The Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) Community Midwife Unit (CMU) in Paisley in Scotland has transformed into an Alongside Midwife Unit (AMU), open now, with the upgrade providing pregnant women with enhanced birthing rooms and a wider range of labouring aids, all within a serene and tranquil setting.
At the RAH Alongside Midwife Unit, women will continue to receive midwife-led care and have access to the hospital’s hydrotherapy pool for water births. The new unit features custom lighting, Bluetooth speakers, birthing couches, and recliner chairs, ensuring a comfortable and supportive birthing experience. It also offers aids such as peanut balls, birthing balls, and a rebozo sling with a chair.
The Community Midwife Unit was located on the hospital’s third floor. Now an AMU, it is located on the first floor, adjacent to the labour ward. This new location allows for an easy transition if a labouring woman requires additional support.
Mary Ross-Davie, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde director of Midwifery, said: “We’ve had incredible success with the opening of Alongside Midwife Units at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Princess Royal Maternity earlier this year. We’re delighted to now bring women at the Royal Alexandra Hospital more options when it comes to birth. I’d like to thank our midwives for their support in this transition. They have been instrumental in creating an improved, more comfortable environment and empowering women to make choices that are best for them and their baby. We look forward to welcoming the first women and their babies.”
The Royal Alexandra Hospital’s local community midwife service will continue, with midwives visiting women at home for antenatal and postnatal care. Women with low-risk pregnancies who have registered to give birth in the CMU will automatically transfer to the new AMU, with no action required on their part.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde maternity services comprise five maternity hospitals and units: Princess Royal Maternity, Royal Alexandra Maternity, Queen Elizabeth Maternity, Inverclyde Community Maternity, and Vale of Leven Community Maternity, as well as homebirth and community-based midwifery services.
