The Cove

The Cove is a midwife-led birthing unit, providing labour and birth care to women with low-risk pregnancies at Dorset County Hospital’s Maternity Unit.

Providing the right environment for women to give birth in is extremely important. An obstetric led unit can be an alienating setting for some women, leading to feelings of loss of control and disempowerment. These feelings can interfere with the normal process of giving birth.

The benefit of a Midwife Led Unit is to provide a more ‘homely’ environment where women can feel relaxed, calm and comfortable.

If you or your baby develop any complications and need to be seen by a doctor, you will be transferred to the obstetric-led maternity unit. This is just down the corridor from us so transfers can happen very quickly if necessary.

The Cove has two rooms containing, birth pools with lights under the water so parents can see their baby being born, the windows have blinds so light levels can be reduced and mood lighting can be used to create a relaxing environment. A birthing ‘cube’ in each room can be used as a double bed to rest on, or changed into various shapes to achieve an upright and active birth if women do not to use the pool. Aromatherapy diffusers have an integral blue tooth speaker enabling couples to listen to their own music.

The Cove is a midwife-led birthing unit, providing labour and birth care to women with low-risk pregnancies at Dorset County Hospital’s Maternity Unit.

Providing the right environment for women to give birth in is extremely important. An obstetric led unit can be an alienating setting for some women, leading to feelings of loss of control and disempowerment. These feelings can interfere with the normal process of giving birth.

The benefit of a Midwife Led Unit is to provide a more ‘homely’ environment where women can feel relaxed, calm and comfortable.

If you or your baby develop any complications and need to be seen by a doctor, you will be transferred to the obstetric-led maternity unit. This is just down the corridor from us so transfers can happen very quickly if necessary.

The Cove has two rooms containing, birth pools with lights under the water so parents can see their baby being born, the windows have blinds so light levels can be reduced and mood lighting can be used to create a relaxing environment. A birthing ‘cube’ in each room can be used as a double bed to rest on, or changed into various shapes to achieve an upright and active birth if women do not to use the pool. Aromatherapy diffusers have an integral blue tooth speaker enabling couples to listen to their own music.

If you’ve  had an uncomplicated birth, you would normally stay for at least 6 hours, in order to make sure that you and your baby are well, however if you wish to go home sooner please let us know.

If additional monitoring or medical treatment is required for you or your baby, you will be transferred to the postnatal ward/Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).

We have a dedicated Infant Feeding Team to help you with feeding while you are staying with us. However, all our staff are trained to help you feed your baby and we have full BFI accreditation.