There’s no place like home: discover home birth in leeds
Have you considered birthing at home? Perhaps it’s never been mentioned as an option? Or maybe you’re worried about something going wrong? Maybe you’re really keen for a homebirth but your partner isn’t sure? Continue reading if you want to know more about birthing your baby in your very own home.
Historically, birth was a very women-centred event, with people choosing to give birth at home surrounded by female family members and midwives. Birth was an everyday event that happened where people felt safest. Since the 1950s, the number of people choosing to give birth at home has rapidly declined. The introduction of maternity hospital systems and the thought shift that intervention was safest for everyone, combined with an increase in medicalisation of birth has likely led to this. Birth is now shrouded in mystery because we just don’t see it! Except for on TV of course, but that’s a whole issue in itself… But homebirth remains a very valid option for a lot of people.
You can read positive Leeds homebirth stories here
Is homebirth safe?
This is by far one of the most common questions that is asked around homebirth and the answer is YES! A large systematic review from 2019 studied the data of half a million people who planned a homebirth: they concluded that ‘the risk of perinatal or neonatal mortality was not different when birth was intended at home or in hospital’. Whilst this study is incredible because of its size, there are many other researchers that have looked into the safety of homebirth in other ways. Having an alive Mum and baby is of course an optimal outcome, but what about other less severe outcomes – how do the rates of these compare when people intend to give birth at home vs hospital?
Postpartum haemorrhage: Odds of blood loss >1000ml are higher if in hospital (2.4%) than at home (1.7%) – Nove et al., 2012
Perineal tearing: A study from Mexico shows a 10% rate of perineal tearing in hospital vs 6% rate at home – Jesus-Garcia et al., 2018 . It doesn’t describe whether these were severe tears involving the anal sphincter or not. Other ways to prevent severe perineal tearing include birthing in a side-lying position and the use of a warm compress during the second stage.
Breastfeeding rates: Research from Quigley et al., 2016 showed a significant association between homebirth and breastfeeding. This is likely due to the increased chance of a vaginal birth and a lack of medical intervention – which we know can be associated with difficulties in breastfeeding due to a delay in lactation onset.
How do I book a homebirth in Leeds?
So you’re interested in a homebirth – great! I always say it’s great to book one and then you can always change your mind in labour – but it’s much harder to decide to stay at home when you haven’t planned to do this. There are two ways to ‘book’ a homebirth in Leeds, but remember you are not signing a contract: you can change your mind at any point, booking one just keeps your options open!
- Self-refer to the Leeds Homebirth Team by emailing your name, DOB and NHS number to leedsth.tr-homebirth@nhs.net
- Ask your community midwife to refer you via the electronic notes system
Can I have a water birth at home in Leeds?
Absolutely! And it’s a lot less faff than you might think it’s going to be – it also gives your birth partner a really great job to help them feel useful and included at the start of your labour. As long as you have the space for a pool (they are available in a few different sizes), access to hot water and somewhere to connect the hose to, you’re good to go!
Birth pools are not provided by the home birth team but there are a few options for sourcing your own:
- Leeds/Wakefield pool hire scheme: £10 hire charge and £50 returnable deposit – https://www.yorkshireoaksdoula.co.uk/birth-pool-hire-scheme
- Birth Pool in a Box: you can buy a birth pool or liner/any accessories needed with a 10% discount from myself – https://birthpoolinabox.refr.cc/default/u/leah01?s=esp&t=cp
- Leeds Homebirth Support Group on Facebook: others may be selling their pools or unused equipment that you can collect from around Leeds – https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeedsHomebirth/
What equipment do I need to buy?
Homebirth is surprisingly less messy than most people imagine. If you’re hiring a pool, you’ll need to make sure you have all the accessories required for that, as well as lots of towels. One benefit of birthing in a pool is that most of the blood, poo and other bodily fluids are contained in there – easy to just remove the liner and get rid! Puppy pads, old shower curtains and bed sheets can all be useful for protecting your furniture.
I’d still advise packing a hospital bag in the case of transfer – plus it means that if you birth at home, you’ve got everything you need for the next few days all nicely in one place!
You can find an equipment list from the Leeds Homebirth Team on this page (scroll down) – https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/services/maternity/birth/home-birth/#your-questions-about-homebirth
What happens if I need to transfer to the hospital from my home birth?
Definitely another of the most common questions. Firstly, it’s important to remember that labouring at home is very safe and reduces the need for non-urgent or emergency intervention. The other thing is that midwives carry a LOT of equipment in readiness for such events – we are also trained to anticipate some situations and transfer to hospital before they develop. Many emergencies are managed exactly the same as how they would in hospital, with maneuvers and drugs being utilised in the same way.
A Dutch study from 2015 looked at what happened when people suffered heavy bleeding after birth in home vs hospital settings: whilst some women from each group required blood transfusions, there was no difference in outcomes between those who birthed at home vs hospital. This is because trained midwives are able to give appropriate drugs and manage blood loss safely at home.
Most transfers from home to hospital in or after labour are for non-urgent rather than true emergency situations – examples include need for further pain relief, meconium-stained waters, postnatal observations for baby and severe perineal tearing. If transfer is required, an emergency ambulance is always used. Your partner and a midwife will transfer to you the nearest obstetric unit.
What pain relief can I have at a home birth?
There are still plenty of options for pain relief at home – these include:
- Paracetamol and dihydrocodeine
- Entonox (gas & air)
- Water immersion
- TENS machine
- Hot water bottle
- Birth comb
- Massage
- Guided breathing & relaxation
- Rebozo and active birth
Being in your own environment helps you to feel safe and relaxed, improving the release of oxytocin – our love hormone and the one that drives labour! Oxytocin release leads to the production of endorphins, our natural painkillers – this means you are less likely to need or want pharmaceutical analgesia.
Can I have a home birth if I have had a previous C-section?
Short answer – yes!
Most Trusts recommend a hospital birth for those planning a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) due to the risk of uterine rupture. The chance of this happening is around 5 in 1000 (0.5%) increasing to 14 in 1000 (1.4%) ( RCOG, 2015 and Zhang et al., 2021 ) when oxytocin is used during an induction of labour for those planning a VBAC. Continuous monitoring (CEFM) of a baby’s heart rate is therefore recommended for these labours, which cannot be done in the home environment. Despite this, there is no good evidence to show that CEFM reduces the chance of uterine rupture in people planning a VBAC (https://birthsmalltalk.com/2025/04/23/is-ctg-monitoring-essential-during-vbac/). Whilst there can be warning signs of uterine rupture: sense of something wrong and fresh vaginal bleeding, the situation can escalate very quickly and being at home can cause a delay in treatment, ultimately increasing the mortality and morbidity risk for Mum and baby.
A huge positive of choosing to birth at home when planning a VBAC is your increased chance of a vaginal birth [https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/research/projects/113-birthplace-vbac-at-home]. Research from Bayrampour, 2021, looked into birth outcomes for those labouring at home vs hospital. They found a 39% decrease in having a C-section when VBAC is planned at home, and more importantly they concluded that ‘severe adverse outcomes were rare in both settings’.
Can I have a home birth if I have gestational diabetes?
Short answer – again yes!
The main reason for recommendation for birthing at hospital for those with gestational diabetes (GDM) is the National recommendation for continuous monitoring during labour. This varies between trusts, with some only recommending this for those having induction with GDM or when their diabetes is managed with medication rather than diet alone and some recommending it for all people with GDM. This post from Birth Small Talk discusses how there is minimal research into the safest way to monitor babies for those with GDM: https://birthsmalltalk.com/2021/02/11/gestational-diabetes-and-ctg-monitoring-what-does-the-evidence-say/.
One of the concerns with birthing at home with any kind of diabetes is the inability to monitor your baby’s blood glucose levels after birth – midwives don’t carry this equipment and often don’t stay at your home long enough to perform these checks. Whilst those with well-controlled gestational diabetes will usually give birth to a normally-grown baby that has normal blood glucose levels, the lack of this monitoring is something to consider when planning a homebirth with GDM.
An in-between option here could be a birth centre, such at the Lotus suite in Leeds – your care would still be midwife-led, you can choose to have ‘low-risk’ labour care and your baby’s blood glucose levels could be monitored after birth. This study concludes that ‘options of using the birth centre may be considered a reasonable alternative for these women’.
This page has some really interesting information about birthing with gestational diabetes, including a link to a positive GDM homebirth story!
https://www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/gestational-diabetes-homebirth
Can you have other children at a home birth?
Yes you can – most children aren’t bothered by their Mum in labour: some are fascinated by it all, some just do their own thing in the same room and some head to their own space. Often young siblings will sleep through it all then wake up in the morning to meet their new sibling – so exciting! I think having children around at a homebirth really helps to normalise birth for young children: their first experience of birth is a safe, comfortable homebirth.
However, some children find it difficult so it’s a good idea to have some on-call childcare provision in case you need to transfer to hospital or if they need a time out. Some birthing people will also find they can’t fully let go or immerse themselves in the birthing process when they know their child is around, and feel more relaxed when they know they are being looked after by someone they trust. Have a think about what you feel would work for you.
What if my birth partner doesn’t want me to have a homebirth?
The easy answer here would be “it’s your body, so it’s your choice” and whilst I stand by this phrase most of the time, having your birth partner on board and supportive of your birth plans can be key to their success. Exploring their fears with them early and using research to aid your conversations can be useful, as can inviting them to speak with your midwife about their concerns. Attending local homebirth support groups like this one in Leeds can help your birth partner by listening to other experiences from those who have also felt apprehensive.
This study explores fathers’ experience of planned homebirth and I would encourage any birth partner to read this. Many fathers used the word ‘magical’ to describe their experience of homebirth.
Research capturing quotes from birth partners – One Dad said he ‘required convincing that homebirth was safe’ and that ‘it’s only when you look do research and look into it you see what the truth is’.
Antenatal education about how birth works and the physiology behind labour can also be powerful in changing the way partners perceive and understand birth. My antenatal and hypnobirthing courses in Morley and Oulton welcome and encourage partner participation.
