This new addition to the delivery suite includes a range of features that prioritise comfort and flexibility, providing women with a place for an active birth that feels less clinical. The Bluebell Room has been designed to include:
- A birthing pool
- New mats, for adopting a variety of birthing positions
- New softer mood lighting
- Aromatherapy to create a soothing atmosphere
- A birthing ball for movement and positioning
- Wall art featuring calming Yorkshire landscapes inspiring the name of the room
With around 8,600 babies born in Leeds every year, the Bluebell Room represents an important step forward in improving maternity facilities for low-risk pregnancies. The room offers women the opportunity to deliver in a spacious room without a traditional hospital bed, but while still being able to have continuous monitoring if needed. The flexible design encourages women to adopt a variety of birthing positions with the help of comfortable mats and a birthing pool.
The Bluebell Room also complements the Lotus Midwifery Led Unit at Leeds General Infirmary, which gives women the choice to be active in a home from home environment, but where they can be physically transferred for intervention if they request an epidural or need obstetric care.
Matron Louise Spicer shared her excitement about the room:
“The Bluebell Room gives women another fantastic option for a calm and supportive birthing environment. By offering this on J3 at St James’s Hospital, this is an alternative to travelling to the Lotus Suite at Leeds General Infirmary to access similar facilities.”
The new lighting and mats have been made possible thanks to the generosity of the family and friends of a midwifery colleague who raised funds in her memory after she sadly died.
The money was donated to Leeds Hospitals Charity and this support has helped transform the room into a warm, inviting space. The maternity team extend their heartfelt gratitude for this invaluable contribution in memory of a much-loved colleague.