Midwives welcome 1,000th baby

Julie Bell from Lisburn gave birth to daughter Eva, who weighed in at 8lb 3oz, in the unit.

Julie had her previous two children Dylan and Lucy in Lagan Valley and had no hesitation in choosing Lagan Valley Midwifery Unit for the birth of daughter Eva.

“I would definitely encourage other mums to consider using Lagan Valley Midwifery Unit,” said Julie. “The unit has such a relaxed home from home feel to it. The staff were just fantastic not only to myself but to my husband Matthew and the care that I received was amazing. I was also impressed with the alternative therapies available including reflexology which was such a benefit to me during my pregnancy.”

The unit opened in 2011 and is going from strength to strength and is also proving a very popular choice with local mums.

The team of midwives and maternity support workers care for women before, during and after they have their babies.

The unit also operates in a team midwifery model so that women can meet the midwives before they have their babies so that they can develop a relationship with them and provide continuity of care

Lagan Valley Midwifery Unit also offers reflexology and hypnobirthing to women who are planning to birth their baby in the Unit.

Breastfeeding workshops are offered weekly and recently a post-natal clinic has been introduced to offer flexibility to post-natal women.

The Midwife Led Unit is designed for women who are fit and healthy in their first pregnancy or who have had no problems with previous pregnancies, and are assessed as low risk. Women will be cared for in a fully equipped room where they will stay throughout labour, birth and until they go home.

The environment and design is relaxed and pleasant to promote and assist normal childbirth. Facilities include bed settees which comfortably allow the woman’s birth partner to stay and give extra support to the new mother around the time of the birth of the baby.

Women can now self-refer to see the midwife and to give birth in the unit without attending their GP to be referred.

The self-referral form can be found on the South Eastern Trust website www.setrust.hscni.net/services/3235.htm