Pregnant women in the Western Isles will be able to use a birthing pool from early next year, following a campaign by prospective mothers.
The new feature will be part of a new suite at Western Isles Hospital’s maternity unit, which is undergoing major upgrade work.
The refurbished suite will include a pool, labour ward bed, toilet facilities and a shower.
Work started this week and is expected to take five months to complete.
NHS Western Isles Nurse Director, Sandy Brown, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be able to confirm that the option of using a birthing pool will be available to women in Western Isles Hospital from early next year. There is no doubt that this has been a long-awaited development and one which I’m sure will be warmly welcomed.”
He added: “Throughout this process, there has been an absolute acceptance by NHS Western Isles of the value and importance of being able to choose to use a birthing pool. It will, importantly, be part of a wider purpose-built modern birthing suite, so that the installation of the pool is not a development in isolation. Rather, it will form a central part of a new modern suite aimed at improving the overall birthing experience for women in the Western Isles.”
Chairwoman of the Western Isles Maternity Services Liaison Committee, Ruth MacAlpine, said: “After a long time of waiting, this news will be very welcome to expectant mothers in the Western Isles who, from early next year will be able to choose a water birth. This will bring practice in the Western Isles in line with other maternity units across Scotland where the option of a water birth is already available. There are many advantages of using a birth pool during labour and it is great to know that expectant mothers in the Western Isles will now be able to benefit in this way.”