BBC News Online: Health

Maternity healthcare boost expected

Improved hospital wards, more midwives and increased opportunity for a home birth are likely to be announced by Health Secretary Alan Milburn ahead of the general election.

The plans are believed to be part of a strategy to improve the image of the country's maternity wards.

"What we are trying to ensure is that giving birth is as pleasurable and as fulfilling an experience as it can be," a source close to Mr Milburn told The Observer newspaper.

"It's important that women are offered more privacy, more support and that there isn't this medicalisation of pregnancy and childbirth."

This follows last week's announcement that the government was to give savings accounts to new-born babies which could amount to thousands of pounds by the time they reach 18.

It comes after a survey last month suggested many women were unhappy with maternity services.

Mums 'failed'

The report said less than half would be happy to go back to the same hospital to give birth. Two out of 10 would never go back.

A total of 2,000 mothers in the UK were questioned by motherandbaby.co.uk.

And 43% of those who responded said they had not had the kind of birth they wanted.

A quarter had a caesarean, and a third of those who had a normal birth were induced.

More midwives will also be welcomed by expectant mothers if the findings of the survey are accurate.

It said only 4% of pregnant women able to see the same midwife at each antenatal appointment, and have her present at the birth.

But eight out of 10 women said the hard-pressed maternity staff they did see had been sympathetic and kind.

A quarter said they had been "unnecessarily alarmed" by medical staff while they were pregnant.