Birth Place Choices
If you live in Devon and you are receiving your maternity care from our Midwives, you have a choice of where to birth your baby. Your Midwife can advise you of these choices and you can have a discussion with our teams.
Birth after caesarean section
If you previously birthed you baby via a caesarean section, you will be supported with your birth choices for your next pregnancy. Sometimes another caesarean is the advised option, but many individuals can also be supported with a vaginal birth if this is their preferred option and it is safe for their situation. Talk to your midwife to find out more about our services and how we can support you.
Our Eastern services
Whatever your needs, we are here to provide a high and safe standard of care for mothers and babies.
Our labour ward has 10 individual birthing rooms, one of which has a birthing pool. We have a dedicated obstetric theatre and recovery area. We also work closely with the hospital's highly-specialist neonatal intensive care service, providing care for sick and premature babies. Birth partners are welcome to be with you throughout the duration of a labour.
The Exeter birth unit cares for women who do not have any complications in their pregnancy. They have two birthing rooms, which have birthing pools.
Our stand-alone birth unit is based at Tiverton hospital. Here, women without any complications in their pregnancy can receive midwife-led care for labour and birth. There are five postnatal beds for women and their babies at Tiverton birth centre. Women are able to transfer from Exeter to Tiverton for postnatal care and breastfeeding support if they wish.
If you decide to give birth at home, the ‘Elder’ team of midwives will be on hand to support you. If you are considering a home birth, please talk to your midwife and ask her to refer you to the team.
Our Northern services
We have six en-suite delivery rooms including two with birthing pools. We can also provide birthing balls and mats to help with your labour. Each room has a television, reclining chair and dimmer switches on the lights. This is to provide you with a relaxing and safe environment to birth your baby. Our maternity theatre is based in labour ward. This is for emergency care or planned elective caesarean section.
The newly refurbished Broadsands Room also offers a birth pool with a beautiful beach mural behind the pool and a state-of-the art birthing chair. The room also has an en-suite shower, a comfortable sofa, tea and coffee making facilities and Bluetooth speaker. Clinical equipment is hidden away to make the room as homely as possible with matching soft furnishings, linen and towels. Birthing balls and mats can also be provided. The room features dimmable lighting to help create a relaxing atmosphere and offers increased choice of place of birth for all women under Midwife Led Care.
Home birth
Our community midwives support women who choose to deliver their babies at home in their own surroundings. These are usually women who have had a normal pregnancy with no risk factors. This can be discussed with your midwife during pregnancy.