THE Meadow Birth Centre at Worcestershire Royal Hospital has been shortlisted for national Birth Centre of the Year award.
The centre – which is run by experienced midwives rather than doctors – is one of just three birth centres in the country to be shortlisted for prize in the MaMa Awards 2017.
Pregnant women from Redditch now attend the centre after the unit at the Alexandra Hospital was closed due to staff shortages.
The awards, recognise outstanding health care environments or midwifery staff, in ten different categories through entries from across the UK each year.
The Meadow Birth Centre gives women more choice over where their baby is born and offers a comfortable environment where birth is treated as a ‘normal’ process rather than a medical one. The four self-contained rooms have seen over 1,500 babies born since opening to expectant mums in April 2015.
The centre has three purpose built birthing pools, and has seen over three quarters of its babies have a water birth, with mothers from across the county and beyond giving glowing reviews of the care they have received in the centre.
Meadow Birth Centre midwife team leader, Louise Turbutt said: “We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved so far and to be shortlisted for this award is very special. It’s a testament to the whole team and how hard everyone has worked to give mothers to have the best possible birth experience they can in a relaxing and homely environment.
“We’ve far exceeded our expectations of how many babies would be born in the centre and that’s fantastic news, not just for us, but for the women of Worcestershire and beyond who have experienced giving birth in this unit.”
