Poole Midwives Support Natural Births

As part of International Day of the Midwife, midwives from Poole Hospital are promoting a range of new local initiatives to support normal births.

Staff from St Mary’s Maternity Unit at Poole Hospital will man stands at the Dolphin Centre, Poole and Tesco, Tower Park on Thursday 5th May 2011.

They'll be on-hand to offer advice and information on initiatives including enhanced support for home births and a new clinic for women who have previously had a caesarean section but may have a normal delivery for their next child.

Members of the public visiting the stands will also be able to find out more about the midwife-led Haven Birthing Suite at Poole Hospital, which includes two birthing pools and provides a comfortable, non-clinicalenvironment for birth.

In addition, the Unit will be launching its new Baby Friendly Initiative project on the day. The Trust has just received a Certificate of Commitment to the worldwide initiative, which aims to ensure women are provided with the right level of support for successful breastfeeding.

St Mary's Maternity Unit provides a comprehensive service offering women as much choice as possible in their maternity care.

The majority of care is shared between midwifery and medical staff and undertaken in community settings accessible to women and their families.

The unit is the centre for all high risk care in East Dorset, and is fully equipped to meet the needs of women and babies with complications, as well as women with normal pregnancies and births. The service delivered over 4,600 babies last year.

The unit has just launched a new self-referral line (01202 442310) which has been set up to make it easier for women to directly book maternity care.

The maternity unit greatly values feedback and input from families who use its services, and works closely with the Midwifery Services Liaison Committee (MSLC). Women who are interested in participating in the development of maternity services should contact the MSLC at mslc@bp-pct.nhs.uk

If you would like to interview a member of the maternity team at Poole Hospital about any of the above initiatives, please do not hesitate to contact us.