Expecting mothers prefer midwife-led labour

MOST women should be offered midwife-led care that uses fewer interventions and is just as safe as the consultant-led model, a major study recommends.

The study, commissioned by the Health Service Executive and conducted by the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin, found most women prefer midwife-led units.

It also discovered the number of babies requiring resuscitation at birth or admission to the special care baby unit was the same for both groups of women.