Start by telling your community midwife that you’re considering a homebirth. The exact process varies between NHS maternity services. Some have dedicated homebirth teams, while others provide homebirth through their community midwifery service. You do not need to have made a final decision before starting the conversation. Your midwife can explain how homebirth works in your area and how to arrange your care. You can also use our Find Your Home Birth Team tool to find the NHS service covering your postcode.

You can mention it at any point in pregnancy. You do not need to have made a final decision, and you can change your mind later. Talking about it early gives you time to understand how your local service works, ask questions and consider your options. Your midwife or local homebirth team can explain the arrangements in your area.

Yes. Homebirth is an option for first-time mothers, but there are some differences in the evidence that are important to understand. NICE advises that, for women having their first baby who are at low risk of complications, planned homebirth is associated with fewer interventions than planned birth in an obstetric unit. However, it is also associated with a small increase in the risk of a serious medical problem for the baby compared with planning birth in other settings, about 4 additional babies in every 1,000 births. Transfer to hospital is also more common during a first birth, so this is worth discussing with your maternity team when considering your options.

Yes. Your planned place of birth can be discussed and reviewed during pregnancy. If you decide later that you would like to explore homebirth, speak to your midwife or local homebirth team. You can also change your mind again if your circumstances or preferences change.

Being advised to give birth in an obstetric unit does not stop you asking questions or having a detailed discussion about your individual circumstances. Ask what the specific concern is, how it applies to you, what additional care would be available in hospital and what the options are in other settings. NICE lists some medical conditions and pregnancy circumstances where care in an obstetric unit would be expected to reduce risk, while other factors require further consideration. Your maternity team can discuss the benefits, risks and alternatives with you so that you can make an informed choice.

Some women consider planning a homebirth after a previous caesarean, sometimes called HBAC. A previous caesarean changes some of the considerations and risks in a subsequent labour, so this should be discussed individually with your maternity team. Ask them to explain the benefits and risks that apply to your circumstances, what monitoring or care they recommend, what is available in different birth settings and what would happen if you needed to transfer to hospital.

Ask them to explain why another place of birth is being recommended and how that recommendation relates to your individual circumstances. You can ask about the benefits, risks and alternatives, what additional care might be available, and what the plan would be if circumstances changed. The aim is to make sure you have clear information and the opportunity to discuss your options before making your decision.

Yes. Planning a homebirth does not mean you have to stay at home if you change your mind. You can reconsider your planned place of birth during pregnancy. If you are in labour at home and decide you would prefer to go to hospital, tell your midwife. Your preferences remain an important part of the decision-making process.

NHS homebirth care itself does not carry a charge. You may choose to buy or hire some things yourself, such as a birth pool or TENS machine, but you do not need an expensive list of equipment. Your local homebirth team can tell you what they provide and what they recommend you have at home.