All women in Ireland now have the right to choose where they would like to have their baby, and are given the opportunity to have their baby at home, according to www.eumom.com,

the first-ever website specifically developed to meet the needs of pregnant women and new mothers in Ireland. The website is unique in that its medical content is conceived and written by an editorial board comprised of consultants, GPs and midwives led by Dr Sean Daly, Master of the Coombe Women's Hospital in Dublin.

The site aims to become "the premier resource for information and advice on all aspects of pregnancy and childbirth", in line with the tremendous growth in the use of the Internet.

If you are pregnant and register with the site, you will be sent monthly updates relevant to your stage of pregnancy. I had a look, and found the information on home births to be balanced and fair - informing of the risks: 40 per cent of first-time mothers who give birth at home are transferred to hospital, so home birth is advised on second and subsequent births in totally risk-free pregnancies.

The breastfeeding advice is comprehensive and well-written and advises feeding "on demand". It even told me something new, which is that breastfed babies don't get nappy rash because breastmilk does not contain the bacteria that cause nappy rash in bottle-fed babies.

An Irish company and concept, will also be launched in Britain and Germany with locally tailored information developed by specialists in the field.