Birth Centre
Our Birth Centre is ideal for those who wish to experience the birth of their baby in a home from home environment.
Choosing our birth centre
At booking and during pregnancy your midwife will discuss your birth options with you. Our Birth Centre is ideal for women and birthing people who have had a straightforward pregnancy. If you have medical or pregnancy complications and would like to choose to birth in the Birth Centre, your midwife can arrange for you to discuss further in our Birth Options Clinic to make a personalised care plan for birth.
Labour care is tailored to your individual needs and we offer a range of specialist equipment including mats, bean bags, stools and balls. Birthing pools are available for a water birth or to help you feel comfortable during labour. Labouring and giving birth in water can help you to relax, provide support to move around easily and relieve pain.
We also encourage and support the use of active birth techniques and hypnobirthing to help you have a positive birth experience.
Watch a video about our Birth Centre
What we offer
The five rooms in our Birth Centre have been designed to provide you and your family with a comfortable, relaxing and calm environment to have your baby. Our Birth Centre offers:
- A midwifery-led birth
- Possibility to go home from six hours after your baby is born, or stay in the Birth Centre for up to 12 hours. If you need a longer stay after giving birth, you may be transferred to the postnatal (Cellier) ward for postnatal care.
Our rooms are a home-from-home with:
- Double bed for partners to stay overnight
- En-suite bathroom
- Birthing pool in four rooms
- Adjustable lighting
- Music – you can connect to our speakers via Bluetooth to listen to your own music.
While you are with us we can answer any questions you might have and support you with feeding and caring for your baby.
When you go home you are transferred to the care of your local community midwives.
Active Birth
An active birth involves keeping mobile during labour and using various techniques to remain comfortable at home for as long as possible, manage pain and encourage your baby into the right position for birth.
The benefits of an active birth can include a shorter labour and reduced need for pain relief and can be facilitated in any birth environment.
Techniques you can use include:
The benefits of an active birth can include a shorter labour and reduced need for pain relief and can be facilitated in any birth environment.
Techniques you can use include:
- Moving about
- Adopting certain positions
- Breathing exercises
- Massage from your birth partner
You will be supported with these techniques for an active birth throughout your labour by the midwives and support team.
Pain relief options
You will have a range of pain relief therapies available to you including:
- Water (please bring your own sieve and mirror if you would like to use the birthing pool)
- Gas and air (Entonox - a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide gas)
- Massage
- Complementary therapies such as hypnobirthing
- Diamorphine injection (into the muscle of your thigh or buttock)
- You can also bring a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) machine from home for pain relief
Obstetric assistance
Our Birth Centre is located one floor below the Labour Ward. If at any point during your labour or birth you require the assistance of our obstetric medical team, they are immediately available. Your midwife will discuss with you the option of being transferred to the Labour Ward if she feels this is appropriate.
Some of the common reasons to transfer to our labour ward include:
Some of the common reasons to transfer to our labour ward include:
- Asking for an epidural
- Labour is longer than expected
- Meconium (when baby passes their first stool in their water)
- Fetal distress (when baby is unhappy in labour)
- Your doctor or midwife may recommend that you give birth in hospital if are expecting twins or if your baby is in breech (lying bottom first). If you would still like to birth at home or in the Birth Centre, your midwife can refer you to the Consultant Midwife to make a personalised plan.
Birth Centre team
Birth Centre team leader
Nuala Hammond-Norris
Birth Centre Matron
Chika Okwonko
Location
Birth Centre
Level 2 - Kenwood Wing
Whittington Hospital
Magdala Avenue
London N19 5NF
Contact
Call the Birth Centre at 020 7288 3990 or 020 7288 3991.
Contact
Call the Birth Centre at 020 7288 3990 or 020 7288 3991.
Please call us before you come to the Birth Centre so we can prepare for your arrival.
Please be aware, on some occasions the Birth Centre service may be suspended due to high activities on the maternity unit or unpredicted staff absence. If this is the case, on calling your call will be directly forwarded to the Maternity Triage team.
Last updated27 Mar 2025