First babies born at home since relaunch of 24-hour service at Nottinghamshire hospital

A total of seven babies have been born at home since the relaunch of a hospital trust’s 24-hour home birth service.

Freya was the first person to be born at home, after Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust reopened its 24-hour service in September.

Freya, 7lbs 2oz, was born in a home birthing pool in Swinderby in Lincolnshire. This is Kamila Cornwell’s first child.

Kamila (30) who received her antenatal care via the team based at Newark, said: “I could not have wished for a better first birth. I felt extremely safe and well looked after. Amanda and Hadassah were my midwives and they provided the right level support for me at each stage. I can also attest to the pain relieving properties of water!

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“Birthing at home meant I could fully focus on the birth itself, without having to worry about the logistics of getting to the hospital at the right time, while being supported by a team of experienced midwives. Seeing our daughter for the very first time, in the safety of our home, was such a blissful moment.”

For one year, the service was restricted to Mondays to Fridays from 9 am to 5pm during the pandemic. If a woman birthed outside of these times then the mother had to be transferred to the Sherwood Birthing Unit to give birth at King’s Mill Hospital. After successful recruitment to the community-based midwifery team, the 24-hour emergency service was able safely to relaunch and the team were hard at work training for the future.

Kamila continued: “A lot of women, myself included, would be hesitant to book a home birth, in case they go into labour at the wrong time if it was not a 24-hour service and I hope that it will continue to be available.”

Melanie Johnson, Matron for Community and Outpatients, said: “Congratulations to Kamila and Hugh on the birth of Freya. Home birth is an option for those who are healthy and have a normal pregnancy.

“We know how important it is for families to have a personalised choice and reinstating the full 24-hour service as soon as it was safe to do so has been a priority for us.

“Thank you to our on-call team who went above and beyond to support as many women as possible during a challenging year. We look forward to being able to support many more.” 

There were five home births in October. Two in November, and four in December.