Having your baby

At Sunderland Royal Hospital we have a consultant-led maternity unit. This means you're cared for by doctors and midwives. Our team are experts at what they do. 

Here we have:

• Our antenatal day assessment unit
• 11 labour rooms
• 1 birthing pool room
• Birthing balls and floor mats
• Movable beds to help with active labour
• 1 maternity theatre with recovery spaces
• Our on-site level 3 neonatal unit if your baby needs some more medical support 

You might need to have your baby here if you need extra medical help during labour or birth. Special equipment is nearby in case there are problems. This means care can be given quickly if needed.

What are the benefits of having my baby here? 

• We have a large team on site, including midwives, doctors, anaesthetists, neonatal staff and maternity support workers
• You will get 1‑to‑1 care from experienced midwives
• Birthing partners can stay overnight in our en‑suite birthing rooms
• You can give birth in the water
• Your care can be checked often by consultant obstetricians, who are experts in high‑risk pregnancy care
• Anaesthetists and theatre staff are on hand if you need extra care
• A full range of recommended pain relief is available

We have a midwifery-led birthing centre (MLBC) at South Tyneside. 

Right now, you can't have your baby here. This is because there aren't enough midwives to keep it running safe. Your midwife will explain this in more detail to you at your appointments. 

Antenatal classes, antenatal appointments and midwife appointments still take place at the MLBC. 

What is the MLBC?

Our MLBC gives a calm, “home‑from‑home” place to give birth. It is for women with low‑risk pregnancies who have not had any complications.

Although it's not open now, when it is, it is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is run by experienced midwives who offer a comfortable, friendly and relaxed space for women and their families. It is a good choice for women who want a vaginal birth with as little medical intervention as possible.

A home birth is when you choose to give birth in your own home instead of in a hospital or birthing centre.

Midwives come to your home to give care and support during labour and birth. They bring the equipment they need to keep you and your baby safe. Many women choose a home birth because they want a calm, familiar place and a more natural birth.

Home births are usually for women who have a healthy, low‑risk pregnancy. If any problems happen, the midwives can arrange for you to go to a hospital.

It’s always good to be prepared! It's handy to have things ready for when you do go in to labour. This means making sure you have your hospital bag packed for both you and baby.

We’ve created our hospital bag checklist to remind you what to include:

• A loose-fitting nighty or t-shirt for you to wear during your labour
• Slippers and a dressing gown
• Toiletries, flannel and towel
• Newborn nappies and clothing for your baby – don’t forget the all-important ‘going home’ outfit!
• Maternity pads and changes of underwear. Comfy knickers are best – the bigger the better!
• Comfortable, loose clothing for you to wear when you leave hospital
• Drinks and snacks for you and your birthing partner
• Books, magazines or music – if you’ve created a ‘labour playlist’ don’t forget your phone charger or speaker too

There are lots of things you can do both before and during labour, to help and prepare yourself for giving birth. This includes:

• Learning about labour – this can make you feel more in control and less frightened about what’s going to happen. Talk to your midwife, ask them questions and book on to our antenatal classes.
• Learn how to relax - stay calm and breathe deeply. There are lots of online apps and videos that can help you do this. 
• Have a bath – if you’re in the early stages of labour at home, you may want to run a nice hot bath which will help ease your pain.
• Keep moving – your position can make a difference, so try kneeling, walking around or rocking backwards and forwards. 
• Massage – depending on how you feel, a massage from your birthing partner may help you to feel more relaxed and comfortable.

Labour is the process your body goes through to help your baby be born. It usually starts with regular tightenings of your womb, called contractions. These contractions slowly open your cervix so your baby can move down.

During labour you may feel backache, period‑like pains, or your waters may break. Contractions usually get stronger, longer, and closer together as labour goes on.

When your cervix is fully open, you will start to push. This helps your baby move through the birth canal and be born. Midwives will support you throughout, helping you stay safe, calm and comfortable. They will guide you with breathing, positions and pain relief options.

After your baby is born, the placenta is delivered. Your midwife will check that you and your baby are well and support you with feeding and early care.

A caesarean section, or C‑section, is an operation to deliver your baby through a cut in your tummy and womb. Some C‑sections are planned if there is a known reason why vaginal birth may not be safe. Others are unplanned and happen during labour if problems arise.

You will usually have a spinal or epidural anaesthetic, which means you stay awake but do not feel pain from your waist down. A screen is placed in front of you and your baby is usually born within a few minutes of the start of the operation.

After your baby is born, the team will check both of you and support skin‑to‑skin contact if possible. The operation normally takes about 40–50 minutes in total. Recovery can take longer than after a vaginal birth, and you may need help with moving around at first.

Your midwives, doctors and theatre team will explain each step and keep you safe and comfortable throughout.

A water birth means at least part of your labour, delivery or both happen while you're in a birthing pool filled with warm water.

Being in water during labour is shown to help with pain, as well as being more relaxing and soothing. The water can help to support your weight, making it easier to move around and feel more in control during labour.

The water will be kept at a temperature that is comfortable for you but not above 37°C.  

When you’re in the water, you can wear whatever feels comfortable for you. Some people choose to wear a bikini, others choose to just wear a bra. If you prefer to me more covered you can wear a t-shirt or vest. You may want to be naked. It is entirely your choice. 

Breathing exercises have long been part of antenatal classes. Hypnobirthing takes this and adds relaxation, visualisation and mindfulness techniques to help you concentrate on your body and the birth of your baby.

In some cases, hypnobirthing has been shown to make labour shorter. It can be used with all other types of pain relief and be added to your birth plan.

If hypnobirthing is something you wish to use throughout your labour, we will fully support you. Make sure you have a chat with your midwife and add this to your birth plan.

A TENS machine works best during the early stages of labour.

It is a small machine that is attached to your back with sticky pads. It sends out tiny electrical impulses to block pain signals sent from your body to your brain. This means you are less aware of the pain.

It can also trigger the release of endorphins, which are your body's pain-relieving chemicals.

The machine doesn’t affect your baby and you can control it yourself. You can also use other pain relief at the same time.

'Gas and air' is a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide gas. You breathe this in using a mask or mouthpiece, which you hold yourself.

It works quickly and can be used at any time during labour. Gas and air works best if you take slow, deep breaths.

Gas and air will not remove all of the pain you are feeling, but it can help reduce it and make it more bearable. Many women like it because it’s easy to use and they control it themselves.

We offer pain relief including: 

• morphine
• diamorphine
• pethidine
• similar drugs called opioids

Each one works slightly differently. The side effects and times when you can be given them will vary depending on which drug you are given.

These injections will be given to you into your thigh or bottom and will take around 20 minutes to work. The effects last between 2 and 4 hours.

You can speak to your midwife about your options and any questions you may have. 

For most people who give birth, an epidural gives complete pain relief. It can be helpful for women who are having a long or particularly painful labour.

An epidural is a local anaesthetic that is injected into the spine and topped up as needed. It is given by an anaesthetist.

It numbs the nerves that carry the pain impulses from the birth canal to the brain. We have a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, epidural service at Sunderland Royal Hospital Delivery Suite. A resident Anaesthetist works on the delivery suite at all times. This is so you can have an epidural if you choose this as your pain relief option when you are in labour.

You can have up to 2 birthing partners. These are people who are with you while you are in labour.

Only 1 of your birthing partners can stay for the whole time. You can't swap your birthing partners while you're in labour. 

We don't allow any other visitors during this time. 

As soon as your baby is born, a lovely way to welcome them to the world is by spending time holding them in skin-to-skin contact. This means placing your baby, wearing only a nappy, on your bare chest. A blanket is then placed over both of you. 

Holding your baby in skin-to-skin directly after birth for at least an hour or until after the first feed, regardless of your feeding choice, will have benefits for both you and your baby.

There is growing evidence that skin-to-skin contact after the birth helps babies and their mothers. The practice:

• calms and relaxes both mam and baby
• regulates the baby’s heart rate and breathing, helping them to better adapt to life outside the womb
• stimulates digestion and an interest in feeding
• regulates temperature
• enables colonisation of the baby’s skin with the mother’s friendly bacteria, providing protection against infection
• stimulates the release of hormones to support breastfeeding and mothering.

Whether you want to bottle feed or breast feed, skin-to-skin is the perfect place to give baby their first feed.

Partners can also have skin-to-skin with baby, however we recommend that first contact is with mam.

The Delivery Suite is at Sunderland Royal Hospital. 

Use the entrance on Chester Road. There is a red "Maternity" sign above the door. 

We are on D Floor.