Try to talk to local mums to find out where they gave birth and what their experiences were. Some hospitals/areas have a ‘team midwifery’ system so you’ll see someone from the same team each time you visit, and one the midwives from the team will support you at your delivery.

It is possible to use many pain and labour management strategies in the labour ward, so hospital can be a good option for women who may have to be monitored or treated during labour, for instance, those who are having a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC), women whose labour has to be induced, and anyone who has tested positive for group B Strep and needs intravenous antibiotics during birth. You will need to discuss your birth plan preferences in the context of the extra monitoring you might need, but midwives and obstetricians are keen to support women’s birth plan wishes where possible.

One of the advantages of the labour ward/delivery suite is that everything is on site from pain relief options to access to the medical team. Disadvantages are that it is a busy clinical environment which can result in women feeling less relaxed which in turn may result in a slower labour and need for extra pain relief.