Best choice for birth options at Northampton General Hospital

Northampton General Hospital’s midwives are launching an information campaign to promote the range of birth options available to pregnant women across the county.

The hospital’s maternity team is hosting an open day next week so women and their partners can meet the midwives and see for themselves the acclaimed midwife-led birth centre which opened two years ago.

They will also hit the road with a series of roadshows across the county and surrounding areas, including Wellingborough, Daventry, Milton Keynes and Market Harborough.

"You don't have to live in Northampton to give birth in Northampton."

Maternity Matron Paula Briody said: “Pregnant women in Northamptonshire and surrounding areas aren’t always aware of the full extent of the choices available to them. The message we want to spread is that you don't have to live in Northampton to give birth in Northampton - and choosing Northampton General Hospital means having the best choice for birth options.”

NGH’s maternity team supports just under 5,000 births annually and boasts an award-winning home birth team with an above-average home birth rate, currently four per cent. There’s also a highly-acclaimed midwife-led Barratt Birth Centre which features: three birthing rooms complete with mood lighting and iPod dock; kitchenettes; double beds and en-suite bathrooms.

The birth centre provides a more relaxing, ‘home from home’ environment for birth, and is suitable for women having a low-risk pregnancy who are unlikely to develop birth complications. 1,400 births have taken place there since it opened in December 2013. Women who give birth in a birth centre are more likely to have a straightforward birth with less medical intervention.

NGH also run a series of support sessions including Meet the Matron clinics to help families deal with any outstanding emotional issues following a birth and a clinic for women who’ve undergone Caesarean sections.

Open day

The Barratt Birth Centre open day takes place on from 3pm to 6pm on Monday 2 May. Anyone interested in attending the open day should contact the maternity team on 01604 545434 (phones lines open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm).

For anyone unable to attend the open day, the centre’s Facebook page gives information and links to videos of the centre.

Full details of the roadshows events will be posted on the Barratt Birth Centre’s Facebook page.