Woman's Hour - 18/11/2010

Presented by Jenni Murray. Today Woman's Hour devotes the whole programme to pregnancy and childbirth: what do we want - and what do we get - from our maternity services? Sheila Kitzinger who did so much to change notions of childbirth from the 60s on will be joining Jenni as one of her classic titles, "Rediscovering Birth", is published in a new edition. She believes birth at its best is a psychosexual experience. Does it feel like that for most women? We discuss home births as recent figures show that numbers are declining in England, and are even lower in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Is hospital actually a better option? Figures for Wales tell a different story with some areas achieving homebirth rates of 10% or more. So why does it work for them? Health Minister Anne Milton, Cathy Warwick of the Royal College of Midwives, and Maggie Blott from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists join Jenni to discuss the future for maternity care.