HOW UK MATERNITY CARE COMPARES WITH OTHER COUNTRIES

If you think being in labour is bad in the UK, with its terrible continuity of care, try Spain. The country is currently short of around 5,000 midwives, while a recent report by its Federation of Midwives Associations showed that many midwives are often attending two or three births at the same time, leading to inadequate care and often resulting in unnecessary interventions such as instrumental births or avoidable C-sections.

In France the situation is better. Most women give birth in maternity hospitals and rate them highly – like many countries, France has public health insurance, which costs from roughly 35 euros (£30) a month, but the majority of costs associated with pregnancy and childbirth are covered. You are also covered for a 12-day stay in hospital after the birth, although the average stay is around three days. But there has also been a decline in the number of midwives in recent years have.

In Denmark, women often give birth in midwife centres, and have typically met the midwife helping them beforehand. As with the UK, the health system in Denmark is free – but the country has higher taxes and a smaller population.

Singapore is routinely ranked as having the best healthcare system in the world, which is largely private. Once pregnant, women can choose their own obstetrician or gynaecologist and see them repeatedly, including during birth. Women are advised to go into hospital as soon as contractions start, and request an epidural at any point. If there isn’t any complications, young mothers usually stay three days in hospital before having a month of confinement at home, typically with a nanny to help.

In a 2022 global survey by Compare the Market Australia, Poland was ranked as the best place to give birth, followed by Estonia and then Japan. The UK was 18th out of 36 countries studied, with the USA last. Gwyneth Rees