The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care, released three new guidelines last December about care during childbirth, co-sleeping and mental health issues before, during and after pregnancy.
We welcome the new guidance on place of birth, which makes it clear that, for healthy women who have no complications, birth at home or in a midwife-led unit is particularly suitable and leads to fewer interventions. There is good evidence that these options are safe for many women and they can offer benefits, such as care from a known midwife. We hope the NHS puts these guidelines into practice as soon as possible to make birth at home and in a midwife-led unit a real choice for all women. Read about your options at www.nct.org.uk/birthplacechoices
We also agree with NICE’s guidance that all parents should have more information about sleeping safely with their babies. However, we’re concerned that the co-sleeping guidelines don’t distinguish between co-sleeping on sofas or chairs and bed-sharing. There is evidence that it is more dangerous to fall asleep with a baby on a sofa or chair so this is a missed opportunity to highlight this fact. Find out more about sleeping safely with your baby at www.nct.org.uk/co-sleeping-safely
Finally, we’re pleased to see that NICE recognises that women who are at risk of mental health problems should get extra support during their pregnancy. To implement these guidelines though, the Government and NHS need to take immediate action to increase specialist mental health services, such as mother and baby units, and improve training for health practitioners.
