PLANS are shaping up for a new midwife-led unit that could transform the experience of women giving birth in Winchester.
The proposals are for six single rooms in a purpose-built unit in the Florence Portal building of the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH).
The scheme was highlighted at the annual meeting of Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust.
Midwife-led units support low-risk women to give birth naturally without medical interventions such as Caesarians or epidurals for pain relief. They aim to provide a more homely, less clinical environment than the labour ward.
The new unit would include a second birthing pool and possibly sofa beds so partners could stay overnight if women give birth late evening or early hours of the morning.
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