First baby born in new Midwife-Led Suite room at King’s

06 February 2014 - The Beach Room welcomed its first baby on Tuesday 28 January

Proud parents with new baby at King's new midwife-led unit

At precisely 8.47 am on Tuesday 28 January, proud parents Suzanne and James Vincent welcomed their daughter Beatrice into the world. Though four days later than expected, Beatrice, who weighed 8.6 lbs., timed her arrival to perfection as she became the first baby to be born in the Beach Room, one of two rooms in the new Midwife-Led Suite at King’s College Hospital.

The suite includes the Beach Room and the Woodland Room, and both rooms feature a birthing pool and a double bed, as well as a support sling that enables women to maintain an upright position when giving birth, which can help with the pain of labour. Run entirely by midwives, the suite is designed to be a more relaxed place for women with low risk pregnancies to give birth.

Teresa Arias, Consultant Midwife at King’s, said: “Each room offers a calming environment to women who are anticipating an uncomplicated labour and birth, and evidence has shown that this kind of setting can increase the likelihood of women having a normal birth”.

Locals Suzanne and James, who live in Camberwell, praised the new facilities that King’s has to offer expectant parents. Suzanne, 40, said: “The Beach Room has a calm and quiet atmosphere, which really helped me to relax. Thanks to the comforting environment and the guidance of the midwives, labour was much quicker and less stressful second time round”.

James, 42, was “as high as a kite” following the birth of his second child and said that it was “amazing” to discover that Beatrice was the first child to be born in the suite.

As one of London’s leading maternity hospitals, King’s cares for more than 6,000 mothers and babies each year.

Notes to editors

1. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching hospitals, training over 900 dentists, 750 doctors and 300 nurses every year. The Trust is recognized internationally for its work in liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, cardiac, haemato-oncology, stroke and major trauma. On 1 October 2013, King’s took over the running of the Princess Royal University Hospital in Bromley and Orpington Hospital, as well as some services at Beckenham Beacon and Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup. The new enlarged organisation has over 10,500 staff and provides over 1 million patient contacts a year. 9,000 babies are delivered by our hospitals each year, and over 750 patients come to our Emergency Departments every day. For more information, please visit the website. You can also support the work of King’s College Hospital at www.togetherwecan.org.uk

2. King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering collaboration between King’s College London, and Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.

King’s Health Partners is one of only six Department of Health-designated AHSCs in England and brings together an unrivalled range and depth of clinical and research expertise, spanning both physical and mental health. Our combined strengths will drive improvements in care for patients, allowing them to benefit from breakthroughs in medical science and receive leading edge treatment at the earliest possible opportunity.

Our partnership brings together...

  • three of the UK’s leading NHS Foundation Trusts;
  • one of the top 30 universities in the world;
  • services provided over 225 locations, including seven hospitals and community and mental health centres;
  • 2.2 million patient contacts each year;
  • 31,000 staff;
  • 25,000 students;
  • a combined annual turnover of £2.8bn.

... to advance health and wellbeing by integrating world-class research, care and teaching.

3. Together we can... supports King’s College Hospital. We fundraise for the best in treatment, research and health education, leading-edge equipment and improving well-being in our communities. By uniting doctors, nurses, researchers and academics with our supporters and volunteers we can provide the best patient care that goes above and beyond. Find out more and support us at togetherwecan.org.uk

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