Experiences of women who planned birth in a birth centre compared to alternative planned places of birth. Results of the Dutch Birth Centre Study

in the last decades, many birth centres have been established in different countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden and the Netherlands. For women who do not want to give birth at home a birth centre is a good choice: it leads to similar experiences as a planned hospital birth. Emphasis should be placed on ways to improve autonomy and prompt attention for women who plan to give birth in a birth centre as well as on the improvement of care in case of a referral.