Midwife-led care is a safe and cost-effective method of delivering maternity services to certain women, a new study has shown.

The study compared consultant-led maternity care with a newer model of care provided by midwives in two midwife-led units (MLUs) in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and Cavan General Hospital.

Both units were established in 2004 and were the first of their kind in the country. They are aimed at providing maternity care to healthy women who have no risk factors for labour or birth.

The MidU study was carried out by the School of Nursing and Midwifery and School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and involved 1,635 women who were cared for in the north-east region between 2004 and 2009.

It found that the average cost of caring for a woman in an MLU was €2,598 compared to €2,780 in consultant-led units (CLUs) - that is €182 cheaper per woman.

According to one of the study's lead authors, Prof Charles Normand, saving money is not the only benefit.

"For every 1,000 women cared for in an MLU, almost €200,000 will be saved. Consultant obstetricians will be able to devote more time to caring for women with pregnancy complications, so that all women in Ireland benefit from midwife-led care," he explained

The study found that overall, midwife-led care is a safe and cost-effective method of delivering maternity services to healthy women.

This is the second MidU study carried out by TCD and the previous study found that the care provided in MLUs is as safe as that in CLUs. In fact in MLUs, there is less intervention, with fewer women choosing epidurals compared to those in CLUs when in labour (19% versus 25%). A much higher number in MLUs (24%) also chose birthing pools as their main form of pain relief compared to CLUs (3%).

Furthermore, despite having fewer epidurals, 83% of women in MLUs said they were satisfied with their pain relief compared with 68% of women in CLUs.

"When women are supported by one-to-one midwifery care, they are encouraged to labour gently at their own pace and with the pain-relieving benefits of relaxing in warm water, they are far better able to tolerate pain and labour more effectively," noted MidU principal investigator, Prof Cecily Begley.

Commenting on the findings, Krysia Lynch, chairperson of the Association for the Improvement of Maternity Services in Ireland (AIMS), said that it is clear that women want more choice when it comes to giving birth.

"Women tell us that they want more choice in maternity care provision in Ireland. Specifically, they want more midwifery-led options. In our recent What Matters To You Survey carried out last year with 2,832 respondents, 55% said they would avail of midwifery-led care if it were available.

"Given these findings, more midwife-led units should be incorporated into maternity care in Ireland so that scarce resources are used more effectively," she said.