Mothers 'should be aware of birth options'

International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Monday, 20th April 2009

Women should be made more aware of the options available to them when it comes to how and where they give birth, it has been claimed.

According to the UK's Royal College of Midwives (RCM), many expectant mothers are not aware of the choices they have as they prepare to enter labour.

Commenting after a study conducted in the Netherlands – published by BJOG - showed that home births are as safe as hospital births for low-risk pregnant women, Gail Johnson, education and professional development adviser at the RCM, said women and medical professionals should see pregnancy and birth as "a normal event".

She commented: "Instead of expectations that all women would book for a hospital it would be a case of all women would be automatically booked at home unless there was something in their history.

"So it's about turning things upset down; moving midwives out into the community to support women."

Ms Johnson claimed the midwife has "an important role" in trying to explain to women what options are available, as it can vary depend on location and availability of resources.

According to the Office For National Statistics, 2.7 per cent of births in England and Wales in 2006 took place at home