The Cygnet Homebirth Team

The Cygnet Homebirth Team Providing all aspects of homebirth care in your home, for Dorset County Hospital catchment area Our team transfer statistic is 18% for 2022.

We are The Cygnet Homebirth Team; eight experienced midwives from Dorset County Hospital who are passionate about women’s choices and supporting them to give birth in their own environment. The team was launched in June 2015 to provide a dedicated homebirth service which has proved so popular, that we now have one of the highest homebirth rates in the country. We provide complete maternity care within your home, so this includes your antenatal appointments and postnatal visits too. As you near your due date we have a dedicated risk discussion appointment with every individual family, about planning their birth. We carry all the equipment in our cars and have it readily available when we come to attend a birth. Relaxation, massage, hypnobirthing, aromatherapy, mobilising, water and breathing techniques are all helpful during labour. TENS machines can be used and entonox (gas and air) is provided should you wish to use it. We can provide information about hiring a birth pool from our team, too. A midwife from the Cygnet Team stays with you throughout labour with a second midwife also attending for the birth of your baby. The midwife monitors the wellbeing of you and your baby at home in exactly the same way as she would in a hospital. Be reassured that if any concerns arose then a transfer into hospital would be advised, and your midwife will travel in with you. The team also hold 4 extra training sessions per year for all its members to remain highly skilled and competent to manage labour and birth care in the home, as well as also being required to hold Newborn Advanced Life Support (NALS) certification, in order to further ensure competent and safe care in the home for parents and newborns. Homebirth is a realistic option that is not only safe but promotes normal birth and reduces interventions. The Birthplace in England Study (2011) found that 88% of women who planned a homebirth had an intervention free normal birth, compared to 58% of women who planned birth in hospital. If you have any questions regarding homebirth, a midwife from the Cygnet Team will be happy to visit and talk these through with you before you reach a decision on where you would like to have your baby. You can self refer to us at the start of your pregnancy via maternity matters and ticking the option for 'interested in homebirth', or transfer to our care at any point. You can also attend any of our drop in sessions and gain some more insight and meet other parents planning a homebirth. please see our pinned post for the latest details of these sessions. Please call us on 01305 253169 and leave us a message, or email homebirth@dchft.nhs.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!

Please join us to give our newest team member, a thoroughly warm welcome! Introducing Amity, who joins us this week 💓 Am...
18/11/2025

Please join us to give our newest team member, a thoroughly warm welcome!
Introducing Amity, who joins us this week 💓
Amity will be based around the Bridport and surrounding areas for her community patch and being joining us for on calls across our whole catchment, to support you with your planned Homebirth, alongside the rest of the team.
Welcome Amity, from the whole Cygnet team! 🎉🦢💕

Wishing our cygnet midwife Lauren a very happy birthday…….such a hero being at work catching babies on her own birthday!...
04/11/2025

Wishing our cygnet midwife Lauren a very happy birthday…….such a hero being at work catching babies on her own birthday! She even made a delicious cake for us all! We hope you have had a great day 🎂

We’d like to wish our wonderful Lauren a very Happy Birthday! 🥳 😘
04/11/2025

We’d like to wish our wonderful Lauren a very Happy Birthday! 🥳 😘

Please join us in wishing our beautiful Cygnet Midwife Lyndsey (Pidge), a very Happy Birthday. We hope you’ve had a fabu...
23/10/2025

Please join us in wishing our beautiful Cygnet Midwife Lyndsey (Pidge), a very Happy Birthday. We hope you’ve had a fabulous day x x x

05/10/2025

Tomorrow is nesting night! Come and join us to chat all things homebirth! Meet some of the team and have a cuppa with us. ❤️🏡

23/08/2025

We work with health professionals across the country to help us spread the message of baby safety far and wide 💫

We’ve got the research-backed baby safety guidance, we just need your help to make sure it gets to the people who need it.

Thank you to Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust who are displaying our safer sleep and infection prevention advice on their digital screens.

If you work in a hospital and have digital screens, reach out to us for expert baby safety slides. Either send us a DM, or email communications@lullabytrust.org.uk

Together, we will keep babies safe.

Catching up, we have our wonderful team lead Karen who went out yesterday to someone having their second Homebirth with ...
08/08/2025

Catching up, we have our wonderful team lead Karen who went out yesterday to someone having their second Homebirth with the cygnet team 💓
A nice straight forward and swift birth with our lovely Lauren coming along as the second midwife 🤩

A truly wonderful birth in the pool, supported by our brilliant Jacqui, for a second time mum who's baby was in such a h...
08/08/2025

A truly wonderful birth in the pool, supported by our brilliant Jacqui, for a second time mum who's baby was in such a hurry that Shelley, our gorgeous second midwife, was beaten to the finish line, coming in just after baby made their entrance!
Mum and baby both well and super-pleased with themselves, as they should be 🤗

04/08/2025

Please join us for our next nesting evening tonight 6-8pm. Come and chat all things ‘homebirthing’. See you 👋🏽 there 🦢🏡

29/07/2025

🌟 Volunteer From Home – Help Improve Maternity & Neonatal Care! 🌟

Have you given birth in the last 3 years?
Do you care about the experiences of parents during pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care?

💬 We’re looking for parents to share their experience and opinions from the comfort of their own home.

Your voice can help shape better care for birthing people and their families

We’re inviting volunteers to:
✅ Join a small, private WhatsApp group
✅ Share your experiences of maternity and neonatal care
✅ Give honest feedback on the things that matter

📝 Interested? Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/6k2R1ySGHU

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Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Dorchester
DT12JY

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Our Story

We are The Cygnet Homebirth Team, seven experienced midwives from Dorset County Hospital who are passionate about women’s choices and supporting them to give birth naturally in their own environment. The team was launched in June 2015 to provide a dedicated homebirth service, this has proved so popular that we now have one of the highest homebirth rates in the country and in March 2019 we proudly received The Royal College of Midwives Team of the Year Award for our work.

We provide complete maternity care within your home, so this includes your antenatal appointments and postnatal visits too. As you near your due date we leave a box of equipment at your home ready for when we attend you in labour.

Relaxation, massage, hypnobirthing, aromatherapy and breathing techniques are all helpful during labour. TENS machines can be used and entonox (gas and air) is provided should you wish to use it. We even have a birth pool hire service.

A midwife from the Cygnet Team stays with you throughout labour with a second midwife also attending for the birth of your baby. The midwife monitors the well being of you and your baby at home in exactly the same way as she would in a hospital. Be reassured that if any concerns arose then a transfer into hospital would be advised and your midwife would travel in with you.