Throughout human history, throughout the world, the majority of babies have been born at home. In the last few decades however, in many countries, hospital birth has been promoted as being “best”. So is hospital birth best? This is a question I discuss frequently in the UK, and it has been an increasing concern for me in Malawi. Since 2012…
My first impressions of Malawi
If you are thinking about where your baby will be born, have you thought about a homebirth with a private midwife? The NHS midwifery teams in Sussex (University Hospitals Sussex, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare, Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells and East Sussex Healthcare all aim to support homebirths, but all are facing significant staffing issues. They will aim to support anyone…
In the UK, most people access pregnancy, birth and postnatal care through the NHS. However, an increasing number of people are now choosing to look outside the NHS and to employ someone directly. Once you start exploring options it can get very confusing. What exactly are midwives, doulas and birthkeepers? In this blog post I aim to explain a little…
Almost as soon as you know you are pregnant your thoughts will turn to choosing baby’s place of birth. Often you are asked this as soon as you tell people you are pregnant – but do you know what the choices are? How do you know what would be best for you? The decision should take many factors into account.…