A first look round Hartlepool's new-look birthing centre as births return to the town

This is the new Rowan Suite at the University Hospital of Hartlepool and health chiefs are now taking bookings as births make a return to town.

The Rowan Suite features specially designed rooms with a ‘home away from home’ atmosphere to help women to stay upright and active during their birth, as well as a birth pool suite.

Julie Lane, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Safety and Quality, said: “To say we’re thrilled is an understatement!

“We’ve been working towards this for a long time. The centre has been completely re-fitted and the team is ready to go.

“The rooms are furnished to a very high standard and are very comfortable.

“We expect the first babies in the Rowan Suite around April 2021 and we’re all really excited to greet the new arrivals.”

The Rowan team will provide ante- and post-natal care, co-ordinate births and care for women who are deemed low risk throughout their pregnancy.

Low risk includes;

- Being of a heathy weight.

- Not having medical conditions such as diabetes.

- Be pregnant with one single baby.

- Being a non smoker.

- Having had no complications during previous pregnancies or births.

Mothers-to-be who do not meet the low-risk criteria will continue to receive care and support planning for their birth within the obstetric unit at the University of North Tees.

The Rowan Suite is based on the ground floor, within the Maternity Hub of the University Hospital of Hartlepool and it will see a team of highly qualified midwives offering a 'Continuity of Carer' pathway.

Continuity of Carer ensures the same midwife will be assigned to care for the woman throughout the whole of her pregnancy journey, including her birth.

Experts say this means many benefits to the woman and her family such as a reduced need for pain relief and greater satisfaction.

Councillor Shane Moore, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “We welcome the investment in a new state-of-the-art birthing centre and we look forward to the days when babies are once again being born in the town.”

Louise Johnson, Care Group Director for the Trust, said: “Our ambition is for babies to be born in Hartlepool. The maternity team will be supporting women pre and post conception, with the overall aim of improving their health to enable them to deliver in the Rowan Suite.”

The name ‘Rowan Suite’ is inspired by the rowan tree. Known as the tree-of-life and the protector, the rowan tree is renowned for its strength and resilience.

A symbol of courage, wisdom and growth, it is perfect to represent the hub and the team’s aspirations.

Pregnant women in the Stockton-Hartlepool area can register their pregnancy at: www.nth.nhs.uk/services/maternity-form/.

Women eligible to birth their baby in the Rowan Suite will be contacted by the team.

A video of the Rowan suite can be viewed on the Trust’s YouTube page.

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