Shared decision-making

Making Choices

Supporting you to make personalised, informed decisions about your pregnancy and birth.

Understanding your options:

  • Information should be easy for you to understand.
  • Information can be provided in your first language or in easy-read format.

Explore your options: 

This tool ‘BRAIN’ may help you to weigh-up information:

Benefits

Risks

Alternatives

Instinct

Need more time / do nothing

Personalising your options:

  • Share with us what is important to you.
  • We will support you with your individual needs and personal circumstances.

You are the right person to make the right decision for you.

Your personal history, values and culture shape you and your decision-making.

We will respect your choice

 More info:

What are my options for giving birth? | Tommy's (tommys.org)

Advice & Factsheets - Birthrights

Shared decision making | NICE guidelines | NICE guidance | Our programmes | What we do | About | NICE

We have a dedicated Birth Options Clinic led by our Consultant Midwife & Professional Midwifery Advocate.

The clinic is for women and birthing people to explore choices specific to their personal circumstances. You will be supported with making decisions if you would like this, and a personalised plan will be made with you.

Most people write a birth plan with their community midwife, who can help you to understand choices (such as pain relief options) but for some people, tailored support with their pregnancy, birth plan and birthing experience, including how your baby is born, is needed.  

We have no set referral criteria,  but many people who access our service identify with:

  • Fear of birth
  • Previous birth trauma
  • Previous abuse, assault or traumatic experience
  • Requesting care ‘outside of usual guidelines’ (for example choosing a home birth with risk factors).
  • Declining an offer of care (for example declining induction of labour)
  • Choosing a caesarean birth (known as maternal request)
  • Specific plans relating to diverse family structure (for example surrogate families).

You may, of course, decline referral to our Birth Options clinic. We can provide guidance to your community midwife to enable you to have conversations around choice and make your birth plan together if this is your preference.