Labour Ward

The Labour Ward is our Consultant led unit for women who need additional monitoring in labour or may require anaesthetic, obstetric or neonatal input. One of our experienced Labour Ward Co-coordinators will manage the activity and staff on each shift to ensure that all our mothers and babies are cared for safely.

When to attend:

If you are planning to birth on Labour Ward, please always phone before arrival so that we can have your room and midwife ready for you. If you think your waters have broken or labour has started please phone Maternity Assessment Centre for advice and support or to come in for a full assessment.  You can discuss what is happening with a midwife and agree when would be the best time to come in.

The Maternity Assessment Centre is based on Labour ward. When you arrive a midwife will do a full assessment including a full review of your history and pregnancy care, your blood pressure, urinalysis, palpation, and vaginal examination if necessary. You will then be transferred to Labour Ward or advised as appropriate.

What to expect:

Please bring your maternity notes and your bags packed for yourself and baby and we encourage you to bring your birth partner to support you during labour. A Midwife or Maternity Support Worker will show you to your room and help you settle in.

You will have your own room with en-suite bathroom facilities and you are welcome to bring in your own music and items that will help you to feel comfortable. The rooms are fully equipped and the facilities can be adjusted to meet your needs. We can support you to have an active birth or facilitate care with an epidural. We are not able to facilitate water birth on Labour ward at this time

During labour one to one midwifery care is provided by a named midwife working within a larger team of doctors, midwives and maternity support workers, who may also be involved in care. Your midwife will keep you informed and work with you to support your birth choices, adapting to any changing circumstances throughout your labour.

Guest facilities:

• Hot drink facilities
• Tea & coffee, biscuits, toast.
• Active birth equipment
• Individual en-suite rooms
• Contemplation and prayer room on site

Meals

Whilst you are staying with us your meals will be provided. Please let us know of any dietary requirements on admission. We have facilities to make hot drinks and there is a café and a restaurant in the hospital Monday to Friday.

After the birth

Following the birth of your baby you may remain with us on the Labour Ward or be transferred to our postnatal ward (4a) for your ongoing care.

Occasionally babies may need additional support following birth and need to be transferred to the Neonatal Unit. Mothers are allocated a room/bed on ward 4a until well enough to go home.

Other babies may transfer to Transitional Care (4d) if they are well enough to stay with their mother but still need additional support from neonatal staff.

Feeding your baby

We offer round the clock feeding support specific to you and your baby’s needs.

Breastfeeding – All our staff are trained to support breastfeeding. Please call for assistance and support as you need it, day and night.

Bottle Feeding – If you have chosen to bottle feed, please bring in two bottles and your powdered milk. We will support you with feeding and show you how to sterilise and make up a feed. We provide a cold water sterilising unit for your exclusive use.

Going Home from labour ward / ‘6 hour discharge’

Some mothers wish to go home as soon as possible and if all is well you may be supported to have a discharge to home from hospital from around 6 hours following the birth of your baby. If this is the case the full neonatal examination cannot be carried out before the baby is 6 hour old, so discharge will actually take place more than 6 hours from the time of birth.

We aim to get you home as soon as possible but only when it is safe and appropriate to do so, depending on the needs of you and your baby. Although we plan your discharge in advance, your discharge home is reliant on a number of processes which can take some time to complete once the decision is made. 

Follow Up

Your community midwife, GP and health visitor will be notified of your discharge home with baby and you can expect to hear from a community midwife the following day. Please ensure we have the correct discharge address and contact phone number so the community midwife can contact you. If you have any problems once home you can still contact the ward for advice until your midwife has discharged you from our care.