New NICE Guidelines Offer Women Much-Needed Choice
Today NICE publishes its eagerly awaited updated guidance on ‘Intrapartum care: care of healthy women and their babies during childbirth’.
The guidance includes recommendations that commissioners should ensure that all 4 birth settings (homebirth and free-standing midwifery led centre, as well as hospital and alongside midwifery unit) are available to all women, that low-risk women should be advised that birth outside of hospital is particularly suitable for them and that in all birth settings there is a culture of respect for each woman as an individual undergoing a significant and emotionally intense life experience.
Speaking ahead of the publication of the latest intrapartum (birth) care guidelines from NICE, Doula UK spokesperson Lindsey Middlemiss said:
“We hope that the publication of this revised guideline will mean that more women are offered supportive evidence based care during birth and genuine choice about their place of birth.
Doulas have a unique insight on the reality of maternity care and what we are seeing repeatedly, is women being denied choice, often despite the evidence. Homebirth services are being withdrawn or are restricted, birth centres are shutting because of staff shortages and women are being told that elective caesareans are not an option. Women need to have genuine choices for birth and to have their informed choices supported.”
To see all the recommendations, see the NICE website.
Doula UK Press Release_141203_NICE Guidance Welcomed (PDF 160KB)