The Dáil will today hear calls for the country's 'maternity crisis' to be urgently addressed.
Fianna Fáil will urge the Government to make maternity services as safe as possible.
It claims the sector has inadequate hospitals, poor staffing levels and limited diagnostics.
The party's health spokesperson, Stephen Donnelly, claims these problems are affecting expectant mothers.
He said: "A lot fo the maternity hospitals simply aren't fit for purpose; they were built a long time ago, they need to be updated and changed.
"Women have very little choice - there was meant to be choice of having a birth outside of hospitals - that hasn't happened.
He continued: "We have a chronic shortage of medical professionals, for example, we have the third lowest level of obstetricians in Europe, and we are several hundred midwives short what is deemed to be a safe level."