Choosing a hospital

Unless you've already had a baby, your pregnancy, labour and birth are new and sometimes overwhelming experiences. You will need to make decisions about a range of different things, including where you would like to give birth.

The choice of where you have your baby can have a big impact on your whole birth experience. There are a number of options available to you and it's up to you to choose the one that you feel most comfortable with. However if this is your first baby, you're unlikely to be aware of all the choices. When you have your pregnancy confirmed, your GP should take you through each of the options available to you, but it's possible you will only be informed of the most common or predictable choices.

Choosing where you will give birth is one of the biggest decisions you will make. You don't need to rush into it, and you do have time to do some research. Have a look at the birth choices article to gain a clear understanding of your options for your antenatal care and labour and birth. In the meantime, you may find the following information and tips useful when trying to make your decision.

What sort of birth do you want?

- Relaxed environment with little intervention and natural pain relief methods

- Hi-tech environment with the latest technology and access to all types of pain relief

- Water birth

- Home birth with an independent midwife

What sort of care do you want?

- GP

- Midwives/Doctors at hospital

- Obstetrician

- Independent Midwife

If you know who you would like to care for you, do you know whether they have admitting rights to the hospital of your choice, or do you know whether you happy with the hospital(s) they have admitting rights to?  Continued...