with birth plansWhat is the hospital policy on inductions: when might they decide to induce?Number of babies born, intervention and Caesarean ratesWho will deliver your baby?Availability of birthing poolsShower/washing facilitiesTypes of pain relief available

hospital. The Government recently announced plans to give women more choice on where they have their babies - including more access to home births.Check out our interactive Good Birth Guide before you decide. All you need to do is type in your postcode

One of the biggest decisions you have to make when having a baby is which hospital or birth unit to entrust yourself to.It's a hard choice to make if you've no previous experience and live in an area where there are several hospitals or maternity

expenses.Please email info@babyexpert.co.uk with your name, email details and telephone number (home and mobile if possible), letting us know how many weeks pregnant you are and what kind of birth you are considering (home, hospital, birth unit). We need

.You can have your baby in hospital or at home, or choose a home-from-home midwife-run unit, which promotes natural births. Here is a run-down of the pros and cons:Hospital consultant unit In a hospital maternity unit, care is usually shared by midwives

to avoid medical intervention such as an epidural.You have other children to care for and want to have your partner with you 24/7.You live close to the hospital in case a last-minute transfer is necessary.You have a practical and unflappable birth partner

be offered the chance to have their babies in birthing units or in their own homes, according to a report by the Royal Collage of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The report says that too many babies are born in traditional hospital units

who have experienced ‘traumatic’ natural births at overstretched hospitals with midwife shortages. However, Malcolm Griffiths, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist who helped put together these guidelines, said: "Caesarean section is a major

Water worksWhether it's your own bath, the hospital birth pool or a birth pool you've hired to use at home, being in warm water is one of the easiest ways to relax during labour. A recent study showed that women who spent some of their labour in water

.But birth is of course one of those times in life when events can overtake even the best laid plans. Which is why it's important to think about your ‘ideal birth' before you go into labour, as well as the choices you may have to make about your baby's birth