Birth Options The Lothians, Forth Valley & Central Belt - Choosing the Right Setting for You
- Joy
- Feb 7
- 4 min read
Bringing a new life into the world is exciting and emotional. One of the biggest choices you’ll make is where to give birth and you may have more options than you think.
You don’t have to just turn up at the nearest hospital. You can consider a home birth, a midwife-led unit, or a consultant-led hospital birth. Each option comes with its own benefits, and it’s about finding what feels right for you.
Let’s explore the choices in The Lothians, Forth Valley and across Central Scotland, including what happens if plans change and a transfer is needed.
🏡 Home Birth
There’s something deeply comforting about welcoming your baby in your own home. Research (BMJ, 2011) shows that for low-risk pregnancies, home birth is just as safe as hospital birth, particularly if you’ve given birth before.
Benefits: Familiar surroundings, continuity of care, relaxed atmosphere.
Things to know: Transfers to hospital are more common for first-time parents (around 45% according to the Birthplace in England study) but less so for subsequent births (about 10%).
Healthboards have dedicated home birth teams that offer continuity of care throughout pregnancy and birth.
🧡 Midwife-Led Units & Birth Centres
Midwife-led units (MLUs) offer a homely, non-medicalised environment designed to support active birth. They’re staffed by midwives, not doctors, and often include features like pools, mats and birth balls.
Local examples include:
Edinburgh Birth Centre (at the Royal Infirmary)
Forth Valley Royal Hospital - have midwife led area on labour ward
The Victoria in Fife - have a midwife led area
Evidence shows that women giving birth in MLUs have lower intervention rates, with no increase in adverse outcomes for low-risk pregnancies (Birthplace in England Collaborative Group, 2011).
🏥 Hospital Birth
Hospitals offer immediate access to obstetric care and a full range of pain relief options. This can feel reassuring, especially for first-time parents or if you have medical conditions.
Benefits: Quick access to interventions, full medical team on hand.
Things to know: The environment is more clinical, and interventions are more common.
That said, you can still create a calm, supportive atmosphere in hospital - think music, aromatherapy, dim lights, upright positions, and all the oxytocin-friendly touches.
Hospitals in our area include:
St John’s Hospital, West Lothian
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert
Victoria Infirmary, Kirkcaldy
Transfers: What You Need to Know
Transfers are an important part of birth planning. Even if you choose home or a birth centre, there’s always a possibility you may need to move to a hospital or, occasionally, be diverted if hospitals are busy.
Home Birth Transfers: National data suggests 40–45% of first-time mums and around 10% of experienced mums transfer to hospital during labour or shortly after (Birthplace in England study). Most transfers are not emergencies, but for things like wanting an epidural or slow labour progress.
Birth Centre Transfers: Around 25% of first-time parents and 8% of those having subsequent babies transfer to hospital, mainly for pain relief or monitoring.
Capacity Issues: In NHS Lothian, it is acknowledged that if maternity units are full, women may be diverted to a different hospital. While rare, it can happen, and families should be aware. (Scottish Government, Birthplace Decisions guidance).
Emergency Transfers: All home birth and MLU services in Scotland have protocols in place. For example, Right Decisions Scotland Home Birth Guidelines (2020) require midwives to check communications, prepare for safe transfer, and keep parents informed.
Transfers can feel unsettling, but they are usually handled calmly with support from ambulance services and staff trained for continuity of care.
How Do I Choose?
Research local options - Virtual tours (e.g. NHS Lothian, NHS Fife) are a great starting point.
Ask your midwife - They can explain what’s available and help you change your place of birth if you wish.
Consider distance - How far do you feel comfortable travelling in labour?
Think about your values - Do you want medical back-up on hand, or do you feel safer in a low-intervention environment?
The B.R.A.I.N. framework can help when weighing up choices:
Benefits
Risks
Alternatives
Intuition
Nothing (what happens if we wait?)
Flexibility is Key
Your preferences may change and that’s okay. Sometimes circumstances mean one setting becomes more suitable than another. What matters most is that you feel informed, respected and supported, whatever happens.
Final Thoughts
Whether you dream of a peaceful home birth, a relaxed midwife-led experience, or the reassurance of a hospital setting, remember: the choice is yours.
💛 In my antenatal classes in Linlithgow, I help parents across West Lothian, Falkirk and Central Scotland explore their local options and prepare for all types of birth - from water births to gentle caesareans.
👉 Ready to feel confident about your birth choices? Join my in person anatenal course
References
Birthplace in England Collaborative Group. (2011). Perinatal and maternal outcomes by planned place of birth for healthy women with low risk pregnancies: the Birthplace in England national prospective cohort study. BMJ, 343:d7400. Link
NICE. (2014, updated 2023). Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Link
Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group. (Various). Reviews on home birth, midwife-led care and labour interventions. Cochrane Library
Scottish Government. (2015). Birthplace Decisions: Information for pregnant women, partners and families planning where to give birth. gov.scot
Right Decisions Scotland. (2020). Homebirth Guideline. PDF link
Scottish Perinatal Network. (2023). In Utero Transfers in Scotland: CLU to CLU Guidance.
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