Maternity and neonatal
On this page
Information and support to prepare you for pregnancy, labour, birth and the early days of parenting.
We are constantly looking to improve what we do and users of our service play a big part in this so please contact us to get involved. We welcome your comments on what you think we did well and where we could do better.
You're pregnant - what happens now?
If you're ready to register with maternity services, contact one of our community maternity teams in Highland or in Argyll and Bute.
If you're unsure about continuing with your pregnancy, for help and advice see our Unplanned pregnancy information.
About maternity and neonatal care at NHS Highland
Our staff are committed to working in partnership with you to provide you and your family with a safe, friendly, and effective service. We aim to deliver high quality maternity and neonatal care for all women and their families during pregnancy, labour and after the birth of your baby.
A named midwife will support you through your pregnancy. She will co-ordinate your care and explain all of your options for care and birth choices to you. Finding a midwife to help you through your pregnancy is easy. If you know you are pregnant, visit your GP practice and ask for an appointment with a midwife or you can refer yourselves directly to our maternity services.
You may find information in these sections useful when talking with your midwife at your booking appointment, which usually takes place around eight weeks into your pregnancy. It can help support any choices and decisions regarding your pregnancy in the beginning.
See also:
- Maternity and neonatal service redesign - within NHS Highland, including:
- Maternity Collaborative newsletters - NHS Highland and NHS Grampian
- Privacy notice for mothers - Moray Collaborative (pdf, April 2025)
- The best start: a five-year forward plan for the improvement of maternity and neonatal services in Scotland - from Scottish Government
- Neonatal Units in Scotland - from the Scottish Perinatal Network - useful information if your baby is receiving care in a neonatal unit or moving to a different unit or PICU in Scotland
Maternity services statistics - January to March 2026
Mode of birth
- Spontaneous vaginal birth (SVB): 41.86% (185)
- Assisted vaginal birth (AVB): 9.50% (42)
- Unplanned caesarean birth (UCB): 28.05% (91)
- Planned caesarean birth (PCB): 20.59% (124)
Place of birth
- Raigmore Labour Suite: 417
- Community Midwifery Unit (CMU): 16
- Home births: 6
- Born Before Arrival (BBA): <5
Other key statistics
- Water births: 18
- Breastfeeding initiation rate: 87.5%
- Women supported with colostrum harvesting: 214
- Optimal cord clamping: 90.7%
- Induction of labour rate: 34.1%
- note: induction data is from Oct–Dec 2025 (3 months behind other data).
Birth totals
- Girls: 219
- Boys: 223
Principles for supporting women’s choices in maternity care
Supporting your choices in maternity care.
You are at the centre of your care. You have the right to make choices about your pregnancy, birth and after your baby is born. This includes:
- Choosing where you have your baby.
- Choosing how you wish to give birth.
- Choosing who supports you.
- Your midwife will listen to you and respect your wishes.
- They will give you clear information to help you make decisions.
- You can change your mind at any time.
- You can say no to any care or treatment.
- You do not have to give a reason, and you will not be judged.
- Your care will be planned with you and tailored to your needs.
- Your midwife will work with you to keep you and your baby safe and well.
- You can ask questions at any time.
- You will be supported to make the decisions that are right for you.
Read more at the Nursing and Midwifery Council website including:
- Principles for supporting women’s choices in maternity care (pdf, August 2025)
- Easy Read version: Health care women should expect when they have a baby (pdf, August 2025)
