Having your baby at home

Home birth can be a safe choice if your pregnancy is straightforward and both you and your baby are well. If it is your first baby, there is a small increase in risk for your baby, including death or issues that may affect their quality of life - about 9 in 1,000 compared with 5 in 1,000 if you give birth in hospital.

If a woman has already had a baby before, it’s just as safe for her new baby to be born at home as it is in a hospital or birth centre, as long as everything in the pregnancy is healthy. When these women have their babies at home, they usually need less help from doctors. This means they are less likely to need episiotomies, instrumental birth or caesarean sections.

If you choose a home birth, you will be cared for by a midwife who stays with you throughout labour and birth. If extra help is needed at any point, your midwife will arrange for you to transfer safely to hospital. 

Some advantages of home birth include:  

• being in familiar surroundings where you may feel more relaxed 
• not having to travel to hospital in labour 
• staying close to your partner, children and family support 
• care from midwives you may already know 
• a lower chance of needing interventions (like forceps or ventouse) if your pregnancy is low-risk 

Things to consider:

• you may need to transfer to hospital if complications arise 
• the types of pain relief available to you at home 
• your midwife or doctor may advise hospital birth if your pregnancy is more complex 

You can read more about choosing where to give birth on the NHS website, including more information on home birth

If you’re interested in a home birth, talk to your midwife early so we can plan the right support for you and your family.