Fifty years ago the majority of women had their babies at home. This changed in the
1970s when hospital births were assumed to be safer for mothers, when overcrowding at
home and lack of rest was a concern. Hospital births grew in the 1970s and 1980s and
home births reduced to 1% in the mid 1980s. During this time many studies challenged
the idea that hospital was safer than home. Home births now account for 2.69% of all
births in England (NCT2008).
The Government has now produced recommendations that all pregnant women have a
choice of where to birth their babies. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation
Trust is committed to supporting choice of place of birth for all women