Important Coronavirus update.
For the safety of you and your baby, as well as our staff, we welcome one partner to support you when you are in labour but we have to limit the number of people entering the hospital at this time. There are a few exceptional circumstances but this must be agreed with the Maternity team prior to your appointment time.
We are very proud of the fact that our midwives prioritise providing one-to-one care in labour to enable a positive birth experience. We aim to provide a relaxed and safe space for labour to ensure women experience child birth in the way that they choose.
Please feel free to bring anything you may find to provide comfort when in labour such as music, snacks or pillows. We can provide light refreshments, birthing balls and mats in labour to encourage mobilisation and comfort in the room.
We offer use of a large birthing pool in our Waterlily room on labour ward for low risk women wishing to use the water as a form of pain relief in labour or to birth their baby. The refurbished waterlily room also offers an en-suite bathroom, birthing couch and sofa.
Following birth women are then either admitted to Freya ward for continuing postnatal and breastfeeding support or if there are no complications may be discharged home straight from labour ward. Please feel free to discuss your choice with your midwife.
Leaflets you may find useful:
Pre Labour Rupture of membranes .
Membrane sweeping and Induction of labour.
We have a dedicated homebirth team called the Meadow Team. Meadow team is made up of midwives who specialise and are passionate about homebirth and are pleased to support low risk women who choose to have their baby at home and live in the Yeovil catchment area.
The Meadow team will provide all of your antenatal care, you will receive some visits at home but also have the opportunity to meet other couples planning to have their babies at home in the antenatal period. The midwives will then be on call for your labour from 37 weeks ready to care for you when labour starts, day or night!
There are many reasons to consider a homebirth including being more relaxed, freedom of movement, needing less pain relief and having continual support from your midwife and birth partners… all of which make for a shorter labour!
For women having a normal pregnancy a planned home birth results in a greater chance of a vaginal birth and significantly reduces the rates of intervention in labour. In normal first pregnancies there is a small increase in the risk of complications for your baby if you have a home birth compared to giving birth in hospital (9 events per 1000 compared with 5 per 1000).
For women having a second or subsequent normal pregnancy home birth is particularly suitable as complications for the baby are no different compared with birth in the hospital.
If you are considering a homebirth or if this is something you would like to explore further please inform your midwife who can refer you to the Meadow Team or alternatively you may refer yourself to the team by emailing [email protected]
Please feel free to contact the homebirth team anytime, even if you’re unsure and just want to chat about what’s on offer.
Our Meadow Suite midwifery led unit (MLU) aims to promote vaginal birth for women with low risk pregnancies, who are being cared for solely by a midwife during their pregnancy.
The Meadow Suite has a focus on minimal intervention and supports those women who have had a straight forward pregnancy to give birth naturally, using relaxation techniques, water in the birthing pool, tens and Entonox (gas and air). Around one third of women who give birth at Yeovil Hospital would be suitable to choose the MLU as the place to birth their baby.
The self-contained unit is located on the third floor of the Woman’s Hospital in Yeovil, across the corridor from Labour Ward. It offers a large, homely birthing room with space to move around, comfy chairs, drinks making facilities, TV, music player and an ensuite bathroom. Meadow Suite also proudly offers the option of using our birthing pool room.
Your midwife will make a careful assessment and if you are low risk of complications she will offer you the choice of having your baby in the Meadow Suite.
Our labour ward is located on the third floor of the Women’s Hospital. Labour ward provides consultant led care for women who have or who develop medical problems during pregnancy or labour, and for whom birthing in an environment with direct access to multi-specialist care is recommended. If you chose to give birth on the labour ward an obstetrician will take responsibility for your primary care but you will still be looked after by a midwife during labour. You will have your own en suite room with access to medical equipment such as CTG monitoring and a wider range of pain relief options including epidurals. You will access to birthing equipment such as adjustable beds, birth balls and mats.
A Caesarean section is an operation to deliver your baby through an incision made in your abdomen just below your bikini line. A caesarean section is a major operation that carries a number of risks, so is usually only done if its the safest option for you and your baby . A caesarean may be recommended as an elective procedure or as an emergency.
Elective caesarean’s are usually carried out from the 39th week of pregnancy for reasons which may include
- Your placenta is low lying.
- Your baby is in a Breech position.
- You have developed complications with your blood pressure during your pregnancy.
For women requiring an elective caesarean section all cases must be discussed with an obstetric consultant during the antenatal period.
Emergency Caesarean sections are carried out when your labour/birth has developed complications for either you or your baby, meaning that to continue in labour is not thought to be the safest option.
Most women will have an Epidural or a spinal anaesthetic to ensure they do not feel the operation, however in some cases general anaesthetic might be advised.
The minimum length of stay following operative delivery for recovery is two days following an emergency caesarean or for those having an elective procedure may be enrolled on our Enhanced Recovery Programme and may be discharged the following day.
NHS Caesarean Section Information
We strongly urge that if you are a smoker you “Stop Before The Op” as smoking increases recovery time, increases risk of infection and increases the likelihood of complications during the operation.
Some women may wish to chose a caesarean section for non medical reasons. If you wish to discuss this, an appointment will be arranged to discuss the overall benefits and risks of a caesarean for you and your baby compared with a vaginal birth.
