Freestanding Midwifery Unit

Freestanding Midwifery units (FMU) are more comfortable and homely than a maternity unit in a hospital and are separate from a hospital, and do not have immediate obstetric, neonatal or anaesthetic care.

Advantages of a FMU unit include:

• being in surroundings where you may feel more relaxed
• being more likely to be looked after by a midwife you have got to know during your pregnancy
• lower likelihood of having an intervention such as forceps or ventouse than women giving birth in hospital

Considerations

There are some things to think about if you’re considering giving birth in a FMU.

You may need to be transferred to a hospital if there are any complications. The Birthplace study found that approximately 4 in 10 women having their first baby in a midwifery unit or birth centre were transferred to hospital, compared with approximately 1 in 10 women having their second or subsequent baby.

You won’t be able to have certain kinds of pain relief, such as an epidural.

Planning a birth in a FMU, questions you may need to ask:

Do I have any risk factors which may make birthing at an FMU unsuitable?

• how long would it take if I needed to be transferred to hospital?
• which hospital would I be transferred to?

Within our local maternity system, there is an FMU at Ingleside, Salford. Click here for more information