I wish to support Alice Charlwood's comments (Gazette, March13,) regarding Devizes Maternity Unit being a well kept secret.

I remember the first visit to the GP in relation to my pregnancy. After expressing interest in giving birth at the Devizes Unit, the GP replied that she did not encourage first time mothers to go there.

She said if she was given the choice she knew where she would want to go the hospital with all the technology at hand.

This was her choice but I did not want to attend a large busy hospital where there would be an increased risk of intervention.

Do some GPs tell all their first pregnant patients this or was it just me?

I was shocked and confused. I didn't want to go to RUH in Bath but my GP was advising me to go there.

Our modern western medical practice does not trust the intuititive strength of women and their ability to give birth naturally.

Comments such as these can be soul destroying for a first time mother.

Some women do want and some women do need intervention at birth but there are a large percentage who do not.

One of the major issues in this debate about the future of the unit is choice.

The Devizes unit helps to rebalance the scales in a climate where birth has become dominated by technology, and intervention has become the norm.

If anything, like Alice suggests, the promotion of the unit and the re-education of GPs would be a major step in increasing numbers.

Catherine Dwyer

Northgate Street

Devizes