Women with low-risk pregnancies are to be offered more choice and control over giving birth, as a result of new guidelines published today. The Keeping Childbirth Natural and Dynamic (KCND) guidance for doctors and midwives will ensure midwives are the lead carers for women who have safe, low-risk pregnancies and births - the majority of women giving birth in Scotland.

This policy statement has been reviewed and approved by the
Executive and Council of the Society of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), the Association of Women’s
Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses of Canada (AWHONN
Canada*), the Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM), the
College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), and the Society
of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC)....

In the past quarter century, maternity care has undergone
significant changes; today the use of technology in birth
has become the norm, which is noticeable in the rise in
medical interventions in low-risk births. In 2005–2006,
Canadian estimates for the total and primary Caesarean section
rates were 26.3% and 18.6%, respectively.1
Professional associations are concerned about the increase
of intervention during childbirth, as it introduces unnecessary
risks for mother and baby. ... (more at link)