About Informed Choice

If you are thinking about becoming a mum or are already pregnant, then it goes without saying that this will be one of the most important times in your life, your partner’s, and also your family's.

The decisions you make during the months surrounding your pregnancy and the birth will be of vital importance to the well being of you and your baby. Knowing you are making the right choices at the right time can often become clouded by media hype or by the differing views of friends and family. The abundance of information presented to you at this time can also be overwhelming given the complex nature of some of the topics. Which information should you go by when making these important decisions? What is this information based on? Is it reliable and can it be trusted?

This is where we can help you.

MIDIRS has long since recognised the need to provide both women and their health care professionals with accurate and reliable information that relates directly to the various stages of pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. You need to be able to access this information easily and in a format that best meets your needs, whether you prefer to look at our Informed Choice information online, or choose to read the printed leaflets.

MIDIRS Informed Choice resource offers you this.

Our Informed Choice information is based on unbiased/objective summaries of the best available research evidence. You will be able to see for yourself what the research says, what is known and not known about different topics and aspects of maternity care, as well as areas where it is recommended that more research should be undertaken. There are two versions available for each leaflet - the women’s leaflets are factual and easy-to-read, whereas the professionals’ versions are far more detailed and fully referenced, so if you want even more information, you can look up the original research paper upon which the information has been based. This means that both you and your health care professional are able to refer to the same information, which causes less confusion and also helps ensure that you and your partner are involved in the decision making process throughout your pregnancy, the birth and afterwards.

So what is Informed Choice and how is it produced?

Informed Choice comprises 25 assorted topics, which examine key decisions surrounding pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period for you and your baby’s care. This information is available in leaflet format delivered to you by post, or by electronically downloading the information from the choicesforbirth website (choicesforbirth.org).

MIDIRS Informed Choice is highly regarded by maternity health care professionals and national organisations and bodies in UK and overseas maternity services. Every leaflet is checked for accuracy and is updated every two years to ensure that each one reflects the most up-to-date research evidence and developments in maternity care provision. In April 2004, the women’s leaflets were awarded the Centre for Health Information Quality (CHIQ) Trianglemark Award.

Informed Choice is supported by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the National Childbirth Trust (NCT).