Choosing where to give birth
Choosing where to give birth
At Queen's Hospital you can give birth at home, in our Birth Centre run by midwives or in our labour ward.
Your options about where to have your baby will depend on your needs, risks and your preferences.
If you're healthy and have no complications (low risk) you could consider any of these birth locations. If you have a medical condition, we will recommend that you give birth in our labour ward where specialists are available. This is also the case if you need treatment during labour.
If you give birth at home or in a unit run by midwives, you’re less likely to need assistance such as forceps or ventouse (sometimes called instrumental delivery).
Wherever you choose, the place should feel right for you. You can change your mind at any point in your pregnancy and can discuss your preferences with your midwife or obstetrician.
Giving birth in our labour ward
The labour ward at Queen's Hospital is situated on the first floor in blue zone. Women who are classed as high risk will deliver here and you will need to deliver in the labour ward if you wish to have an epidural for pain relief in labour. The labour ward is staffed by skilled midwives and obstetric doctors with support from anaesthetists and neonatal (baby) doctors.
Advantages of giving birth in a labour ward:
- Direct access to obstetricians if your labour becomes complicated.
- Direct access to anaesthetists, who give epidurals and general anaesthetics.
- There will be specialists in new born care (neonatologists).
Considerations:
There are some things you should think about if you're considering birth on our labour ward:
- In hospital, you may be looked after by a different midwife from the one who looked after you during your pregnancy.
- You're more likely to have an epidural, episiotomy, or a forceps or ventouse delivery if you deliver if you give birth on labour ward.
Further information can be found below:
Where to give birth (nhs.uk) - Choosing your birth location.
Labour Ward
Giving birth in our labour ward
The labour ward at Queen's Hospital is situated on the first floor in Blue zone. Women who are classed as high risk will deliver here and you will need to deliver in the labour ward if you wish to have an epidural for pain relief in labour. The labour ward is staffed by skilled midwives and obstetric doctors with support from anaesthetists and neonatal (baby) doctors.
Advantages of giving birth in a labour ward:
- Direct access to obstetricians if your labour becomes complicated.
- Direct access to anaesthetists, who give epidurals and general anaesthetics.
- There will be specialists in new born care (neonatologists).
Considerations
There are some things you should think about if you're considering birth on our labour ward:
- In hospital, you may be looked after by a different midwife from the one who looked after you during your pregnancy.
- You're more likely to have an epidural, episiotomy, or a forceps or ventouse delivery if you deliver if you give birth on labour ward.
Home Birth
Home birth
If you have a straightforward pregnancy, and both you and the baby are well, you might choose to give birth at home.
Giving birth is generally safe wherever you choose to have your baby.
But if you’re having your first baby, home birth slightly increases the risk of serious problems for the baby – including death or issues that might affect the baby's quality of life – from 5 in 1,000 for a hospital birth to 9 in 1,000 for a home birth.
If you’re having your second baby, a planned home birth is as safe as having your baby in hospital or a midwife-led unit.
It's rare but, if something goes seriously wrong during your labour at home, it could be worse for you or your baby than if you were in hospital with access to specialised care.
If you give birth at home, you'll be supported by a midwife who will be with you while you're in labour. If you need any help or your labour is not progressing as well as it should, your midwife will plan for you to go to hospital.
Advantages of home birth
The advantages of giving birth at home include:
- Being in familiar surroundings, where you may feel more relaxed and better able to cope.
- Not having to interrupt your labour to go into hospital.
- Not needing to leave your other children, if you have any.
- Not having to be separated from your partner after the birth.
- Lower likelihood of having an intervention than giving birth in hospital.
Considerations
You may need to transfer to a hospital if there are complications. This will usually be by ambulance:
- Epidurals are not available at home, but you can use gas and air, a warm bath, a birth pool, TENS and any relaxation techniques you've learned.
- If your pregnancy is classed as high risk, it will be recommended that you give birth in Hospital. Your midwife or doctor will explain why they think a hospital birth is safer for you and your baby.
- If you wish to have a home birth and your pregnancy is classed as high risk, you may be invited to meet with one of the Consultant Midwives to discuss your birth preferences and develop a high-risk birth plan.
Our Birth Centre
Queen's Birth Centre
Queen's Birth Centre is situated on the 3rd Floor of the Hospital and offers a ‘home from home’ environment for women planning a low-risk delivery. The unit is staffed by experienced midwives and offers 7 delivery rooms, 2 with fixed birth pools. A further supply of inflatable pools is also available. There are also rooms where you can rest after the birth of your baby and receive support with feeding and caring for your baby. You can be discharged home from Queen's Birth Centre.
Advantages of Queen's Birth Centre
The advantages of giving birth in Queen's Birth Centre include:
- Being in surroundings where you may feel more relaxed and better able to cope with labour.
- Lower likelihood of having an intervention such as forceps or ventouse than giving birth in the Labour ward.
Considerations
- You may need to be transferred to the Labour Ward if there are any complications. The transfer time from the Birth Centre to the Labour Ward is approximately 5 minutes.
- Your doctor or midwife may feel it's safer for you to give birth in our labour ward because of risks identified for you or your baby.
- You are not able to have an epidural for pain relief in labour in Queen's Birth Centre.