News

13th June 2005

Births made more difficult by hospitals

Births are made more difficult by a clinical environment and a lack of space during labour, according to a new survey.

The National Childbirth Trust surveyed almost 700 women, 90 per cent of whom said the hospital environment affected how well they coped with labour.

The survey also found a link between a lack of space to move into different positions during labour and the rate of emergency caesarean sections.

The survey found that one in four women disliked white walls, no comfortable furnishings and resuscitation equipment on view and felt that being in a labour room that looked more clinical than homely had a bad effect.

Thirty-one percent of the children and 19 percent of the adults had allergic disorders which included hay fever, respiratory allergies, eczema, wheezing, food allergies and asthma.

Many women said they had no opportunity to control key aspects of their surroundings during labour. Almost half (49 per cent) were not able to control who came into the room during their labour - staff and visitors just entered without knocking first.

Two thirds were unable to control the temperature of the room, while 40 per cent had no control over lighting.

One in 25 women said the room in which they gave birth was not clean, even though most women rated having a clean room as the most important factor when giving birth.

Women also stressed the importance of privacy and comfort during labour, but 44 per cent said they had to share toilet facilities with others, and 38 per cent had too few pillows, bean bags and mats for comfort.

The NCT said the many aspects of the birthing experience had improved since a similar survey 2003 - but said more improvements were still needed.

Mary Newburn, Head of Policy Research at the charity, said, "Birth rooms should be designed to meet women's needs.

"Women need to feel relaxed, comfortable and uninhibited.

"This means having a clean, spacious room, privacy (including use of your own toilet without having to go down the corridor), being able to dim the lights or open a window, and having plenty of pillows.

"Our research shows that some environments make labour more difficult for women rather than helping them to have the kind of birth they want."

She added that many changes would not cost a lot of money.

"Beds can be moved to the side of the room to give women more space to move around, people should be asked to knock before entering, and rooms should be made to feel more homely without lots of clinical equipment in view.

"It's also vital that women's priorities are considered when maternity units are being rebuilt or refurbished."

A Department of Health spokesperson said, "While we accept that some women might feel the presence of equipment on maternity wards is overly clinical, we regard the safety of the mother and baby as paramount.

"In 2001, the Government made £100m capital funding available to ensure that pregnant women have access to improved maternity services by improving the environment in which their care is provided.

"The extra money was used for a range of improvements including the modernisation of antenatal units, upgrading amenities, providing new equipment, and improving privacy as well as increasing facilities for bereaved families."

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