Where should I give birth if I live in Solihull or Birmingham?
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On the face of it, there are loads of options available for giving birth in Solihull or Birmingham. But what is the reality of that in a post-covid world where there is crisis in midwife staffing? Please be aware that this information was correct at the time of writing but always check with your midwife for the most up-to-date information. So, where can you give birth if you live in Solihull or Birmingham?
Don’t live in Solihull or Birmingham? Check out my article on Where to give birth - in hospital or at home?
1. Warwick Hospital
Although on the face of it, Warwick sounds quite far away, depending on where you live it might actually be as quick or quicker than trying to get through the traffic to Birmingham Women’s Hospital or Heartlands and it’s definitely an option worth considering. It takes roughly 30 minutes to get there from Solihull Town Centre.
The Bluebell Centre
The Bluebell Centre is the midwife-led unit at Warwick Hospital. It’s designed to feel like a home from home.
It has 4 ensuite rooms all with birth pools
Labour Ward
At the time of writing, the labour ward at Warwick was undergoing a refurbishment so that its facilities mirror those available in the Bluebell Centre. There are currently seven rooms, all with bathrooms and once the refurbishment is complete, the environment will be like the Bluebell Centre.
There is one birth pool which can still be used if your baby requires extra monitoring.
You can watch their virtual tour here.
2. Solihull Hospital
Unfortunately, at the time of writing the midwife-led unit at Solihull Hospital is currently closed due to staffing levels. This information was last checked on 23/08/2024
Read Kayley’s home birth story
3. Birmingham Heartlands Hospital
From a personal point of view, I have had two babies at Heartlands and had good experiences both times. However, both Heartlands and Good Hope (Sutton Coldfield) have had their maternity units downgraded to “Requires Improvement” by the Care Quality Commission, click to read more. Heartlands hospital do both planned and unplanned c-sections.
Willow Birth Suite
The Willow Birth Suite at Heartlands is currently being renovated and will have three rooms, one with a birth pool. It will hopefully be relaunched in late 2024.
Labour Ward
This is a standard labour unit with two induction bays (about 6 beds in total) and several birthing rooms. Unfortunately, there is only one birth pool available. They are also hoping to renovate this unit to make it more inviting.
4. Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield
Depending on how busy other hospitals are, you may be sent to Good Hope and depending on where you live, this might be an option for you to consider anyway. Good Hope don’t currently do planned c-sections.
Serenity Midwife-Led Unit
This unit is open but continues to have problems with staffing levels. Please check with your midwife for the most up-to-date information or ring the hospital.
There are six rooms, two of which have birth pools. They also have mood lighting and bluetooth speakers in the ceiling for you to listen to your playlists. They have specialist midwives who can work with you to give birth here if you don’t fully meet the criteria.
Delivery/Labour Ward
There are ten rooms on the labour ward, two of which have a birth pool. The birth pool rooms are less medical than the other rooms.
5. Birmingham Women’s Hospital
This hospital has both birth balls and peanut balls available and a place to store your colostrum.
Midwife-Led Birth Centre
The midwife-led birth centre at Birmingham Women’s Hospital has five rooms, three of which have birth pools. The unit is currently open as usual.
Delivery/Labour Ward
There are 14 rooms on the labour ward, one of which has a birth pool and 7 of them have en-suites or only share a bathroom with one other room.
6. City Hospital, Birmingham
This hospital might be the other side of the city centre, but given the availability of midwife-led units in the UHB Trust, it might be something you want to consider.
Serenity Midwife-Led Unit
The midwife-led unit at City Hospital has five ensuite rooms. One of these has a permanent birth pool but it is possible to have a birth pool inflated in most of the others.
Delivery/Labour Ward
The Labour Ward at City Hospital has ten rooms, one of which has a birth pool.
You can see a virtual tour of the unit here.
7. Home birth
Did you know you can also have a home birth? Having a home birth is a great option because the hormones that you need for birth to go smoothly will thrive in a home environment where they feel safe.
Did you know that if you live in Birmingham, you can actually refer yourself to the home birth team. Click here to visit their webpage.
If you live in Solihull and wish to have a home birth, please speak to your Community Midwife.
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Why choose Fiona Deans Hypnobirthing?
I’m Fiona, founder of Fiona Deans Hypnobirthing.
I trained as a hypnobirthing teacher after it really helped my through my induction when my son was born.
Unlike other hypnobirthing teachers, I have experience of being told your pregnancy is high risk and how that can affect your options when it comes to giving birth. I have supported both first-time mums and second-time mums; mums who are hoping for a vaginal birth after a c-section and mums who want to feel less anxious and apprehensive.
I live in Birmingham with my husband and two young children. You can find out more about me and why I teach hypnobirthing on my homepage.
