Welcome to bump2babe!

AIMS Ireland warmly welcomes the latest update to the bump2babe Consumer Guide. We encourage pregnant people to be fully informed and to be aware of the various options, choices and policies offered at different maternity units, and this online publication is an invaluable resource with which to do this. It is also important that pregnant people realize that despite national clinical guidelines there is significant geographic variability in approaches to care, for example with respect to induction of labour.

Dr. Krysia Lynch, Chair, Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services Ireland

A wonderful resource for parents in Ireland to learn about labour practices and birth options around the country to help them make informed decisions. Now parents can confidently seek out the healthiest, evidence-based care options in their community.

Tracy Donegan, Midwife and author of The Irish Better Birth Book

This website provides an important resource for pregnant women and their families, giving practical information specific to the various stages of pregnancy, as well as models of care and specialised areas of support. The birth statistics are particularly useful in assisting women to make informed decisions about their maternity care.

Dr. Elizabeth Newnham, Ussher Assistant Professor in Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin and author of Towards the Humanisation of Birth: A study of epidural analgesia and hospital birth culture

Since the 1990s, Cuidiú has worked to compile an accurate profile of statistics and specific information about each of our maternity units and hospitals, long, long before there was any publicly available database from our Department of Health and the HSE. With the further development of the bump2babe website and the inclusion of topical discussion points, Cuidiú has ensured that women in every community in Ireland can access genuinely impartial and wide-ranging information about their local maternity services. bump2babe is invaluable in helping women build their confidence in the decisions they must make about labour and birth.

Dr Jo Murphy-Lawless, sociologist, Birth Project Group and Elephant Collective member and co-editor, Untangling the Maternity Services (2018)

bump2babe, the Consumer Guide to Maternity Services in Ireland is the 'go to' reference site for 'parents to be' in Ireland. bump2babe collects up to date information on a variety of topics of interest to prospective parents (whether you are first time or returning parents) from all 19 hospitals and presents the results in an easy to understand format. bump2babe is very user friendly. It also contains a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers alongside each topic for each maternity hospital/unit.

Patricia Hughes, 'Midwifery & Nursing Expertise' and former Director of Midwifery at Coombe WIUH

bump2babe looks like a great resource for parents who want to know more, and for anyone interested in different maternity policies and practices in units around the country. Having so much information gathered in a single place is a real asset to all of us pushing for improvements to our maternity services.

Clare Daly, TD

I am very excited about the latest version of bump2babe, the Consumer Guide to Maternity Services in Ireland. This easy-to-use site is a source of invaluable information for parents as they explore their choices around birth. Congratulations to all involved in producing this detailed and wide-ranging edition.

Nicola Reeves, incoming Cuidiú President 2018

Cuidiú is extremely proud of the dedication and work that went into the production of a revised edition of the bump2babe guide. This is a unique and valuable resource free to all the women of Ireland. Cuidiú celebrate the woman’s right to choice in her birthing options and bump2babe allows the women of Ireland access to an impartial, evidence-based resource. Now every woman can freely access information to empower them to make fully informed decisions about their maternity care.

Catherine Wells, outgoing Cuidiú President 2018