Can I Choose Where to Give Birth?
Yes. You have the right to choose where you give birth.
You can choose to give birth in a hospital, in a birth centre, or at home. A birth centre is a maternity unit that is run by midwives. It can be part of a hospital or completely separate.
Here is some great advice from www.birthrights.org.uk
'Your NHS trust may automatically book you into a hospital or birth centre. You can ask to discuss this and make your own choice.
A healthcare professional may say you ‘need’ or ‘have’ to give birth in a hospital. You can ask them why they think this. What medical reasons do they have for this advice? You do not have to agree with them.
In some cases, there may be restrictions on your right to choose a hospital or birth centre. However, no-one can make you give birth away from home if you want to stay at home.'
Which? also have some great information about your local maternity services: www.which.co.uk/reviews/birthing-options
Have you thought about where you want to give birth?
You cannot predict how your baby's birth is going to unfold, but you can equip yourself with the knowledge and the techniques to help you navigate whatever birth journey your baby takes you on.
In this weeks' Antenatal Academy class we went through the questions to ask when interventions are suggested or you experience a change in circumstances during labour (such as a potential transfer from home to hospital!), how to make decisions that help make your birth experience a positive one, no matter what happens along the way.
Our aim for you and your birth partner is for you to be able to able to navigate the unexpected from a place of preparation. Educating yourself and your birth partner can be so powerful that it can change your baby's birth, and change your experience of birth for the better.
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