£180,000 birth centre officially opens

29 January 2010

A crowd of VIPs including new parents, local MPs and members of Trust staff gathered at the new birth centre in St Helier Hospital on Friday 22 January 2010 for the official opening of the unit.

The birth centre, which cost £180,000 to build and gives soon-to-be-mothers the opportunity to give birth naturally in a home-from-home environment, was officially opened by the President of the Royal College of Midwives, Liz Stephens.

Liz said: "This is a fantastic new facility and I'm proud to be here today. Having been a midwife for 30 years, I know how important it is for women to receive great care in a warm and welcoming environment. For local families, I am sure that welcoming a baby into the world at this new centre will be a brilliant start to their journey and a brilliant start to life."

The new birth centre is part of the £2.8 million overhaul of the St Helier Hospital maternity unit and contains three birthing pools, specialist furniture, birthing balls and mood lighting that gently changes colour. It has been designed so that women who have had problem-free pregnancies have the chance to give birth in a more relaxed environment, supported by midwives.

Chief Executive Samantha Jones said: "This new birth centre and the refurbishment of the maternity unit as a whole is a huge boost to the Trust, and I say that not only as the Chief Executive but as a new mother too. I bring my eight month old twins here for their outpatient appointments and I'm very happy to do so. I would like to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly to complete this fantastic new facility."
 
Also at the ceremony was MP for Carshalton and Wallington Tom Brake. He said: "My children were born at St Helier Hospital and I would have loved my wife to have had the opportunity to give birth in the birth centre - it's clearly loved by the people who have already experienced it."

MP for Sutton and Cheam, Paul Burstow also attended the event. He added: "It's great to see the improvements that have been made to the maternity department and, as a dad, I know how important the environment is during childbirth."

New parents who have already used the birth centre were also at the opening. Jody Lawrence, who gave birth to her daughter Martha ten weeks ago, used one of the brand new birthing pools. Jody said: "I just couldn't believe how much difference being in the birth pool made - I thought labour had stopped because the pain went away. Giving birth here was a fantastic experience."