Where to give birth in the North-East
One of the biggest decisions that you’ll face when you’re planning your birth is where to actually have your baby. A lot of people think that you have to birth at the place nearest to you, and while proximity should be a factor in your decision making; you can choose to give birth in whichever facility feels right for you.
If avoiding interventions and giving birth as naturally as possible is a priority for you then I highly recommend opting for home birth or birthing at one of our MLU’s.
So in this blog post I’m going to talk you through what your options are if you live in Northumberland or the Scottish Borders. We’re really lucky to have some incredible midwife led units as well as NSECH specialist hospital.
I have talked a bit about the pros and cons that could be relevant to you and your priorities and also provided you with some facts and figures that you’ll find helpful.
Let’s dive in…
Home Birth
Best for: Those who want to give birth in the comfort of their own home with midwifery support and minimise interventions during birth.
I encourage everybody to consider home birth as a viable option. In Northumberland, many of us live fairly rurally with quite a trek to the nearest hospital or birth centre. Choosing home birth may well be the safest and most comfortable option for you.
It’s also worth noting that even if you do plan to birth in hospital setting, I always recommend that you have a home birth plan as a back-up just in case birth moves a little more swiftly than you anticipated.
Anyone in the UK can request a home birth. Yes, even if you’re labelled as “high risk”, you can choose to birth your baby at home. Your medical team might recommend that you birth in hospital, but ultimately the choice is yours.
When you choose to birth at home in the UK, you are entitled to have 2 NHS midwives attend you in your home. Or you’re welcome to hire private or independent midwives. Or even birth without midwives if you wish! They will bring a full medical kit with them including gas and air. Be sure to talk to your midwife about home birth as an option for you.
Comfort of your own home!
One-to-one midwifery care
Option for birth pools hire or purchase
Pros:
You’re in control of your space and who is in it
Lower risk of interventions and more chance of a calm, physiological birth
You don’t have to travel in labour (or go home afterwards!)
Less likely to require extra pain relief
Cons:
No access to medical pain relief beyond gas and air
If you need extra medical support, you’ll need to transfer to hospital
Not recommended for those with a high risk label, so you might need to battle to get the home birth you want.
Standalone Midwife-Led Units (MLUs)
Northumberland is home to three standalone midwifery units in Berwick, Alnwick, and Hexham. These offer a calm, cosy space where midwives are in charge, and birth is treated as a normal, physiological event rather than a medical emergency.
These are a great option if you’d rather not birth in an over medicalised environment in a hospital but would also rather not birth at home. These are also great to consider if you’d rather not birth at home but live quite a distance from one of the hospitals (travelling for an hour in a car when you’re in labour is really uncomfortable!)
HEXHAM mlu
Stand alone unit within Hexham General Hospital
4 private birthing rooms
1 birth pool
dim, calm lighting
Gas and air available
Private post-natal rooms with ensuite toilets and showers
Hillcrest - Alnwick Infirmary
Stand alone MLU
1 birthing room
1 birth pool
Active birthing aids
Berwick MLU
1 birthing room
1 pool
Atmospheric lighting and active birthing aids
Stand alone MLU
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital (NSECH), Cramlington
NE23 6NZ
NSECH is the main consultant-led maternity unit for Northumberland. It’s a big, modern hospital with all the medical equipment you could possibly need. If you are choosing to have an epidural during labour, then you’ll need to come here or to one of the other hospitals.
Delivery suite with 14 private birth rooms - all en-suite with a bed for your partner
24/7 access to obstetricians, anaesthetists, and neonatal specialists
Birth pools available in 2 rooms
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on-site
Pros:
If anything unexpected happens, the right people and equipment are immediately available
The only place in Northumberland where you can have an epidural if that’s what you’re opting for
Midwifery-led care available for low-risk births (but in a hospital setting)
Cons:
More medicalised environment—bright lights, beeping machines, and lots of staff coming and going which can have a negative effect on physiological birth
Higher chance of interventions simply because you’re in a consultant-led unit
If you’re after a hands-off, physiological birth, this might not be the best setting for you
NSECH Stats from November 2024
Induction rate: 30% (this figure doesn’t include sweeps)
C-section rate: 41% (not known the figures between planned and emergency)
Water births: 2
Newcastle Birthing Centre- Royal Victoria Infirmary
10 birthing rooms, 5 of which are birthing pool rooms
An assessment room
Hot meals, provided day or night
An en-suite in each birthing room (some have baths with showers overhead, others have showers only)
TV with Freeview in each birthing room
Birthing balls, floor mats, birthing couches and birthing stools
Dimmer switches and air conditioning in each birthing room
This is a midwife led birth centre within the hospital itself. If you choose to birth at the birth centre and a medical emergency arises, you can be transferred to the delivery suite immediately.
pros
Relaxed, homely environment – dim lighting, birth pools, private rooms
Lower chance of intervention – midwives support physiological birth without unnecessary monitoring
Access to pain relief like water, gas & air, and massage
One-to-one midwifery care – fewer staff coming and going, more personalised support
Still inside a hospital – if complications arise, you’re only a corridor away from doctors
cons
No access to epidural or strong pain relief it that’s what you choose
At time of writing this blog post, the birthing centre is open however it has faced frequent closures over the last couple of years due to staffing problems.
RVI Delivery Suite (Consultant-Led Unit)
The RVI Delivery Suite is a consultant-led unit, meaning obstetricians and anaesthetists are always available. It’s ideal for those who need extra medical care or simply want the option of an epidural.
6 induction beds arranged as one 2-bedded bay and one 4-bedded bay
12 birthing rooms, one of which is a pool room. Seven are en-suite
A 5-bedded Recovery area
A 4-bedded Enhanced Recovery area
2 maternity theatres on the Delivery Suite
Access to further theatres if required
A training room for staff
Further toilets and showers are available
Free TV with Freeview in each birthing room except the pool room
Birthing balls, floor mats and birthing stools available on request
Pros
Access to epidurals and other medical pain relief
24/7 obstetric care – doctors, anaesthetists, and neonatal specialists on hand
Suitable for all pregnancy complications – including twins, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes
Option to have an assisted birth if needed – forceps, ventouse, or caesarean available
cons
More medicalised environment – bright lights, monitoring, hospital beds
Higher chance of interventions – continuous monitoring, inductions, assisted births
Less privacy and continuity of care – more staff, less control over who is in the room
Less access to birth pools – pools exist but are limited
conclusion
Wherever you choose to give birth, be sure to have a tour of the location ahead of time so that you know where you’re going, where the car park is, how to get in and any other important information.
Be sure to ask your midwife about the most up to date statistics of the facility/team so that you can make an informed decision and choose the location that’s right for you.
