Labour and birth

The birthing journey is a very special time in a woman’s life. Whatever path your birth takes, your ability to make decisions that are right for you and your baby depend on you being an active participant.

When to come to hospital

Your doctor or midwife will advise you when to come to hospital. If you are concerned or have questions please call our Birth Suite on (07) 3883 7714.

If you are less than 20 weeks pregnant and experiencing problems, please contact your GP, your private obstetrician or your assigned midwife. If you are unable to contact these or have unresolved concerns, please visit the Emergency Department at Redcliffe Hospital.

Call the hospital before coming

Please phone prior to coming into Birth Suite to allow the midwife to assess your progress and prepare for your arrival. Some of the other reasons you may need to come to hospital include:

• if your waters break
• when contractions become too painful to cope with at home
• if vaginal bleeding occurs
• if baby is not moving as much as normal
• if you are worried about yourself or your baby

If you have chosen a private midwife or maternity group practice, then you would ring those health practitioners directly.

Your arrival

On your arrival, go to the Birth Suite reception, located on Level 3 of the Main Building. It is important that you have your pregnancy health record with you. A midwife will assess your health and discuss your birthing preferences. The midwife will:

• check the baby’s position by feeling your abdomen
• check your temperature, pulse and blood pressure
• listen to the baby’s heart rate
• time your contractions
• with consent, do an internal (vaginal) examination to see how much your cervix has opened and to check the baby’s position
• put an identification band on your wrist.

Birthing rooms

We have 4  birthing rooms located on Level 3 of the Main Building, which have been designed to ensure you feel as comfortable and relaxed as you can be during labour. Each room has individual bathrooms and space for you to be active before birth. Rooms also include:

• music (radio/CD/iPod connectivity for your own choice of music) with relaxation music available on request
• a shower; which can be helpful for pain relief
• birthing ball; a gym style ball or peanut shape that is comfortable to sit on, encouraging pelvic rocking and positioning to help in labour. It can also allow your support people to massage your back at the same time. Bean bags are also provided.
• peanut ball; a special ball which helps to promote labour progress. It is particularly useful for women have epidural anaesthesia
• floor mats to kneel on the floor.