Choosing your birth location
You can give birth at home, in a unit run by midwives (a midwifery unit or birth centre) or in hospital.
Your options about where to have your baby will depend on your needs, risks and, to some extent, on where you live.
If you’re healthy and have no complications (low risk) you could consider any of these birth locations. If you have a medical condition, it’s safest to give birth in hospital, where specialists are available. This is in case you need treatment during labour.
If you give birth at home or in a unit run by midwives, you’re less likely to need assistance such as forceps or ventouse (sometimes called instrumental delivery).
Wherever you choose, the place should feel right for you. You can change your mind at any point in your pregnancy.
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