Pregnancy and birth

We want every parent to have a positive birth experience and as many women as possible to have a straightforward normal birth. Birth lays the foundation of family life and marks the beginning of the parent-child relationship. We know a straightforward birth provides a good start for mother and baby. It makes skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding easier and it reduces the need for special care and early separation from the mother. Many women want to give birth actively with a minimum of intervention and they need support to do so.

Improving local maternity services

The NCT provides support to hundreds of people who are campaigning locally to improve or maintain the maternity services in their local community. Women and their families should have a choice regarding where they give birth including the choice of a home birth or birth in a midwife-led maternity unit.

The Healthcare Commission recently carried out a comprehensive review of maternity services in England. Find out how the results could help you to improve maternity services in your local area.

To campaign for better maternity services in your local area and access tools and resources to help you plan your campaign and identify teh audiences you need to work with to acheive change, join NCT Active today.

Promoting Normality

The NCT knows that most women prefer to and can give birth with a minimim of medical intervention provided that their baby is safe and they feel they can cope. The NCT holds the secretariat of the Maternity Care Working Party, which recently launched its Normal Birth Consensus Statement.

The Normal Birth Consensus Statement seeks to raise awareness that normal birth rates matter and establish a standard definition of normal labour and birth. To find out how you can support the NCT's work to ensure that all women receive every opportunity to experience a starightforward vaginal birth, join NCT Active today.

Better Birth Environment

We believe that all women should be able to give birth in an environment which provides comfort and privacy and facilitates normal birth. Read more about our campaign to make sure every parent has access to a Better Birth Environment.

Saving tiny lives

More than 25 UK babies die each week due to complications arising from premature birth, yet little is known about why this happens or how to prevent it.

The NCT is supporting the charity, Action Medical Research, in its campaign for urgent government action to set up an independent Premature Birth Inquiry, to develop the UK’s first research strategy for tackling this deadly problem. Find out what you can do to support the campaign and stand up for tiny lives.

Maternity care for vulnerable migrants

The NCT fully supports the Medact campaign to ensure that vulnerable migrants continue to have access to maternity care.

Campaign to save independent midwifery

The NCT supports the campaign for to save independent midwifery. It is important for women and families that independent midwives are available as one of the range of choices available for maternity care, but independent midwives' right to practice is being threatened by changes to insurance rules.