Pregnancy

Home birth or hospital birth?

This article may help answer:

Where should I give birth?

Where is the safest place to have my baby?

Can you have a home birth in Australia?

What are the benefits of a birth centre?

Sooner rather than later, you and your birth partner should start discussing where you want to give birth. If your pregnancy is low risk, you can opt for a midwifery unit, a birth centre or even at home birth instead of a hospital. Your midwife will discuss the options in your area. It’s best to visit hospitals and birth centres to make an informed choice. Remember you can change your mind at any time.

Find out more:

Hospital maternity unit

Most Australian women give birth in a hospital, where there is good access to specialist services and special baby care units. Midwives will look after you through your labour, but highly skilled doctors and state-of-the-art equipment are close by if you or your baby need help. Facilities and options differ from hospital to hospital, so ask your midwife, doctor and friends for advice. Also, ask whether it’s possible to tour the maternity facilities and what you might need to take with you.

The downside of all that medical reassurance is that hospitals are, well, medical. Even maternity units can feel formal and impersonal. You might not know the midwives who manage your labour, and rules might be more restrictive than at a midwifery unit.

Midwifery units and birth centres

Giving birth at home

Be flexible