Women share 'frustration' at lack of birthing pools

The NHS says giving birth in the water can provide effective pain relief (stock image)

New mothers and pregnant women in Sussex have told the BBC they are frustrated that birthing pools at two of the county's major hospitals have been out of service for several months.

The birthing pool at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Haywards Heath has not been operational since September while the pool at Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) in Brighton was decommissioned in July.

Alice Stride, who gave birth to her baby Evie four weeks ago, said she felt she had been "robbed of the birth she wanted".

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation said it was in the process of replacing the birthing pools and hoped this would be done "within a few months".

They said the pools were out of action as they did not pass the standard regular infection prevention and control testing processes.

Ms Stride had been planning a water birth at Princess Royal Hospital

Ms Stride had been planning a water birth at PRH but was told two days before she was due to be induced that the pool was not operational.

She said she needed a lot of medication - including an epidural - that she had wanted to avoid. Eventually she opted for a caesarean.

"Maybe it would have gone a different way had I been in the water," said Ms Stride.

The NHS says "being in a birth pool can be relaxing and a good way of reducing pain in labour".

Although there is no evidence that giving birth in the water can reduce the need for a caesarean, research shows they do reduce the need for an epidural.

'A much calmer transition'

Sami Joyce, a midwife in Kent, said as well as offering benefits for mothers, for babies water births create a "much calmer transition in an experience that could actually be quite traumatic".

Water births also helped healthcare professionals to "encourage women to trust their innate responses to birth," she added.

"This is how outcomes are improved for mothers and babies."

Tamara Vodden from Brighton used a pool the first time she gave birth at RSCH in January 2022 and said "it really helped", particularly as she was unable to take medication for pain relief.

She gave birth again in September with no access to the pool and said it "would have been much better in the pool".

"It's really frustrating - I don't understand why they don't have it sorted," she said.

Tamara Vodden said a pool would have really helped with her baby's birth in September

Emma Chambers, director of midwifery for University Hospitals Sussex, said: “We are in the process of replacing the birthing pools at Royal Sussex County Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital.

"This is to ensure the safety of mothers and their babies. We are dedicated to resuming water birth services as soon as possible, and we hope that this will be within a few months.

“We understand this is very disappointing for some families and apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

"Expectant mothers can still choose to have water births locally at Worthing, St Richard's in Chichester, Eastbourne, Crowborough, or at home.”