Where you have your baby is an important decision to make. You have a choice when it comes to the place where you give birth to your baby.

Generally birth is very safe for both women and babies, which is why you should be offered a choice of where you want to give birth, whether this means planning a home birth, giving birth in a midwifery unit or at a hospital obstetric unit.

You may be offered a choice of the following options:

> Home
> Community midwifery unit (birth centre)
> Midwifery unit at a hospital
> Obstetric maternity unit at a local hospital

Follow the links to the right for subpages on the different options.

If you are one of the majority of women who are healthy with a normal pregnancy then you should be able to give birth in any of these places, depending on what is available in your area. Some women who have medical conditions or a complicated pregnancy will benefit from the care that can be provided by a consultant in a hospital.

On these pages we will give some further details about the birth options available to expectant parents in Lewisham. You should discuss the choice that you are making with your midwife and/or doctor.

One way to find out more about your local birth options is to attend an NCT antenatal class where you can get help with preparing for labour and birth. You can find details of Lewisham NCT antenatal courses here: http://www.nct.org.uk/branches/lewisham/courses.

The Birth Choice UK website has a map with contact details all of your nearest maternity units: http://www.birthchoiceuk.com/

You may also find the following website useful:
http://www.choicesforbirth.org/booklets.php?id=10

Note: If you are looking for information about the experience of birth itself, you can go to the NCT 'Guide to Labour' here.

VBAC/HBAC Support Group in Sydenham

Have you previously given birth by caesarean section, either emergency or "elective"? Would you like to understand more about the possibility of giving birth vaginally next time? The VBAC/HBAC support group is here for you.

 An informal atmosphere but with a health professional in attendance. We will spend some time debriefing on previous births, planning next births and answer any questions & top tips for achieving a VBAC / HBAC.

Open to both member and non members of the NCT. Please contact Virginia to confirm your attendance.

Virginia
virginia_staar@yahoo.co.uk