Where to give birth?

Expecting first child in Sept and based in Dublin. Just wondering if anyone can recommend a hospital in dublin? to be honest i've heard mixed reports of all of them and just wondering about people's experiences. also, is it worth going private? id like to have a natural birth but dont know how feasible that is on a first. Ive also read up on homebirth which sounds positive but I dont think you can do this on your first. Advice welcome!

Hae a look at cuidiu's website. They are hte irish childbirth trust and they do a comparison of all (or most) of the hospitals which is very informative and useful. It's called the consumer guide to maternity services in ireland. Website is www.cuidiu-ict.ie

Holles St have a v. good community midwives scheme which operates in parts of dublin and wicklow. you can choose to have the baby at home or in hospital but either way the team of midwives attends to you. Its a very mother friendly option.

And father friendly too! particularly if it's a homebirth. On the birth of our first child, I had to leave my girlfriend 2 hours after our son was born. Much better second time around when we had hte baby at home - no being sidelined! Andy.