In preparation for the second wave of the pandemic, several UK organisations published statements about the importance of the choice of birthplace (RCM_30; RCOG_15). Many advantages to keeping place of birth choices unrestricted were emphasised and included reducing the risk of infection for women and babies (ICM_1; RCOG_2; AIMS_1) and the reduced pressure on already overstretched hospitals (RCOG_2a; AIMS_2; NHS_1).
In both countries, concerns were expressed that COVID measures may have influenced choices around place of birth, such as Dutch hospitals not allowing primary care midwives to be present at medium risk births, for example when a woman has a postpartum haemorrhage after a previous birth, leading women to choose home birth while this was not their first choice (GB_3). In the UK, some of the documents described a potential rise in the number of unassisted births, with several organisations implying that the restrictions on birth place choices were a potential cause (RCM_2; AIMS_2, _5; BR_1).
‘Closure of services, so women haven’t had choices. Yeah, and might have ended up making choices like to freebirth that they wouldn’t otherwise.’ (UK stakeholder 5, National Maternity Voices Partnerships)