Place and type of care
Although women perceived shorter travel distances to be safer, their preferences were also influenced by factors including: type of pain management available; possibility of transfer; continuity of care; the birth environment. Several women had very clear preferences about the type of maternity care they wanted/would want. Nevertheless, the preferred type of care differed across the sample. Some preferred to give birth in a midwife-led unit, but their willingness to give birth in a stand-alone unit differed: