Women’s and Newborn Unit

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 journey through pregnancy and on to childbirth. Our aim is to ensure you have the best possible experience along with a high standard of care.

We offer a full range of services for more than 6,000 women and families every year based in the hospital and out in the community, ranging from specialist care for women who need closer monitoring to a home-birth service for women with healthy pregnancies.

Our newly refurbished Labour Ward is easily contacted on 01274 364515 or 01274 364514 and the Birth Centre can be contacted on 01274 364929.

We are also proud to be a `Baby Friendly Initiative’ hospital, and have been accredited for our good practice around infant feeding by Unicef.

Childbirth is a profound event in the social context of a woman’s life. In Bradford our midwifery practice encompasses the social, emotional, cultural, spiritual, physical and psychological aspects of a woman’s childbearing experience.

Our modern Labour Ward is situated on the ground floor of the Women’s and Newborn Unit. It features 13 single-birth rooms, a pool room, two dedicated maternity theatres and a two-bed recovery room. Normal births, assisted births and planned and emergency caesarean section births take place on the Labour Ward.

Pain relief is available in the form of gas and air (Entonox), Pethidine and an epidural.

We currently have obstetric consultant cover (24 hour on-call) for 98 hours a week and a 24-hour anaesthetic/epidural service.

Our team of experienced staff members includes doctors, midwives, theatre practitioners, maternity support workers, healthcare assistants, and clerical and domestic staff.

First contact with a health professional should ideally take place by 10 weeks. A booking appointment will be arranged with a midwife to collect some information and plan subsequent care for the pregnancy.

Women who are identified as having risk factors in pregnancy will be referred for consultant obstetrician opinion and planning of care.

Please bring any current medication to your appointments.

The Antenatal Day Unit provides close observation and monitoring for women experiencing complicated/high risk pregnancy. This includes women with hypertension, hyperemesis gravidarium, poor obstetric history, a small or large baby for the pregnancy stage, reduced foetal movements, obstetric cholestasis (itching in pregnancy), confirmed spontaneous rupture of membranes (SROM), foetal abnormalities, diabetes and external cephalic version (turning baby from the breech position).

Cardiotocograph (CTG) and computerised CTG to monitor your baby’s heartbeat are just some of the procedures performed in the day unit.

Wards M3 and M4 have recently been refurbished and improvements made based on recommendations and feedback from women, their families and staff. The wards are bright, airy and have a more homely environment in order to make women feel more relaxed. A birth partner or named carer can stay to support their partner 24 hours a day.

M3 has 29 beds consisting of four-bed rooms and single side rooms; the ward is for women whom require admission during pregnancy, and following the birth of their baby.

M4 is a 20-bed postnatal ward and nine-bed Transitional Care Unit, consisting of four-bed rooms and single side rooms. The ward is for those women and babies that require admission following birth.

There are rooms designated for women with disabilities, a bereavement suite, quiet room and dining/sitting room. All our rooms have access to toilet and shower/bath facilities.

Screening is the process of identifying women and babies who may be at an increased risk of a disease or condition and may require further information, tests and treatment.

Screening is important as it can save lives or improve quality of life through early risk identification and/or reduce the risk of developing a serious condition or its complication.

What screening tests will I be offered in pregnancy?

During your pregnancy, you will be offered a range of screening tests, including blood tests and ultrasound baby scans. They are designed to help make your pregnancy safer, check and assess the development and wellbeing of you and your baby, and screen for particular conditions.

You do not have to take any of the tests. However, it is important to understand the purpose of all of them so that you can make an informed decision about whether to take them. Discuss this with your maternity team.

Your midwife or GP should send you a booklet about antenatal and newborn screening called Screening Tests for You and Your Baby. It is important to read the booklet and inform your midwife of any relevant conditions that you, your partner or your immediate families may have. The booklet is available in English and many other languages here.

You can find out more about each of the different screening tests by clicking on the links below:

Blood tests

• Screening for infectious diseases (hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis)
• Screening for inherited conditions (sickle cell, thalassaemia and other haemoglobin disorders)

Ultrasound baby scans

It is recommended that all pregnant women in England are offered a minimum of two ultrasound scans during pregnancy. At the first antenatal appointment you will be offered an early pregnancy scan. This should take place after eight weeks and before 13+6 weeks of pregnancy. The purpose of the scan is to assess how many weeks pregnant you are, the number of babies you are having and check your baby’s wellbeing.

At 18+0 and 20+6 weeks pregnant you will be offered an anomaly scan. Its purpose is to look for any structural abnormalities (problems) your baby may have.

• Dating scan 8-13+6 weeks pregnant
• Anomaly scan 18-20-weeks pregnant

You will be offered screening for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy. This is called the combined test because it combines an ultrasound scan with a blood test. The scan can be carried out at the same time as the dating scan. If you are too far on in your pregnancy (more than 14 weeks) to have the combined test, you will be offered a blood test between 14 and 20 weeks of pregnancy that screens for Down’s syndrome. This test is not quite as accurate as the combined test.

• Screening for Down’s, Edwards’ and Patau’s syndrome

Some screening tests will also be offered to your baby after they are born. You can read more about these tests by clicking on the links below:

• Newborn physical examination
• Newborn hearing screening
• Newborn blood spot screening

We recently launched ‘Our Journey To Outstanding – Vision for Maternity Services 2020-2022‘, which outlines the journey we need to make to become a truly outstanding service.

• Bradford Royal Infirmary’s Maternity Assessment Centre is now open around the clock
• Women’s and Newborn Unit receives spectacular £1.8m makeover
• Trust delivers 22 new midwives
• Maternity Support Worker scoops top national award from Royal College of Midwives
• Wallets promote healthy pregnancies

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.

We are very proud of our family-friendly maternity care, and look forward to welcoming you and your partner to our award-winning Women’s and Newborn Unit.

The following video offers a guided tour of the services and facilities our maternity units can offer.

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 – the midwife will then contact you to arrange an appointment.

Through your GP

• Visit your GP and request a referral

Online

• Click here to complete our online self-referral form. Please ensure you complete the form and provide the full name, address and telephone number of your GP. If you are unable to complete the form, please call our self-referral telephone line between 1-3pm, Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) on 01274 364502. If you don’t speak English, please contact your GP.

Telephone
To contact us for appointment queries please call 01274 274274.

Referral pathways

Women can refer themselves directly to a midwife attached to their GP surgery or telephone 01274 364502, Mon-Fri, between 1-3.30pm.

GPs should make a referral directly to the midwife attached to their surgery.

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

Finding reliable information in pregnancy can be difficult. The links below offer access to reliable, up-to-date and evidence-based information which can help you make informed choices about your care:

• A British Sign Language (BSL) version of My Maternity Journey is available here
• Screening tests for you and your baby: easy guides
• Screening tests for hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis: an easy guide to screening tests when you are pregnant
• Screening for sickle cell disease and thalassaemia: an easy guide to screening tests when you are pregnant
• Screening for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome, and Patau’s syndrome: an easy guide to screening tests when you are pregnant
• Screening for problems with the baby’s body: an easy guide to screening tests when you are pregnant
• Screening for eye problems for pregnant women with diabetes: an easy guide to screening tests when you are pregnant
• Looking at your baby’s heart, eyes, hips and balls (testicles): an easy guide to screening tests for your new baby
• Looking at your baby’s hearing: an easy guide to screening tests for your new baby
• Blood spot tests: an easy guide to screening tests for your new baby
• NHS antenatal and newborn screening timeline
• Information about reduced fetal movements
• Information about vaginal birth after having a caesarean section
• Caesarian Section
• What you should know when your waters break and labour has not yet started
• Wound hygiene
• Group B streptococcus in pregnancy
• Information for women following a third or fourth-degree tear
• Venous thromboembolism: reducing the risk in pregnancy and after birth