Please click on the question to reveal the answer!
- What is an Independent Midwife?
- We are legally registered, autonomous practitioners who have chosen to
work outside the NHS providing individualised midwifery care (see menu
for more information on independent midwives.
- Am I still entitled to NHS care?
- Yes. You are fully entitled to all the blood tests and scans under the NHS. You are having independent MIDWIFERY care and this does not exclude you from NHS treatment.
- Is home birth safe?
- YES! There is no evidence to support the notion that home birth is less safe than hospital. In fact the risks associated with a hospital birth such as infection and reduced one-to-one care which can lead to more medicalisation, are often overlooked. Planned home birth is safe and associated with good outcomes for most women and babies and there is lots of evidence to demonstrate this. The results of research conducted by The National Birthday Trust Fund (1994-5) showed that women having a planned homebirth had half the chances of a caesarean section or instrumental birth compared to women having a planned hospital delivery. The home birth group were less likely to use drugs for pain relief, and more likely to use non-pharmaceutical methods such as water, aromatherapy and homeopathy. They also had fewer episiotomies and post-partum haemorrhages. Babies in the home birth group were less likely to be in poor condition after birth and had fewer birth injuries.
- What if my doctor says I can’t have a home birth?
- We never tell women what they ‘can’ and can’t’ do. We will discuss your options with you so that you can make an informed decision about where to birth your baby.
- What if something goes wrong?
- Despite what you may have seen in soap dramas it is extremely rare for there to be an emergency in childbirth which has to be dealt with in minutes. In fact most of the indications that a potential problem is on the horizon are apparent in pregnancy or early labour. As the experts in normal childbirth, midwives are trained to notice deviations from the norm. The safety of you and your unborn child are of paramount importance to you and to us. If we think that it is necessary we will recommend transfer to a hospital. We realise that this might be a disappointing and potentially frightening experience so we will accompany you and your birth partner as your support and professional advocate. We are trained to deal with emergency situations surrounding childbirth and update our knowledge and skills regularly.
- What if I decide to have a hospital birth?
- We are advocates of home birth for most women because we believe that it is better for mum and baby (see above). This is your baby and birth, however, and we will support you in any decisions that you make. We cannot act as your midwife in a hospital setting but we will accompany you and your birth partner to hospital as your support and professional advocate.
