John Radcliffe Women's Centre Delivery Suite

We care for you if:

• you have a more complicated pregnancy, and a consultant-led unit has been recommended
• you wish to use our epidural service
• you have a midwifery-led pregnancy and choose to give birth with us.

Our multiprofessional team works with you and your birth partner to ensure that you can make shared, informed decisions about your care during labour and birth.

We focus on safe, evidence-based care along with supporting a positive birth environment.

Find us and contact us

Women's Centre
John Radcliffe Hospital
Headington
Oxford OX3 9DU

Tel: 01865 221987

How to find the John Radcliffe Hospital

Parking is limited and you will have to pay, so please be prepared for this, but there are a small number of reserved spaces opposite the Level 2 entrance for emergency use - for example when arriving in labour.

Car travel and parking

On arrival please go to the Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) on Level 2.

There are toilets and vending machines in the main corridor. We encourage you to bring some light snacks and drinks.

Our teams

During your time on Delivery Suite a range of staff members may care for you, including:

• midwives
• obstetricians
• maternity support workers (MSW)
• obstetric nurses
• anaesthetists
• students.

Our rooms

We have 13 birth rooms, one with a pool, and two have en-suite bathrooms. All rooms are close to toilets and showers.

In these birth rooms we can provide birth balls, peanut balls, bean bags and mats.

We encourage you to bring in your own music and speakers, however we do have CD players available.

The birth room is your room and we will support you to make it as comfortable as possible for you and your birthing partners.

Monitoring

We monitor your baby's heartbeat with a hand-held device or on a continuous monitor.

We will recommend the safest way to monitor your baby depending on your individual circumstances; this may change during your labour.

We can offer:

• a pool for labour and/or birth
• aromatherapy
• heat pads
• Entonox (gas and air)
• oral pain relief and injections
• a 24-hour epidural service.

Your midwife can discuss these options with you.

Birth

When your baby is about to be born, the midwife caring for you will usually ask a colleague to attend the birth, for example a second midwife. The second person provides additional support as needed, and will normally leave shortly after the birth.

Assisted delivery

If you need an assisted delivery, such as a ventouse or forceps delivery, a doctor will be invited into the room. Sometimes the doctor may recommend that you are transferred to one of our theatres for this. We will support your birth partner to accompany you if you need to go to theatre, which is located on the Delivery Suite.

The theatre is staffed by a dedicated theatre team who will introduce themselves to you at the time and your midwife will continue to offer reassurance and support.

Following time in theatre we will take you to our observation area, where you can recover before you move to the postnatal ward.

After birth

We recognise the time immediately after birth is crucial for both you and your baby.We therefore promote delayed cord clamping and immediate 'skin-to-skin' contact after the birth.

Our staff will be available for the first few hours after the birth for support, but we will also give you time alone with your baby. There is a call system available if you need us during this time.

Infant feeding

Please visit:

Infant feeding