We are delighted to be able to finally share our 2018 stats with you.

The Surrey Hills Homebirth team work within a continuity caseloading model which means that we continue to care for our clients throughout their childbearing journey, even if plans or place of birth change along the way.

In 2018 we were responsible for the care of 190 pregnant women and their families (6.3% of 2998 registrable births supported by Royal Surrey Maternity in 2018).

Of these families 27% birthed their first baby and 73 % had had at least one child before.

We welcomed 99 girls and 91 boys in to the world.

From our caseload of 190 clients, 135 (71%) families planned to give birth at home with the Surrey Hills team at the onset of established labour.

The remaining 55 families opted for an alternative place of birth. This change in planned place of birth occurred for a number of different reasons including consent to Induction of Labour, the development of situations/conditions which recommended a hospital based birth and moving out of area.

79% of our caseload (n=190) knew the midwife who was caring for them in labour.

Of the 135 families who planned to give birth at home at the onset of labour 97.1% had a vaginal birth.

24 of our clients experienced an in labour transfer (17.8%) to an alternative place of birth. 111 families birthed their babies at home as planned (82.3 %). 3 of our families were transferred in the immediate postnatal period (2.2%).

Altogether 27 families (20%) were transferred during birth or in the immediate postnatal period.

Of the 135 families that planned to give birth at home at the onset of labour 98% used hydrotherapy (birthing pool) with 71 births (63% of our home births) occurring in the water.

95% of the clients that birthed at home had a physiological (natural) birth of the placenta with optimal cord clamping.