Your Choices For Maternity Care

Before you have to choose your maternity care should ask themselves:

o Would you prefer to receive most of your ante and postnatal care at your GP surgery, and go to the hospital only once or twice during your pregnancy, and later gave birth to your baby in Unit Consultant? (This is called 'shared care')

If you have GP units at the local maternity hospital, the doctor may be able to take care of you there when your baby is born, or you can be looked after by a hospital midwife. You can get more information about the afterbirth care of children by reading online.

postnatal care, prenatal care

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Some doctors are willing to book you for a home birth and to provide all maternity care before, during and after the birth of your baby. (However, you do not have to have to cover your GP to give birth at home. A midwife has legal rights and practical skills to take responsibility for maternity care you do not give complications arise.)

o Would you prefer to receive most of your ante and postnatal care of a small team of midwives that you can know and one of them will help you give birth? (Most of the area is now starting to regulate midwives into the team so this should be a real option for you.)

o Would you prefer to receive care from a community midwife who will look after you during your pregnancy, go to the hospital with you to help you give birth and then accompany you at home with your baby a few hours after that?