Supporting choice, personalised care and positive birth experiences
We are committed to providing safe, personalised maternity care that supports women and birthing people to make informed choices about where they give birth.
Our wish for families is that they feel welcomed, safe and listened to. We aim to make every birth the best it can be for those giving birth with us.
We offer Midwifery Led Units at Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham, providing welcoming, supportive environments for women and birthing people whose pregnancies are suitable for midwifery-led care.
Our dedicated midwifery teams support across County Durham and Darlington helping to provide high-quality personalised care.
Midwifery Led Units (MLU)
Our MLUs are designed to support physiological birth in a calm, comfortable and home-like environment.
Led by experienced midwives, they offer personalised care that focuses on supporting women and birthing people throughout labour and birth while promoting choice, mobility and wellbeing.
The units are suitable for women and birthing people with low to medium risk pregnancies who remain appropriate for midwifery-led care.
If a medical condition, pregnancy complication or additional risk factor develops during pregnancy, your midwife or obstetric team may recommend birth within the labour ward where specialist medical support is immediately available.
Your midwife will discuss your individual circumstances and birth preferences throughout pregnancy and help you make informed decisions about the most appropriate place for you to give birth.
Facilities available within our MLUs include:
- Birthing pools
- Mobility aids to support active labour
- Birth balls and mats
- Comfortable, family-friendly birth rooms
- A range of pain relief options
Both units are co-located alongside labour wards, ensuring rapid access to obstetric, anaesthetic and neonatal support should additional care be required during labour or birth.
Discuss your birth choices
Every pregnancy is unique, and we encourage women and birthing people to discuss their birth preferences with their community midwife as early as possible.
Whether you are considering giving birth in one of our Midwifery Led Units or at home, your midwife can help you explore the options available and develop a personalised plan that is right for you, your baby and your family.
Congratulations on your pregnancy we are here to support you on your journey to parenthood.
Tour our MLU's
Take a look around our Midwifery Led Units at Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham.
