The Good Birth Guide - text only version

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MATERNITY CARE

Maternity care options:

Antenatal care
A range of care is available, though not all types are on
offer nationwide.
Your GP will be able to advise on local options.

Shared care
The most common choice. You'll be seen either by your GP or community midwife during your pregnancy, and only need to go to hospital if you wish to have ultrasound scans or if there are any problems.

Midwifery care
A team of midwives look after you through your pregnancy and deliver your baby. This is also called one-to-one care, and is the 'gold standard' that the government aims to provide for all women within the next 10 years.

Independent midwives
You can pay for one-to-one care right through pregnancy, birth and after, from an independent midwife.

Where to have your baby:

Hospital birth
The choice for women who:

feel more secure in hospital

want an epidural

elect to have a Caesarean

have medical problems

have had complications in a previous pregnancy. Birth centre
Small community hospitals run by midwives are available in some areas. A good choice for women who:

prefer to be cared for by midwives rather than doctors

want a more relaxed atmosphere than hospital. Home birth
Chosen by women who want:

a birth without epidural

to stay with other children

to be in the familiar surroundings of home

total freedom to do whatever feels most comfortable during labour.

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