Your midwife will discuss your choices for the place of birth for your baby with you at your antenatal appointments.
Having a home birth has many advantages
- Being in familiar surroundings, making you feel more relaxed
- Not needing to leave your other children or family
- Lower chances of having an intervention, like a forceps or ventouse birth
However some women may choose not to have a home birth
- If you have a complicated pregnancy
- If you or your baby develop a complication, you will be transferred to the Labour and Delivery Ward, usually by ambulance
Planing for a home birth
- If you have a straight forward pregnancy, and you and your baby are healthy, you may choose to give birth at home
- If you have a more complicated pregnancy you can still have a home birth, however your midwife will arrange for you to have an appointment with your consultant to discuss a home birth
- A community midwife will arrange to visit you at home at around 32 weeks of pregnancy to discuss your home birth with you and your birth partner, to complete the home birth form and arrange for you to collect a home birth box
- You can give birth at home from 37 weeks of pregnancy
- You will be supported by two community midwives during your home birth
- Community midwives can provide entonox (gas and air) for you to use during your labour if required
- If you would like to use a birthing pool you will have to arrange to hire and set this up yourself
- You can attend the HEY Baby Carousel and get more information from the midwives and the Hull and East Yorkshire home birth group
Once in labour contact the community midwife on:
Call us on 01482 382658 (weekdays only from 8.30am – 5.00pm)
Call us on 01482 604490 or 01482 604390 (evenings and weekends from 5.00pm – 8.30pm)