Deciding where to have your baby is an important decision for you. We believe that you should give birth in an environment where you feel safe, comfortable and relaxed.
At Kingston, we encourage you to consider giving birth at home, especially if you are healthy and have a straightforward pregnancy. We have a dedicated team of experienced midwives who are passionate about offering homebirth as a safe, relaxed alternative to hospital birth.
Those who choose a homebirth receive care from the same midwives throughout pregnancy, labour and early parenthood in the comfort of their own homes.
To find out more, why not come along to one of our regular “Meet the Homebirth Team” events.
Whether you’re at the beginning of your pregnancy journey or nearing the end, our monthly “Meet the Team” event is an opportunity to meet the midwives, hear a birth story from a family who’ve experienced homebirth and ask any questions. You’ll find out more about the care we provide – all appointments in your own home, from pregnancy through to early parenthood, with experienced midwives that you’ll get to know. We’re happy to discuss any concerns you may have: whether your home is suitable, whether having a homebirth is safe, what to do with older children, how to hire a birthing pool and anything else you want to know. Partners and children are welcome. No need to book, just come along – it’s free to attend.
We meet virtually on the 2nd Monday of the month from 7:30-8:30pm via Zoom.
It is an opportunity to hear a birth story and talk to midwives from the team from the comfort of your own home. Dates and details about how to join in from a mobile or laptop are publicised on our Instagram account @homebirthkh and on the Maternity Facebook page: Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Maternity Unit. Or ask your midwife for details.
If you would like to speak to a member of the homebirth team, please call us on 020 8934 3752, send a message to 07385 949051, or email us at khft.homebirth@nhs.net.
You’ll find lots of pictures and stories from recent homebirths on our Instagram page: @homebirthkh
For more detailed answers to some common questions, see the FAQ section below
There is no specific “right” time. Some women know when they fall pregnant that they want a homebirth, others don’t even think about it until much nearer their due date. Whenever you decide, you can make contact with the team via phone or email, come to a “Meet the Team” event or speak to your midwife.
Most women find being in labour at home, in comfortable and familiar surroundings, is a calm, relaxing experience and this can help the labour progress more smoothly.
There is no need to interrupt labour to go into hospital and no anxiety about when to make the journey. Evidence shows that multiple journeys to hospital can slow the progress of your labour.
Planning a homebirth means you are much more likely to be looked after by a midwife you have met before.
Being at home means you can move around completely freely, using your own facilities – helping yourself to food from your fridge, using your own shower or bath, watching TV and having a cup of tea in your own bed afterwards!
Evidence shows that healthy women with an uncomplicated pregnancy who plan to give birth at home are more likely to have a straightforward birth with fewer interventions – even if they subsequently transfer to hospital. Interventions include the use of forceps, ventouse, episiotomy and emergency caesarean.
Birth in the UK is generally very safe for women and babies, wherever the birth takes place.
Lots of research has demonstrated the safety of planned home births, including two large international studies published in 2019 and 2020.
All planned homebirths are attended by 2 experienced midwives. They bring everything necessary to monitor your and your baby’s well-being, as well as resuscitation equipment and emergency drugs. This equipment is the same as is available in the birth centre.
We work closely with London Ambulance Service to ensure a safe and speedy transfer to hospital if one is necessary. Most transfers from home are not emergencies – the most common reason for transferring women from home is when labour is not progressing.
Birth options information:
No matter where your labour takes place, we recommend trying to use relaxation and breathing techniques to help you cope with contractions.
The midwives attending your birth bring “gas and air” (Entonox). It is up to you to decide if you would like to use it.
Many women planning a homebirth wish to use water in the form of a birthing pool as this can be a very effective means of relaxation and relief during labour and birth. You may also find that your own shower or bath provides effective pain relief in the early stages.
As long as you have a reliable source of hot water and a suitable space to position a birthing pool, it is not complicated to set-up. If you wish to use a pool, your home birth midwife can advise you about how to hire one as well as providing advice about setting it up.
As long as you can make your home warm and have running water, then generally any home – no matter what its size – can be made suitable for birth.
We will give you a short list of items beforehand that it is helpful for you to provide. These include basic items like towels and old sheets.
Your midwives will provide all specialist equipment for the birth on the day. We carry equipment to monitor the baby’s heartbeat, to check your blood pressure, pulse and temperature, as well as resuscitation equipment and emergency drugs. The equipment we bring is equivalent to the equipment you will find at our midwlfe-led birth centre.
Most of the labour is not messy at all. After the birth there will be some blood loss, so we recommend putting plastic sheeting and old duvets or sheets on your floor and bed or sofa. We will clear away all clinical waste and bag up any soiled items. When we leave, your home should look as we found it when we arrived.
Women often worry that they will be very noisy in labour. However, in our experience this is rarely the case. Those with small children often find they sleep through the whole thing. It is up to you if you would like to let your neighbours know that you are planning a homebirth but it certainly isn’t necessary.
One reason women give for choosing to have a homebirth is because they don’t wish to leave their child at home while they are in hospital. Many labours take place in the middle of the night and often children do sleep through the entire labour and birth. However, we recommend making arrangements for friends or family to be available to look after your children in case of the need to transfer to hospital. Some women also prefer their children not to be at home for the hours that they are in labour, others prefer to have them in their home but looked after by someone else and others may wish their children to be present at the birth – the choice is yours.
Anyone that you want to be present at the birth can attend, as long as there is space for the midwives to look after you safely.
Once the baby has been born we stay to make sure that mother and baby are well. We will assist with feeding, check and weigh the baby, help the mother to have a shower, have something to eat and climb into bed. We stay in your home until we and you feel happy for us to leave. We return the next day and continue to provide postnatal care in your home for the following days and early weeks.
