1 June 2009
Midwives at St Helier Hospital today unveiled the latest development in the £2.8 million refurbishment of the maternity unit - a brand new birthing pool.
The birthing pool, which is the first of three to be installed in the unit, will offer women at the hospital greater choice about how they give birth. The pools form part of a new specially designed birth centre, where women who have had no problems during pregnancy can give birth in a more relaxed environment.
Lead community midwife, Patience Ohikhena said: "This brand new pool and all of the state-of-the-art equipment that surrounds it is a fantastic asset to us. It will allow women to give birth in the way they want, and we just can't wait for the first of our soon-to-be-parents to use it. I think it's safe to say that all of the midwives and all of the women that we treat are excited about it."
The birthing room comes fully stocked with all of the equipment normally seen within a delivery suite, as well as a few added extras - including mood lighting. Dimmer switches mean that the lights can be adjusted at any time, and LED lights that slowly change colours through the spectrum have been fitted into the ceiling.
Patience added: "It's widely known that water acts as a natural pain relief for women in labour, and for many people, a water birth is far more relaxing than a conventional labour. We wanted this room to be as relaxing and comfortable as possible - like a home from home, and we think it's exactly that. It's just lovely.
"We're confident that babies born here will be given the very best start in life. Every woman receives fantastic one to one care from our midwives and with facilities like this birthing pool, our service will be second to none."
The final touches are still to be made to the birth centre, ahead of its official opening in the summer. Still to arrive is a specially shaped futon, which because of its lowered height will be easier for women to use.
The new birthing pools and birth centre are part of a major project to transform the St Helier maternity unit. The work, which is due to be completed in the autumn, includes building a High Dependency Unit, which will be used to care for mothers who need extra attention, for instance, if they have had a difficult birth which involved surgery.
The project, which is being funded by the Trust's capital investment programme, will also see the creation of a second theatre for the maternity unit and a complete refurbishment of the neo-natal unit, where premature and sick babies get treated. £850,000 is also being spent on refurbishing the gynaecology ward and ante-natal clinics.
