Birth Choices

Why Birth Choices?

Where you choose to have your baby and who you choose to have with you during your labour will affect the type of birth you have and the care that you receive.  Giving birth is an experience which you will recall for the rest of your life and so it's worthwhile investing the time and energy necessary to make informed decisions.  Researching options, and the decisions you make from this, will ensure that you enter parenthood knowing you did everything possible to support the health and well-being of yourself and your baby. 

The environment and the support people you choose are perhaps the most important maternity care decisions you will make. Choosing somewhere to birth were you feel safe is as essential as having familiar and experienced people with you.  Safety for some people means being in a hospital but for others it maybe in the familiar environment of home.  When a birthing woman feels comfortable with her care givers and her environment, she feels secure and her adrenalin will remain low. If a birthing woman stops feeling safe, the flood of adrenalin that comes with this may slow or stop her labour.

Birth In WA

In WA almost 30,000 babies are born each year.  The vast majority of women birth in hospital - 40% in private and 60% in public hospitals.  Less than 0.5% of babies are born at home either through the publicly funded Community Midwifery Program (CMP) coordinated by CMWA, or with an Independent Midwife.

Around 8,500 babies are born in WA by caesarean section.  WA has the highest caesarean rate in Australia at 33%. The World Health Organisation suggests that a country's caesarean rate should lie between 10-15% of all births for the life-saving benefits to outweigh the risks. To come into alignment with WHO's recommendation less than 2,750 caesareans would optimally occur in WA each year.

Continuity of Care

Research shows that continuity of care - having the same maternity care provider throughout pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period - provides a more satisfying birth experience for women than being looked after by lots of different people.  Women who have continuity of care are less likely to use drugs for pain relief during labour and less likely to have interventions while labouring.

Currently in WA continuity of care is only available through planning to birth at home either with the CMP or with an independent midwife. Women often birth with a familiar midwife at KEMH's Family Birthing Centre but generally this ideal does not continue if transfer to Labour and Birth Suite is required.

Find Out More

Have a look at our FAQs on Birth Choices to begin thinking the issues through.

Attend our Choices in Childbirth Workshop to discuss these issues with a trained facilitator. See our workshop page for dates and details.

Whichever choice you make it is always best to make an informed choice.  To do this you need evidence-based information and we recommend the website www.birthchoiceuk.com which has collated evidence around birthing choices. 

See our page Questions to ask yourself to assist you in coming to a decision that is right for you.  We have also summarised birth choices currently available in Perth in table form so you can systematically sift through them. To see your birth options click on birth choices on menu to the right.