Best Maternity Hospitals Hampshire To Have Baby

There are so many huge decisions to make as soon as you find out you are pregnant. Where to give birth, signing up for a nursery, choosing a Newborn Photographer, and what kind of birth you would like. Where to give birth to your baby is a huge decision. If you only live close to one maternity hospital in Hampshire then your decision is probably already made for you. But if you are in between hospitals in Hampshire, what suits you best for the type of birth you want? Here are the most famous hospitals for good maternity care in Hampshire.

Options for Births in Hampshire:

We are so fortunate in England that we have the technology and healthcare that we do and the privilege to choose what type of birth we would like to have. Birth plans don’t always go to plan but the staff do really try to help us stick to them when they can.

Labour Ward:

The Labour Ward is for those who have more difficult pregnancies, conditions and health issues. The Labour Ward is also for those who want to peace of mind that doctors and consultants, and pain relief are all on hand in case of emergency.

Birth Centre:

The Birth Centre is for those who would like a more natural birth or a water birth but in a hospital setting and access to emergency care in the same building if required. Birth centres have birth pools, the option to move around during labour and are entirely midwife-led.

Home Birth:

Home Birth is for those who would like to give birth in the comfort of their own home. We are so lucky that most hospitals have a team that works to provide home births for those who would like them.

1.) University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust- Princess Anne Hospital Southampton

When choosing a maternity hospital to give birth to your baby in Hampshire, you may consider one of the best hospitals in Hampshire which is Princess Anne Hospital Southampton. Princess Anne Hospital Southampton is one of the largest neonatal units in the country with over 5000 women a year giving birth in their maternity unit. It includes consultant and midwife-led care. and is well known for being a strong maternity hospital in Hampshire. Princess Anne Hospital is part of the University Hospital Southampton so it is a teaching hospital and you may have student midwives help with your birth.

Princess Anne Hospital specialises in maternal and fetal medicine with means that it has consultant led care for women who have more complex, medical problems during their pregnancy. They have an Early Pregnancy Unit, Maternity Day Assessment Unit, Maternal and Fetal Medicine Unit and a Labour Ward. The neonatal unit is a level 3 unit.

Under the care of Princess Anne Hospital Southampton, there are many options for where to birth your baby. This includes the labour ward for those with additional conditions or complications, Broadlands birth centre which is midwife-led for low risk births or even home birth. Choosing where to give birth is such a personal choice but Princess Anne Southampton offers a wide range for your needs.

Broadlands birth centre in Princess Anne Hospital Southampton is a great option for those who would like a water birth or natural birth but in a hospital setting. It is reassuring that Broadlands centre is located just one floor above the obstetric and neonatal services and everything is in the same building. Broadlands birth centre has four birthing rooms that have facilities that try to make it a relaxed home-like environment for a more natural birth experience like birthing balls, beanbags and special chairs.

The labour ward at Princess Anne Hospital Southampton is well known due to its multi-speciality, consultant led care for those who have medical conditions during their pregnancy. The Labour ward offers expert obstetricians, anaesthetists and neonatologists. During the birth a midwife will look after you but an obstetrician will take responsibility for your care. The labour ward has 13 birth rooms and one birth pool and a high dependency unit with specially trained midwives. The benefit of birthing in the labour ward at Princess Anne Hospital Southampton is that you don’t need to transfer if there are any problems as you have immediate access to emergency support such as obstetric, anaesthetic and neonatal services. The labour ward also offers access to pain relief like epidurals.

The Princess Anne Hospital Website offers a virtual tour of their maternity wards. You can self-refer to the hospital by filling out the maternity self referral form. The hospital then will contact you with your first maternity appointment and your GP will be notified.

Princess Anne Hospital Southampton has one of the largest neonatal units in the country and specialises in care to preterm and term babies. The neonatal unit has 23 intensive and high dependency cots and 14 special care cots. The Southampton neonatal unit treats over 900 babies per year, even taking babies from other parts of England if necessary.

Princess Anne Hospital Southampton has an overall rating of “Good”.

My Personal Experience With Princess Anne Hospital Southampton:

I have now given birth in Princess Anne Hospital Southampton twice and I cannot fault anything from the entire experience.

With my second child, Rothko, I experienced the Maternity Day Assessment Unit because I had concern that my waters had broken (they had). I was sent home at around 5pm until I went into labour, they estimated that I would be ready to come in by the next morning. However, by 8pm I called the Unit and explained that my contractions were very close together and they told me to come in. They arranged a room for me on the Labour Ward as this is where I had chosen to give birth and checked how far along I was. I was 8cm and told that I didn’t have time to have an epidural like I had wanted because the anaesthesiologist wouldn’t be here in time. This truly shocked me as I had an epidural with my first and had never considered birthing naturally without pain relief. However, this turned out to be the best decision as although the birth was incredibly painful (duh) with back labour, the recovery was so much quicker than my first birth where I had epidural, forceps and episiotomy.

The staff at Princess Anne Hospital Southampton were all so lovely and it was such a positive experience and really helped to heal me after my first birth which was so traumatic at a different hospital. I completely changed my tune about natural births and really attribute not having an epidural to a smoother birth the second time around.

I also loved the experience I had with my midwife appointments as with my first birth I was in a larger city and had a different midwife every appointment so there was no continuity and no connection. But with the care under Princess Anne Hospital Southampton, I had the same midwife for all my appointments and it was such a lovely, personal experience where I truly felt listened to.

With my second birth at Princess Anne Hospital Southampton, I was more sure this time that I wanted an all natural birth because of my positive experience with my second child. I discussed with my midwife during appointments that I wanted as little intervention as possible, no sweep, no induction and I asked about the possibility of a water birth as Princess Anne Hospital has lovely birthing rooms with big birthing pools. They weren’t sure at first because it was reported that I had great blood loss with my first child but unfortunately the hospital never wrote down how much blood I lost.

After careful consideration, the consultants decided that I could labour in the water and then I had to get out of the water to birth the baby as I had to have a cannula in at all times in case of emergency. They were so considerate of my needs and making me feel heard in my birth. The birth went very well and I was able to birth in the water, I had two lovely midwives who were so helpful and kind. They coached me so well on my breathing to fight through the pain and they were so gentle and caring with it. I was able to have my Labour playlist on that I had created and it was such a lovely atmosphere despite the incredible pain of my contractions. I am so thankful for the kind midwives I had.

The birth didn’t go entirely to plan as after I gave birth to my healthy baby girl, my placenta decided it didn’t want to come out and I had to go into theatre to remove it. That felt like the most scary experience but they were so thorough and efficient, ensuring I got into theatre quickly so there were no dangerous repercussions. The anaesthesiologist was so kind and came to see my after surgery to check up on me. I’m so grateful for such positive birth experiences at Princess Anne Hospital Southampton after such a difficult, traumatic one in the larger city that I had my first daughter in.

2.) Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — Royal Hampshire County Hospital (Winchester)

When choosing a maternity hospital to give birth to your baby in Hampshire, you may consider Winchester. Are you closer to Winchester? The labour ward at Royal Hampshire Country Hospital in Winchester is in Florence Portal House. It has seven birthing rooms and two operating theatres. Midwives care for those who have less complicated births and obstetricians and anaesthetists are available at all times.

Two of the rooms have a birthing pool for those who seek natural births. Gas & Air, birthing balls, TENS machines and floor mats are also available.

Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester is rated “Good” for its maternity services. It has a level two neonatal unit. To register for maternity services in Winchester you can self-refer to the hospital by filling in a registration form.

3.) Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust — Queen Alexandra Hospital / Maternity Services (Portsmouth & South East Hampshire)

When choosing a maternity hospital to give birth to your baby in Hampshire, you may consider Portsmouth which has Queen Alexandra Hospital and connections to University Hospital Southampton. If you live in Portsmouth and the South East, you may choose to go to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. This has a level two NICU, an obstetric ward, co-located birth centre and two stand alone birth centres. Queen Alexandra Hospital is also a teaching hospital so you may have student midwives helping during your maternity journey. They are rated “Good” and have improved on their previous “Requires Improvement” rating which is very reassuring!

What Are The Best Maternity Hospitals in Hampshire to Birth My Baby?

There are so many factors to consider when choosing your Hampshire maternity hospital such as proximity to where you live, high risk care, high end facilities and whether you choose to go with private care or through the NHS. It can be a very personal decision and one you can decide upon with careful research.

From picking your maternity hospital in Hampshire to decorating the nursery and choosing the perfect name, welcoming a baby involves so many choices. Make sure your newborn photos are one less thing to worry about. Reach out to book your session today!