The Oxford Spires Maternity Unit turned 10 on 1st September 2018 and celebrated with a big party to which all the children who were born there (that’s over 7,500!) were invited along with their families. We weren’t on the guest list. Neither of my children were born there, but I started in the Spires with my first son before transferring down to the Delivery Suite for the second half, so have some experience of it…
I’ve put together this blog about the Spires for anyone who is currently weighing up their labour options in Oxford. I remember not knowing how it all worked, so hopefully this is helpful to anyone currently in that position!
What is the Oxford Spires?
The Spires is a midwifery-led centre on level 7 of the Women’s Centre at the JR, Headington. It is staffed by midwives and support staff who offer care during labour and immediately after birth for healthy women and uncomplicated pregnancies. In their words:
‘Our aim is to provide a safe, relaxed and informal environment for you. Women who come to the Spires to have their babies will be offered a personal and family-centred service. There will be a strong emphasis on skilled, sensitive and respectful midwifery.’
So in the Spires you will be looked after by a midwife throughout your labour. There aren’t any doctors etc at the Spires, the whole thing is it’s midwives.
We just had one midwife looking after us while we were there, though if you’re there longer and they have a shift change you’ll see different ones (we experienced this on Delivery Suite). Our Spires midwife stayed out of the room most of the time, and just came in as things were needed. I’m guessing they’d come in more and more as things get further along and stay with you once birth is imminent.
What does it look like?
Rosalie Wright, Director of Midwifery, said: The Midwifery-led Unit has been a great addition to the Women’s Centre and is very popular with pregnant women. It combines the comfort of a relaxed and homely environment in the care of our skilled midwives with the reassurance of the ability to be very quickly transferred to the main delivery suite if things do not go quite to plan.’
The Spires has three birthing rooms, each with a birthing pool. The rooms are designed to help you relax because relaxation encourages the release of natural pain-relieving hormones.
I think we were in the Wytham Room, but might be wrong – it was the one on the left! There was no one else on the unit when we arrived so we had a choice of all three. I just picked it because to me it felt the nicest.
(A lot of the kit available in the Spires to help you birth is also on the Delivery Suite – e.g. birthing balls, speakers. I believe there is also a birth pool on the Delivery Suite. So don’t worry about not having access to these things just because you’re on Delivery Suite.)
What pain relief is available?
In the Spires you can only have ‘gas and air’ and/or Meptid (a synthetic opioid which is a morphine-like drug). For anything stronger you need to go to the Delivery Suite.
The Spires can also provide additional support such as TENS, wheaty bags, aromatherapy and massage.
Who can give birth in the Spires?
All women who have had straightforward pregnancies and women:
It doesn’t matter where you live – they take women from all over Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties.
Are there other maternity-led units nearby?
Yes there are – the others are the Horton Midwifery-led Unit, the Cotswold Birth Centre in Chipping Norton, the Wallingford Maternity and Birthing Centre and the Wantage Maternity Unit. Addresses and contact phone numbers for these units are on Oxford Mumbler here.
But there is no obstetric cover for these units. If anything like that is needed (e.g. epidural, forceps, etc), women need to travel by ambulance to the John Radcliffe Hospital, accompanied by a midwife. This is how these units differ from the Spires. On the Spires you’re already in the hospital so it’s much quicker and less disruption to get extra help.
If you’re interested in giving birth at the Spires and meet the above criteria, it’s possible to arrange a tour of the unit in the run up to the birth. We did this and it was reassuring when I was in labour to have already seen it so I knew what to expect. It also means you can have a think about which room you might like to be in (though don’t get your heart set on it in case it’s not available when you pitch up in labour). To arrange a tour, ring the Spires on: 01865 221666.
Happy Birthday to Oxford Spires Maternity-led Unit! And good luck to all the pregnant mamas out there, and remember that although the Spires is a nice option – so can be the delivery suite, a home birth or wherever. It doesn’t matter where you give birth, as long as everyone is ok at the end of it!
September 2018
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Sources:
https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/women/maternity/units/jr/documents/12467OxfordSpiresBirthingCentre3.pdf
https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/news/article.aspx?id=822
https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/women/maternity/units/jr/spires-unit.aspx
