What to do if Home Birth is suspended in your area...
- Positively Pregnant
- Nov 21
- 6 min read
What to Do if Home Births Are Suspended in Your Area
If you’ve recently been told that home births are suspended in your NHS Trust, and now you're feeling a wee bit lost, confused, frustrated and just in a spin as to what to do next...
Take a deep breath... and read on for my top tips (as one of the most experienced home birth Doulas in the North East!)
You still have options. And you still have rights.
Across the North East - and nationally - many parents are facing uncertainty as NHS home birth services are temporarily paused due to staffing shortages.
Here in Northumberland, for example, some families are being supported by independent midwives contracted by the NHS when available. In other areas, the Trust may bring in midwives from neighbouring areas to provide cover.
It’s important to know that your right to give birth at home remains unchanged.Home birth is a human right - regardless of your risk factors or where you live.
Ask Questions... and Get Everything in Writing!
If you’re told that home births are “unavailable”, the Trust has a legal duty to show you what steps they’ve taken to make your access to a home birth possible.
That means they should be able to demonstrate:
What attempts were made to change staff rotas
Whether midwives from local hospitals were redeployed
If independent midwives were contacted
What alternative staffing plans are in place
Ask for this in writing. It’s your right to clear, transparent communication.
Consider Independent Midwifery
Some NHS Trusts are currently contracting independent midwives, including Trusts across the North East and Northumberland. Of course, the ability for this to happen will depend on whether the local independent midwives have the capacity.
In some cases North East Trusts have hired independent midwives who live further afield, but who have temporarily relocated to the North East to support the home birth service.
The independent midwives are registered with a company called ZEST (whom I am actually registered with as a Midwife and Mother Assistant - MaMa) - and it is ZEST with whom the Trust will need to be in touch with to arrange this.
In my experience in supporting couples planning a home birth in the North East - this has sometimes been possible, but it has often been a frustrating and lengthy process for both the parents and the Midwives.
More often than not, it isn't until really quite late in the pregnancy (think around 36 - 40 weeks) that this independent care provided by the Trust, is actually in place.
You can also hire an independent Midwife privately.
This option offers continuity, relational care, and someone working purely for YOU - not for a system bound by policy and hierarchy.
Independent midwives are highly skilled medical professionals who walk beside you with calm confidence and integrity.
When hired early(ish) on in pregnancy they have time and space to get to know you and your partner - they understand your needs, your history, your hopes and your fears.
You get to have your appointments free from the worry and stress of hospital policies, fear mongering and coercion. Just compassionate, personalised care in your home.
Yes, it’s an investment. But this isn’t “just one day” - it’s a rite of passage that will potentially shape the rest of your life.
Freebirth: A Legal Choice - and One That Deserves Respect and Preparation
If you find yourself in a situation where no midwives are available, it’s important to know that 'free birth' (birthing without a medical attendant) is legal in the UK.
And while it may sound unfamiliar or even unsettling to some, the truth is that many families - quietly, intentionally - choose to birth this way.
Some make the decision from the very beginning of pregnancy. Others arrive at it after exploring all avenues of supported home birth.
A few step across that threshold unexpectedly, when the system is simply unable to provide what they need.
It is not a reckless choice. In fact, in my experience - both personally and professionally - parents who free birth are often deeply embodied, resourceful, well-informed and profoundly committed to owning their own choices, process & outcomes.
They do not arrive at this decision casually. It is rooted in autonomy, presence and trust.
I free birthed my second child after both learning and unlearning what birth meant to me.
For me, it was not a rejection - it was a reclamation. A remembering. A conscious choice to be fully with my body, my baby and my instinct.
That does not mean it is the path for everyone... nor should it be.
What matters is that you explore all possibilities with honesty, informed awareness and emotional readiness.
Know that even if your local home birth service isn't officially suspended - there is always the chance (with an NHS provided service) that on the day midwives won't be available. Quite often on online homebirth groups, you’ll hear the advice that if that happens – if you call in labour and are told there are no midwives to come out – your partner should act like a ‘broken record
That means that they just keep re-iterating "We won't be coming in to hospital, please send a midwife, it is our legal right."
Now, I’m going to be really honest with you here – because that’s the kind of doula I am
That might work in other areas of the country, for sure. But here in Northumberland... honestly, if they say there are no midwives available... there literally won't be.
I know especially up here in rural North Northumberland where I live - there are only a tiny hand full of midwives at any given time.
And if they are at another birth, unwell, or away... there really, truly isn't any way of creating more midwives in that moment
If they know in advance there aren’t enough staff, then absolutely – let’s pursue that and make a plan. But if that conversation only happens on the day… it's much trickier.
If you are considering what you would do if told no midwife is available (whether your local service is suspended or not), I invite you to sit with these questions gently:
How does it feel in your body to imagine birthing with only your partner or chosen support present?
What level of preparation would help you feel grounded if that happened?
Who is part of your circle of support - emotionally, practically, spiritually?
You can still access NHS antenatal & postnatal care if you choose to birth without a midwife present. You also have every right to decline or accept aspects of all offered care that align with your needs.
My role is never to direct your choices, but to walk beside you as you explore them.
Freebirth, home birth, supported hospital birth… your path is yours. What matters is that it stems from clarity, sovereignty and trust.
You Still Have Support
Even when the system feels shaky, there are still people and pathways that honour your choice.
Many parents across the North East and Northumberland are currently in the same boat; if you'd like to join a FREE peer to peer support group - I run a Facebook group called The North East Home Birth Network - Please feel free to come join us to ask questions & seek support (for parents planning a home birth only)
As a birth doula and hypnobirthing educator based in Northumberland, I work with families navigating this exact uncertainty - helping them understand their rights, make informed choices, and prepare emotionally and practically for every scenario.
If you’re facing a suspension in your area, please know: you are not alone. You deserve to feel safe, supported, and powerful in your decisions.
💛 Book a free clarity call or explore support options:
Jessica Ord is an experienced birth doula and educator guiding families to prepare deeply for home birth through wisdom, physiology, and intuition. Her work is grounded in ancient knowing and rooted in modern, evidence-informed care.
Jessica's in person services include all encompassing pregnancy and birth doula support, private birth preparation and 'incredible' pregnancy massage from her cosy antenatal studio in Northumberland.
If you'd like to find out more about working with Jessica during your pregnancy (across the North East of England) head to the button above.
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