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Writer's pictureJulia Kitching

Deciding Where to Give Birth in Yorkshire?

Updated: Oct 22


Birth-Centre-Lotus-Suite-LGI-Leeds
Lotus Suite Birth Centre - Leeds General Infirmary

Birth Choices

Deciding where to give birth, is a really important decision. Giving birth is a magical and transformative experience and as you start to explore your options, you will discover that there are many birth choices available to you. Not only will you need to decide where to have your baby, but you'll also need to decide how you'd like to birth your baby and what birth experience you would like to have. From deciding on the room environment, to the support in the room, to the medication you would consider (if any), to the intervention and assistance options. It's a lot to think about. One other key thing to consider, when thinking about where to give birth, is which hospital Trust you would like to receive care from. Now, not everybody wants medical care when giving birth and you can decide not to receive any medical care at all and that is entirely your choice. Like with all these decisions, every decision is your decision and that's why it is important to be able to make informed decisions, that are right for you. However, if you do decide to receive care from a local hospital Trust, which one would be right for you? Remember that you can give birth anywhere that YOU want.


Yorkshire Hospital Trusts - Maternity Care

In Yorkshire, there are a number of hospital Trusts and they all have their own ways of working within the maternity system, level of care and statistics. It is worth looking at these statistics, to decide which Trust will most likely give you the birth experience that you would like.


When you decide to buy a new car, you don't usually go and buy the first car that you see. You would do some research. Maybe go for a test drive, research the reliability of the car. Compare different makes and models. Does it have the equipment and features that you would like from a car? Maybe you would look at a Which? report and see which car comes out best, based on various research and opinions from the experts.


It's the same with where and how to give birth. Your birth experience is a really important decision to make, much bigger than choosing a car, yet we very rarely put the time and effort into preparing for our birth. Somehow, we see materialistic items as needing our full attention and we make sure that we choose the right one for us. Your birth preparation needs to be your number one priority!



West Yorkshire Maternity Hospitals

I have done some analysis on some of the local hospital Trusts in West Yorkshire. I wanted to include Barnsley Hospital Trust in my analysis, but unfortunately Barnsley Hospital haven't been very transparent with their data. Their infographic isn't worth the paper that it's written on. The pie chart that they've provided, to show the number of women who've had vaginal births, caesarean sections and instrumental births, has no figures. This means we don't know the exact numbers. They've also not included any data on the number of inductions. What we do know though, is the number of babies born, the lightest and heaviest babies, the busiest day, the number of babies born in water (1.3% in March 2024) and the number of home births (0 in March 2024). We also don't have any more up-to-date data for Barnsley Maternity Services, since March 2024, as of September 2024 when this data was updated. The pie chart for March 2024, would indicate that the majority of women either had major abdominal surgery to birth their baby or instrumental deliveries. This is probably why the exact numbers have not been disclosed or updated. If you plan to give birth under the care of Barnsley Hospital, make sure that you ask lots of questions and fully understand your birth options and ask your midwife for recent statistics if you need to.


I have however been able to analyse the data from Leeds Hospital Trust, Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust, Calderdale and Airedale Hospital Trusts. I have looked at the data from October 2023 - August 2024. Leeds still need to update their hospital figures for June, July & August 2024 and I'm still waiting for data from Calderdale for August 2024. This data will be updated once these two Trusts release their updated figures.


I have looked at these 4 West Yorkshire Hospital Trust's induction of labour rates, emergency (unplanned) caesarean sections, elective (planned) caesarean sections, waterbirths, vaginal births, homebirths and the number of babies born in a birth centre (if applicable to that Trust). Data for induction of labour has not been made available for Calderdale or Airedale hospital, so this is something to definitely consider if you are planning to birth your baby at either of these Trusts. Ask your Midwife or Dr if they can provide you with the recent data, if you are planning to give birth at Calderdale or Airedale hospital. This will help you to make an informed decision. I will keep this blog updated, as and when I receive up-to-date data.


Induction of Labour

You might think that induction of labour is not something that you are planning or want. However, it is still a good idea, to have all the facts at your finger tips. A recent report from Dr Sara Wickham (2024) quotes that "Women who try to decline induction of labour often report being coerced by someone over-emphasising possible (but unlikely) risks to their baby." Dr Sara Wickham (2024) also says that "many women with so-called risk factors (and not actual medical problems) are now told they need induction of labour". In a recent survey, just over a third of maternity units in the UK showed induction rates varying from 19.2% to 53.4% (Taylor et al 2024). This doesn't include women who have received interventions to induce labour either, such as stretch and sweeps or elective caesareans.


Many women agree to inductions, based on a very tiny risk of waiting for their labour to start naturally. They then often find themselves being told that the hospital is too busy and their induction has to be delayed. They then become very anxious and worried, because they are told that induction is critical and then they are told to just sit and wait until it's their turn. (Dr Sara Wickham, 2024). Induction of labour is not always the right decision to make for you or your baby and that's why you need to fully understand the risks and make an informed decision, based on your circumstances.


Mid Yorkshire Trust have included statistics on their women, who received inductions and then went on to require further assistance, such as caesarean sections or foreceps/ventouse. I have included this data in my analysis.



Analysis of Results


October-2023-Birth-Statistics-in-Yorkshire

In Oct 2023, 66% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.



November-2023-Birth-Statistics-in-Yorkshire

In Nov 2023, 55% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


December-2023-Birth-Statistics-in-Yorkshire

In Dec 2023, 46% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.



January-2024-Birth-Statistics-in-Yorkshire

In Jan 2024, 56% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


February-2024-Birth-Statistics-in-Yorkshire

In Feb 2024, 54% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


March-2024-Birth-Statistics-in-Yorkshire

In March 2024, 55% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


Yorkshire-Hospital-Trusts-Birth-Figures-April-2024

In April 2024, 52% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


Maternity-Hospitals-in-Yorkshire-Birth-Figures-May-2024

In May 2024, 49% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


June-2024-Birth-Data-Yorkshire-Maternity-Hospitals

In June 2024, 48% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


July-2024-Maternity-Statistics-In-Yorkshire

In July 2024, 49% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


Yorkshire-Maternity-Hospital-Figures-August-2024

In August 2024, 55% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


Average-Maternity-Statistics-In-Yorkshire

On average, 53% of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust maternity patients, went on to have further intervention after they'd had induction of labour.


As you can see from the data, induction of labour rates across Yorkshire are pretty high, with Leeds having the highest rate of induction, on average. However, we do not have the data for Airedale or Calderdale, so their figures could be similar, significantly higher, or lower. The UK average for induction in 2020-2021 was 34%. This means that around 1 in 3 women in the UK are induced, which is up 10% in the last decade and means that induction of labour is pretty common in the UK. Some UK maternity Trusts have an induction rate of as high as 50%. From the data provided from Mid Yorkshire Trust, we can also see that the majority of women who are induced, then go on to require further intervention, such as a caesarean section or needing their baby to be delivered via foreceps/ventouse.


The number of women having a waterbirth, in any of the analysed hospitals, is pretty low. We don't know whether this is due to lack of water birth pools being available or maternal choice. Around only 3% of women give birth in water. If you birth your baby in a Mid Yorkshire hospital, you have a slightly higher chance, with an average of 7% of water births occurring.


Home births are also incredibly low, with an average of only 1-2% of women giving birth at home. This could be due to a variety of factors, either maternal choice, clinical need or closure of the home birth team. This is a real shame, because statistically home births are safer than hospital births, for low risk women and not many women consider a home birth as an option, thinking that it is too risky. Thankfully the Bronte Centre in Dewsbury reopened in April 2024 and this is a fantastic birth centre for women wanting a home from home birth, which is midwife led and a mid way option between a hospital birth and a home birth. The Bronte Centre in Dewsbury is a gorgeous place to give birth, if a home birth isn't quite your thing or not an option. There are 4 delivery rooms, 2 which have birthing pools. You can visit the Bronte Centre during pregnancy if you would like a tour, to see if this is something that you would like. Just give the team a call to arrange a visit.


If we look at the rates of caesarean sections for the hospitals analysed, we can see that the figures are pretty high. Leeds has the lowest caesarean rates, for both elective and emergency and Calderdale and Mid Yorkshire have the highest. Caesarean sections across the UK are on the rise. In 2023, 31% of births are by caesarean section. 16% of these births are by elective c-section. In the last 20 years, the rate of c-sections have risen by 50%, from 1 in 5 births, to 1 in 3 births.



Given the high caesarean section rates, it's worth making a caesarean section plan, knowing what happens during a caesarean section and knowing more about caesarean section recovery. I have written a book all about c-sections and you can buy a copy on Amazon. Anyone who hires me as their Doula, will receive a copy of my book absolutely free. It's called "Your Caesarean Section Journey Guide & Journal: Creating Birth Choices & Positive Journeys". It is for anyone who is planning an elective c-section, or for people who are just wanting to know more about c-sections to help them to feel prepared.



Making an Informed Decision

As you can see from the data analysed, there is a high chance of having an induced birth or a caesarean section. This might be something that you would prefer or it might be the safest option for you or your baby. However, to determine that, you need to be aware of all of your options and choices and make an informed decision, that feels right for you.


If you would like any support in making an informed decision for your birth or want any help to prepare for your birth, my Antenatal Doula and Birth Doula support packages and my Hypnobirthing courses, cover birth preparation in great detail and I can help you to fully prepare for your birth and increase your chances of having a positive birth experience.

Visit my website to find out more and see how I can support you.



Julia x

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