International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The cultural framework of birth in the UK means women are likely to deliver in an environment which suggests that it is a risky and dangerous process, it has been claimed.

Mary Nolan, antenatal teacher and tutor at the National Childbirth Trust, says most births are now assisted by health professionals whose experience of normal delivery may be minimal or even non-existent.

She explained: "A head of midwifery commented to me recently that she was finding more and more recently qualified midwives had never seen women labour except with an epidural."

Professor Nolan said women should be taught to approach labour with confidence and trust in their bodies' ability to give birth to their babies, rather than having fear about childbirth driven into them.

Last week, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists claimed in BJOG that specialist pre-pregnancy preparation for women and their partners, emphasising practical training in breathing, relaxation and massage techniques, and aimed at promoting 'natural' childbirth, produced no measureable outcome benefits over the standard classes offered at antenatal clinics in Sweden.