Women in Fife have the choice to birth at home, in an alongside midwife led unit or at a consultant led unit in the hospital.
At your first midwife/booking appointment, the midwife will ask you about your medical and any previous pregnancy history. The midwife will discuss your choices and any recommendations for place of birth with you.
If you would like to birth at home, please ask your community midwife to send a referral to the birth at home team. The team will contact you to arrange a birth at home discussion which will happen at 16 weeks if you know from booking that you wish to have a homebirth.
You can choose to birth at home at any stage in your pregnancy, however, an early referral would give you more time to get to know the team.
Dedicated birth at home team
Our dedicated birth at home team support women in Fife who plan to give birth at home.
The team are supported by NHS Fife's community midwifery teams who are on call for homebirths.
Women who are planning a homebirth will be allocated a named midwife from the birth at home team and a buddy midwife as per the Best Start Initiative. The named midwife will provide continuity of carer throughout pregnancy and will be on call for the birth alongside the rest of the team.
You will have opportunities to meet the homebirth team of 5 midwives throughout your pregnancy. When you go into labour, whoever is on call will attend your labour and birth at home. You will receive postnatal care by your named midwife or buddy midwife.
If you would like more information about Homebirth, you can contact Michaela Harmes Birth at Home Team Leader on 07974 065497.
