideas about the type of birth you are hoping for. If you are planning to have your baby in a maternity unit it is important that the policies, facilities and staff all support what you are hoping for. Only you can decide. To help you, we have provided below a list of questions you can ask your local maternity units. If you don't feel comfortable asking them in person, you could put your list of questions in a letter, send it to the Director of Midwifery at the hospital and ask for her comments.
Maternity units have written protocols on a number of maternity issues (e.g. water birth, previous Caesarean section). Don't be afraid to ask what these protocols are.
You may find it easier to print out this page. Remember to bookmark this website and, once you have visited the local maternity units, don't forget to return to the Checklist to continue the process of finding the best maternity care for you and your baby!
General questions- What type of maternity unit is this?
- Do I have to live in a particular catchment area in order to have my baby in this maternity unit?
- How is the midwifery care structured?
- If it is a consultant unit, does the hospital have a low-risk/midwifery-led unit where I could have my baby? Can first-time mothers use this unit?
- How many consultants are there in the unit? Can I choose which consultant I am booked with? How do their individual policies differ from each other?
- Can I do parentcraft classes at this hospital? When would I need to book?
- Is it policy to allow women to eat and drink during labour?
If you are hoping to have an active birth in a hospital setting you may wish to ask the following questions:
- What equipment do you have which I can use during labour (eg birth ball, bean bags, cushions, floor mats)?
- Will I be encouraged to move about and get into any position I wish during my labour? Will I be required to lie down for monitoring or internal examinations?
- Would it be all right for me to rearrange the delivery room so that the bed is not in the middle of room, to give me more room to move about?
- Are all midwives trained so that I can give birth in an upright position, or will I be encouraged to lie or sit on the bed?
- What is the percentage of women having epidurals in this unit?
- What is the percentage of first-time mothers having epidurals?
- Are low-dose epidurals [sometimes called "mobile" epidurals] available in the unit? Are low-dose epidurals always available? If I have a low-dose epidural:
- If I ask for an epidural, how long am I likely to have to wait?
- Which pain relief drug does this unit use - pethidine, diamorphine (heroin) or meptid?
- How many women give birth using no pain relief, or only a TENS machine/gas and air?
If you are hoping to have a water birth you may wish to ask the following questions:
- How many pools are available in your unit?
- Are these pools deep enough to cover my abdomen when I sit in a vertical position?
- Are all midwives in your unit trained to attend women labouring or giving birth in water?
- How many women have used the pool for pain relief in the last two years?
- Is there a charge for using the pool?
- What is the likelihood of me being able to use a pool when I am in labour?
- May I bring a hired pool into the unit?
If you have had a previous Caesarean birth, you may wish to ask the following questions:
- Will I automatically be offered another Caeasarean, or does this unit encourage women to give birth vaginally (known as a VBAC - vaginal birth after Caesarean)?
- If I choose to have a VBAC, will my labour be managed in any way?
- If I am continuously monitored, how much will that affect my mobility? Will I be required to labour lying down?
- Does the hospital provide an interpreting service for women who would prefer to speak their own language?
- Are female doctors always available?
- Is there easy wheelchair access to the delivery suite and the wards?
- Does the hospital provide equipment to help disabled women in labour?
- Does this maternity unit have Baby Friendly status?
- Does this maternity unit employ a breastfeeding specialist or counsellor to help me breastfeed my baby either while I am in hospital or after I have gone home?
- Assuming there are no problems, how long will I stay in the unit after my baby is born?
- Will I be moved to a ward? If so, how many women will be in the ward?
- Are private rooms available?
- What are the visiting hours for my partner?
- Can I keep my baby with me all the time?
- Can I have my baby in bed with me?
Once you have visited the local hospitals don't forget to return to the Checklist to continue the process of finding the best maternity care for you and your baby!
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