Women & Newborn Babies

• Maternity & Midwifery
• Self Refer Yourself
• Maternity Wards
• Neonatal Unit
• Marina Ward and EPAU
• Antenatal
• Obstetrics & Gynaecology
• Breastfeeding
• Meet the Staff
• Specialist Midwives
• Supervision of Midwives
• Great Expectations Charity

See Also

• Colposcopy
• Fertility
• Paediatrics
• Newborn Hearing Centre

The Duchess of Kent Unit for Women & Newborn Babies

Hillingdon Hospital: Maternity building
Women and Children’s Services
Telephone: 01895 279471
Visiting times for partners/siblings of baby (only): 8am - 6pm
Visiting times for other visitors: 6pm - 8pm

Our maternity unit and Neonatal Unit is at Hillingdon Hospital, serving a diverse ethnicity population. We currently deliver about 4,200 babies per year and provide Community Midwifery Services. We strive to offer the best possible evidence based midwifery /obstetric support and informed choice in childbirth, in a safe environment. You will be allocated a team depending on where you live, and the appropriate pathway of care depending on your needs.

Choice

• Homebirth is available for all low risk women and you are supported by an experienced team of midwives.
• The low risk pathway ensures you are cared for by a team of midwives who support you in low risk care. You will be encouraged to be mobile and use less intervention throughout your labour.
• The maternity team pathway is a multidisciplinary pathway available to all women who need midwifery and obstetric team care. All our Consultants practice both Obstetrics and Gynaecology covering the range of specialities between them.

Patient leaflets

• Breastfeeding Policy (476KB, pdf)
• Parents Guide to Breastfeeding Policy (20KB, pdf)
• Breastfeeding Support in Hillingdon (290KB, pdf)
• Downs Screening Process (117KB, pdf)
• Homebirth Guidelines (67KB, pdf)
• Maternity Expectations (43KB, pdf)
• Maternity Choices Brochure (1MB, pdf)
• Maternity Pathway Booklet (1.2MB, pdf)
• Midwifery Pathway Booklet (1.2MB, pdf)
• Vaginal Birth After C-Section (194KB, pdf)
• What to pack in your hospital bag (25KB, pdf)
• Screening tests for you and your baby (PDF from UK National Screening Committee)

Folic acid

We advise all pregnant women to take folic acid tablets for the first twelve weeks of their pregnancy. For most women the dose is 400micrograms (0.4mg a day). If your risk of having a child with a spinal cord problem is increased then the dose is higher, (5mg a day – you will need a prescription for a higher dose). If you think you are at risk, speak to your doctor or midwife.

Making it better

We agree with the guiding principle cited in the report, ‘Making it better - a clinical case for change’, Sheila Shribman, National Director for Children, Young People and Maternity Services (DH 2007) that: ‘All women will need a midwife but some need a doctor too’ and that choice is an important feature of the care we give.

Maternity Matters: Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service (DH2007). Maternity Matters highlights the Government commitment to developing a high quality, safe and accessible maternity service through the introduction of a new national choice guarantee for women.

These reports can be accessed on the Department of Health website.  www.dh.gov.uk

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