If this is your first or if you have already had a baby, giving birth at home or in a freestanding midwifery unit might mean intervention is less likely and vaginal birth is more likely. Interventions include episiotomy, caesarean section and assisted vaginal birth. If you are giving birth at home, there is a small increase in the number of babies who will have a serious medical problem, in all other locations the outcomes for babies are the same.

If you have had a baby before, giving birth at home or in a freestanding midwifery unit might mean intervention is less likely and vaginal birth is more likely. Interventions include episiotomy, caesarean section and assisted vaginal birth. The outcome for your baby at home or in a freestanding midwifery unit is no different than their outcome if you gave birth in a consultant-led unit.

An important consideration if you decide to give birth at home, or in a midwifery led unit, is the rate of transfer into a consultant-led setting. Transfers can be at your request (e.g. for an epidural for pain relief) or because of an emergency (e.g. concerns with baby’s heart rate, bleeding after birth), or because of a change of situation in labour (e.g. baby has done a poo inside your womb and causing them distress, a doctor is required to fix your vaginal tear).

If this is a subsequent birth and your pregnancy is considered low risk there is an 9-13 in 100 rate of transfer into an doctor-led unit. It is useful for you to consider this, and the length of time it takes for a transfer in from each of the various birth settings.