It is normal for the birth to be planned in advance, so you may be given a set date for the birth of the baby, this can be anything from 37-week gestation onwards and your doctor should discuss this with you before you approach the end of your pregnancy. This usually involves inducing the birth to ensure baby arrives on the date planned and at the Tertiary Centre.

This ensures that all of the medical team involved are present at the birth and that there is an available cot in NICU for when baby arrives. Do not be surprised if the planned date is changed, as sometimes other emergencies in the department arise or cots are unavailable.

If everything is going well with you and baby the Doctor will probably arrange the induction for as near to 40 weeks (full term) as possible.

During pregnancy, a member of the medical team will discuss with you what is going to happen when the baby is born and will encourage you to ask as many questions as you need.

You can be expected to deliver your baby normally and be offered pain relief choices, however, if things are not progressing or if the baby is distressed you may require a caesarean section (C-section). Both you and baby will be monitored extremely closely during your labour and because of this, you may find that you are unable to move around and are restricted as to your birthing options.

You can discuss this with your Doctor or Midwife, who will tell you exactly what you can expect and what your choices are.

Occasionally, things don’t go according to plan and baby arrives sooner than expected. In this situation, you will normally be admitted to your local hospital, who will then arrange for the appropriate plan of action. They should usually have been informed of your case by the tertiary centre, so they’ll know exactly what to expect.

After the baby is born, he or she will be transported by a specialist neo-natal team by ambulance to a tertiary centre with an available cot. Depending on how you are after the birth you should be able to go with your baby to the hospital.