About our Maternity Unit

Kingston Hospital's Maternity Unit includes:

  • the Birth Centre - a midwifery unit for women with uncomplicated pregnancies
  • the Delivery Suite - also known as the labour ward - women receive care from a midwife, with additional care from doctors if needed
  • theatres - for caesarean sections and other surgical treatments.​

All these are close together on the same floor.

About the Birth Centre

Birth centre room.pngThe Birth Centre is run by a dedicated team of highly-skilled midwives. Their mission is to give one-to-one support to women with uncomplicated pregnancies to have a safe calm birth experience.

About your care

Our Birth Centre provides woman-centred care in a home-from-home setting.

We are a dedicated team of midwives who are passionate about helping you and your family have a safe, calm and unique birth.

We are with you every step of the way.

What we provide

The Birth Centre offers the following options.

  • A relaxed, comfortable environment with:
    • 5 en-suite birthing rooms, fully equipped to enable active labour
    • 3 rooms also have waterbirth pools - the pools can be used to help relieve discomfort and for the birth of your baby
    • 3 en-suite single rooms for assessment, and for antenatal and postnatal care.
  • Support from midwives to try different positions and birthing aids. These aids include birthing couches, bean bags, floor mats and peanut balls. Trying different positions can help your baby move through the pelvis and help your labour progress. Read our leaflet about these different positions (called "biomechanics") .
  • Pain relief options, including:

    • birth pools

    • gas and air

    • co-dydramol

    • actimorph

    • pethidine.

  • 'The Nest' - a multi-purpose space for families, women in early labour, and antenatal workshops.
  • Support from midwives with different relaxation techniques, such as aromatherapy or hypnobirthing.​​​​​

Epidurals are not available in the Birth Centre. If you choose to have an epidural, we can transfer you to the Delivery Suite (labour ward), which is on the same floor.

Why choose the Birth Centre

The Birth Centre aims to make you feel comfortable and at home. This may help you feel more relaxed and better able to cope with labour. Experienced midwives will look after you throughout your labour and birth.

Having a baby in the Birth Centre means you are more likely to have a straightforward vaginal birth, and less likely to need forceps, ventouse, episiotomy or a caesarean.

During your pregnancy, your midwife and/or obstetrician will help you choose where to give birth. They will take into account your preferences and needs, and your pregnancy. 

If you are advised to give birth in the Delivery Suite rather than the Birth Centre but you wish to discuss this further, we will offer you an appointment with our consultant midwife.

Image of birthing pool with calming lighting

When you are in labour

You do not need to book to use the Birth Centre.

After 37 weeks of pregnancy, if you feel you are in labour or your waters break, call Maternity Triage on 020 8934 2028 (open 24 hours).

A midwife will ask you some questions about your labour and advise you what to do next.

When you arrive, the midwife may ask you to attend Triage or the Birth Centre. There we will assess you and your baby’s wellbeing. 

Birth centre room 2.jpg

Transferring to the Delivery Suite

We can immediately transfer you to the Delivery Suite (labour ward) or theatres, if necessary. There we have a team of doctors, including obstetricians, paediatricians and anaesthetists.

You might be transferred because you choose to be, or we may recommend it for the safety of you and your baby. 

Reasons for this may include:

  • your baby’s heart rate needs to be continuously monitored
  • your progress of labour changes
  • your blood pressure is raised
  • you want an epidural.

After the birth

After the birth of your baby, we aim to give you uninterrupted time with your new family. We will also support your chosen method of feeding. Following this, a midwife will check and weigh your baby. 

Many mothers choose to go home 4 to 6 hours after birth, unless there is a reason to remain in hospital. If you stay overnight, en-suite, single postnatal rooms are available.

Your birth partner can stay with you throughout this time. The postnatal rooms have reclining chairs for partners to sleep in.

Contact information

Kingston Hospital Birth Centre

For more information about our Birth Centre, speak to your midwife at your antenatal appointments


Instagram @birthcentrekh

 

Telephone:

020 8934 2802
24-hour maternity triage

 

Email: Krft.kingstonbirthcentre@nhs.net