Smalltalk Spring 2015 | Page 18

Worcester and Droitwich Branch The decoration has been chosen to reflect the name of each room and mood lighting adds a touch of luxury and relaxation. One very sweet decorative touch is the ―Tree of Life‖, which will have a leaf – plus baby‘s name and date - added for each baby born in centre. The current plan is to also give each baby ‗born in the Meadows‘ an inscribed acorn to take home. If your name’s not down... The VIP spa treatment actually starts much earlier than labour as pregnant mothers are assessed at 37 weeks for suitability, so there are criteria for entry to the birthing suite beyond just wanting to give birth here! The main deciding factor is of course whether the pregnancy is considered low-risk and that there are no complications foreseen in the delivery. Having been assessed and approved at 37 weeks, the mother‘s final entry to the centre is still not guaranteed and the usual telephone triage - and in the future perhaps a visit from the community midwife as well - will decide where it is safest for the birth to take place. Safety and mother‘s wellbeing seem genuinely (and in these times of suing and counter-suing, perhaps understandably) paramount and the experienced staff have been selected not only for their skills on the ward but also for their interest in promoting a more normal approach to birthing. Many of the midwives have been trained in aromatherapy to help them create a relaxing, individualised environment for each mother. Worcester and Droitwich Branch Spring 2015 18