If you think you are in labour, or your waters have broken, you can contact the Maternity Triage line to speak to a midwife at any time of the day or night using the Healthier Together app.
There is a wealth of information about birth on the Healthier Together website which will give you information about signs of labour, and what to bring with you to the hospital. You can also prepare by booking onto our antenatal education sessions.
What are my options for birth?
Within Hampshire Hospitals we have a range of options for you to choose for birth and you can read all about each location we provide maternity services at over on our Choices for places of birth page here. You will be given information about all the options and recommendations will be made for you about the safety of each place depending on your individual pregnancy and birth factors.
If you are healthy, more than 37 weeks pregnant and having one baby, are at low chance of having complications during birth you can find out about the chance of different birth outcomes based on where you choose to give birth by clicking the images or links below.
Click here for information for healthy, low-risk women having their first baby
Click here for information for healthy, low risk women who have had a baby before
Some mothers have health or pregnancy conditions that mean we recommend giving birth in one of our main obstetric units in Basingstoke or Winchester where we have immediate access to doctors who provide specialist medical care - obstetricians, anaesthetists and neonatologists.
If you would like to discuss your birth option in more detail you can speak to one of our Consultant Obstetricians or a Consultant Midwife who will be happy to support you to make an individual plan. We support a range of birth preferences including home birth, water birth and caesarean section for maternal requests.
You can read more about pain relief options in labour on the Healthier Together site.
In both of our main hospital sites (Basingstoke and Winchester), you have the options of:
- Entonox - also known as ‘gas and air’, which is breathed through a mouthpiece)
- Diamorphine or pethidine - opiate injections into a muscle
- Epidural – a local anaesthetic given through a small tube into your back to numb you in labour
- Remifentanil – an opiate drug going to a vein that you control yourself by pressing a button (being introduced from September 2025 in Winchester)
- Sterile Water Injections – to help with extreme back pain in labour
- You may also find benefits from using water in the birthing pools
In the community, you have the option of Entonox, sterile water injections and water. On occasion diamorphine or pethidine can be obtained in preparation for birth.
We are also happy to support you to use TENS machines or aromatherapy (not by diffuser), however, you will need to provide these yourself.
Please visit the NHS Website for further information.
Caesarean birth may be recommended by your obstetrician in pregnancy due to a medical reason that means going through labour may not be the safest option, either for you or your baby – this is called planned or elective caesarean birth. We will usually schedule this for around 39-40 weeks.
Some women also choose a caesarean birth for other reasons (known as a maternal request for caesarean birth), and we support this choice, ensuring you have all the information you need. You will be under the care of an Obstetrician, and we may offer you the chance to discuss birth with a consultant midwife. Some women experiencing a fear of birth (known as tokophobia) also benefit from speaking to our Maternity Mental Health service to help manage their anxiety.
Please speak to your midwife or obstetrician if you are considering a planned caesarean birth. You can read more about the risks and benefits of both vaginal birth and caesarean birth here.
Water has many benefits for labour and birth and you can access a pool in all of our sites.
One pool is available at Andover Birth Centre, two on the
Basingstoke Delivery Suite and two on the Winchester Birth Centre (one of which may be available if you are giving birth on the Labour Ward). These cannot be prebooked.
If you are at home, you can use a birthing pool, however it would be your responsibility for hiring it and filling and emptying. Your midwife will be able to discuss this with you.
Monitoring your baby during labour
This booklet has been provided to help answer some of the questions you may have about how we listen to and monitor your baby’s heart.
We can listen to your baby’s heartbeat either at regular intervals with a handheld doppler (which is called intermittent auscultation or IA) or continuously using a CTG (cardiotocography) machine.
If your baby is being continuously monitored, we can use telemetry which is a wireless version of continuous monitoring using a CTG, which allows you to move around more freely. It can be used in the birthing pool if you would like the benefits of water in labour. Continuous monitoring is only available in the main obstetric units in Basingstoke and Winchester.
During your pregnancy your midwife or doctor should discuss with you any specific recommendations about monitoring your baby in labour, and the risks and benefits of each option.
