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Welcome to Bradford Royal Infirmary

Having a baby is a life-changing event and here at Bradford we want you and your family to feel empowered and confident throughout your pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Our aim is to ensure you have the best possible experience along with a high standard of care whether you birth at home or in hospital. During your pregnancy there will be many choices and decisions to make and we hope you will find this website useful.

Every year approximately 6,000 women chose to have their babies under our care. Our team of experienced staff members look forward to welcoming you!

The video below offers a guided tour of some of the services and facilities we offer.

Our journey to outstanding

Our new vision for the Maternity Service at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust outlines the journey we need to make to become truly outstanding.

Discover more about our commitment to our women and babies and what we plan to do to revolutionise our services by clicking on the image.

Contact us

  • Maternity Assessment Centre (MAC): 01274 364532 or 01274 364531
  • Antenatal Day Unit (ANDU): 01274 364856
  • Labour Ward: 01274 364515 or 01274 364514
  • Birth Centre: 01274 364929
  • Appointments: 01274 364518
  • Ultrasound: 01274 364501
  • Ward M3: 01274 364536 or 01274 364537
  • Ward M4: 01274 364539 or 01274 364540
  • Community Midwives
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Coronavirus and pregnancy

Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ Women’s and Newborn Unit is home to a close community of dedicated staff who are all working together to meet the challenge of coronavirus, while providing care that is safe, respectful and compassionate.

We have recorded two short films in English and Urdu, which can be viewed opposite, to reassure pregnant women who may be feeling anxious. 

We want you to enjoy your pregnancy, safe in the knowledge that we will look after you and your babies. The information contained in the films can also be downloaded (doc).

Further information on coronavirus and pregnancy can be found in the three information leaflets below:

For more general information, please see the Government advice.

Booking your birth and self-referral

BTHFT Maternity

BTHFT Maternity

We look forward to welcoming you and your partner to our award-winning Women’s and Newborn Unit.

It is important to contact a midwife early in your pregnancy so we can ensure you have all the correct information, advice and access to screening tests for you and your baby as early as possible.

As soon as you have had a positive pregnancy test and you need maternity care, there are two main ways to contact a midwife.

You only need to choose one of the methods opposite – the midwife will then contact you to arrange an appointment.

Contact a midwife by

  • visiting your GP and requesting a referral
    OR
  • completing our online self-referral form (available in multiple languages – make your selection at the top of the screen)

Please ensure you complete the form and provide the full name, address and telephone number of your GP.

If you don’t speak English, please contact your GP.

During your pregnancy

BRI Birth Centre
The Birth Centre at Bradford Royal Infirmary

We recommend that you have regular antenatal care during your pregnancy to monitor both your and your baby’s health. Although most pregnancies progress without problems, it is important to detect any complications early on to ensure you get the best-possible care. The majority of care for most people will be provided by community midwives, although some women will need to attend antenatal clinics at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

The community midwives will deliver your care from GP practices, community centres or your home. The number of appointments you have will depend on your circumstances.

Information on some of the services you may access during your pregnancy, including clinics, screening and parent education, is available below.

Having your baby

Towards the end of your pregnancy you may want to consider where you would like to give birth. We have three potential settings you can choose from: your home, our midwifery-led Birth Centre or the Labour Ward at Bradford Royal infirmary.

All our locations aim to give you a positive, supportive birth experience. Where you decide to have your baby will depend on your and your baby’s health, personal preferences, experiences and attitudes. Sometimes we may recommend you deliver on our Labour Ward if additional obstetric care may be needed.

Wherever you choose, it should feel right for you. It’s a good idea to talk to your midwife or obstetrician about where you’d like to have your baby.

Women having an elective caesarean section will be looked after by our dedicated elective team. You will be seen in our pre-assessment clinic by a member of the team before your surgery date. You will get to meet your anaesthetists and obstetrician on the morning of your caesarean.

One of our birthing pools

Our aim is for you to have a supported and enjoyable experience as you welcome your baby into the world.

Contact us

home.birth@nhs.net

01274 365716

We have a dedicated homebirth team in Bradford who provide continuity of care during pregnancy, birth and after your baby is born.

During labour and birth, care will be provided by two attending midwives who will have the equipment necessary to care for mother and baby.

Some women choose to birth in water at home and can easily purchase or hire a pool in preparation. Other options at home are to use the bath in early labour, stay active during your labour, and use massage and relaxation techniques. Entonox (‘gas and air’) is also available. Being in your own surroundings with the things that help you feel comfortable can really help your labour progress and we love to see labour unfold in this way.

You don’t need to prepare very much when planning your homebirth, but some things you may want to consider include:

  • Favourite play lists
  • Extra towels
  • Drinks and snacks
  • Hot water bottle/heat pack
  • Massage oil
  • Birth ball
  • Comfy clothes/dressing gown
  • Clothes, nappy and hat for baby

We welcome enquiries regarding homebirth or alternatively you can discuss it with your named midwife during pregnancy.

Useful links

Bradford Antenatal, Birth and Beyond

Birthplace study

Tommy’s information on homebirth

Testimonials

‘Overall, we are really happy with our experience and would like to thank the homebirth team for being so kind.’

‘They were approachable and I felt listened to.’

‘Honestly, an amazing, empowering experience and everything I wanted. My husband and midwives were amazing.’

The Bradford Birth Centre is a co-located unit that aims to offer women and their partners who have had an uncomplicated pregnancy a warm, relaxed, calm and safe environment to birth their babies.

Our rooms are decorated in muted calm colours with subdued lighting and aromas to help facilitate the optimal birthing experience. We actively support individualised birth choices and support alternative birthing options which include the use of birthing pools, balls, stools and mats to aid a preferred birthing position.

In addition to the more natural forms of coping strategies we can also offer the use of oral medication (paracetamol and codeine), Entonox  inhalation (gas and air) and intramuscular Pethidine (injection). These pharmaceutical  therapies can be offered in isolation or as a combination in order to achieve the desired pain management.

Our experienced staff will be here to help and assist our birthing women and their partners achieve a birth experience tailored to their individual needs and actively encourage full participation and involvement throughout. We aim to offer low-risk labour care and immediate postnatal care within the Birth Centre facilitating an early discharge if desired and appropriate.

We serve a vibrant and diverse population in Bradford, and strive to deliver the highest standard midwifery and obstetric care to women and their families.

The Labour Ward is predominately for women who may require more specialist care during their labour, birth and immediate postnatal period. Women who have been classed to have a higher obstetric or fetal risk will receive care on the ward from our midwifery and obstetric teams during their labour and birth.  We work with all women to support their birth choices and facilitate them.

Several options are available on the ward to help women through labour.

  • Midwives can discuss adopting different positions to aid labour and delivery
  • Birthing balls can be provided
  • Cordless monitoring is available for a more active labour
  • A pool is available should women wish to use it for labour and/or birth. The cordless monitor can be used in the water should you require monitoring
  • Analgesia includes Entonox, Pethidine or an epidural. Midwives work with women to ensure that the requests of their birth plan can be met at this time

The Labour Ward features 13 labour/birth rooms and:

  • One pool room
  • Two obstetric theatres
  • A two-bed recovery bay

There is Obstetric consultant cover for 98 hours a week (24 hours on call).   Two Senior Midwives are present on each shift and they are supported by a team of midwives who are skilful in providing care to women who are higher risk and require closer monitoring.  There is 24 hour Anaesthetic cover for women who require the use of Obstetric theatre or require an Epidural. The team also compromises of maternity assistants, student midwives and domestics.

After your baby is born

Stacey Dooley and the Lockdown babies covid+mum Mania Mahmood and baby Hanna 1

Postnatal refers to the period of time after your baby is born. It is a period of physical and emotional adjustment as you and your baby settle into your new lives.

Your midwife and the support team are here to ensure your and your baby’s wellbeing, and will help you and your family get off to the best possible start.

Please open the box below for more information on our dedicated postnatal services.

Patient information leaflets and useful links

Our parent education modules are designed to give you information about labour, birth and parenthood.

You can book virtual classes and access the training material on the parent education page.

The Birth Matters Service is overseen and facilitated by Specialist Midwife Jo Stubbs. Jo is a clinically experienced midwife who also works in the Maternity Risk and Governance Team at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

What is the Birth Matters Service for?

The Birth Matters Service is for exploring options, care planning and/or discussing previous experiences.

The service can help if you have specific concerns, needs or wishes that you feel would benefit from further discussion.  You may have had a previous traumatic experience or be anxious about something in particular.  The service helps to explore the options for your birth, the choices available to you and help to provide an individualised care plan.

Pregnancy, birth and postnatal experiences can sometimes result in unexpected events that you may not have been prepared for or experiences that you may be struggling to understand or resolve.  Whatever your experience is, it is not uncommon to be unable to recall the details of the events, particularly if you experienced complications, an emergency or anything else you felt unprepared for or had a negative experience.  Birth Matters provides a listening service and an opportunity to reflect on your experience, resolve unanswered questions and help to understand why events may have happened or why decisions were made.  Plans for a current or future pregnancy and birth can also be discussed.

The aim of the Birth Matters Service is to support choices and closure; offer shared understanding following difficult experiences and reduce anxiety moving forward.

Some women may experience symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is an anxiety disorder.  This may resolve for some individuals but other women would benefit from psychological therapy, such as Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).  These therapies are designed to help treat PTSD.  The Birth Matters Service does not provide these psychological therapies but you can be signposted to services or talk to your G.P. who can discuss your options.

How do I get referred to the Birth Matters Service?

You can be referred to Birth Matters by your midwife, obstetrician, health visitor or GP.

If you are overweight in pregnancy you may be asked if you would like to see our specialist pregnancy dietitian. Their aim is not to put you on a diet but to support healthy eating in pregnancy. If you would like to be seen by them, they will discuss how you can optimise your diet during pregnancy.

Useful links

Meet the team

Patient testimonials

“There are no words to describe how amazing the staff are in this place!”

“They (maternity service staff) are like my family and I trust them completely.”

“My emotional health was looked after just as much as my baby’s physical health.”

Accessibility

AccessAble logo

Please see the AccessAble pages on the Women’s and Newborn Unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary and accessible parking. Information on general car parking is also available.

Bradford Royal Infirmary is located on Smith Lane. The postcode for a sat-nav is BD9 6DA. Access to the Women’s and Newborn Unit is via Smith Lane, Gate 5.

Feedback

We value feedback, both good and bad, as this helps us to continually review and develop the services we provide.

While in hospital

Please speak to your clinician.

As an outpatient

Please add your comment to our comments box below. The information you provide will be forwarded to our Patient Experience team in confidence. If you wish us to follow-up your comment and report back, please leave your contact details alongside your comment below. Thank you.

    Join us

    Our talented and compassionate staff help care for a diverse population, making Bradford a special place to work. Choosing the right people is key to our success.

    If you think you’ve got what it takes to join us, please contact us by email at careers@bthft.nhs.uk to discover more about our latest opportunities.

    Staff area

    Member of staff? Please access the dedicated staff page (password required)