Maternity care at Gateshead
Having a baby is an exciting, life changing experience. Our highly skilled, caring team of professionals are here to support and guide you at all stages of pregnancy, birth and the early postnatal period.
We understand that this is a special and unique time for you and your family. We aim to put you at the centre of your own maternity care, empowering you to make informed choices about your pregnancy, birth and beyond.
What we offer
- One to one midwifery care in labour
- Kind, compassionate staff
- Free parking in labour
- The opportunity for birthing partners to stay over, where rooms are available
- Modern birth environment, with the option of a birthing pool and equipment for active births (mats, birthing balls and a febromed available)
Our full range of facilities can be personalised to the individual. We have midwives, obstetricians, anesthetists, advanced neonatal practitioners and paediatricians who can attend the birth if needed – right at your bedside, without the need to move you elsewhere while in labour.
Our facilities
- Pregnancy Assessment Unit
- Education Room
- Six private, ensuite and modern delivery rooms, with the option of a birthing pool and equipment for active births (mats, birthing balls and a febromed available)
- Two obstetric theatres
- 16 postnatal beds (including en suite single rooms where birthing partners can stay too, both low and high risk deliveries)
- Jungle Room – space for toddlers and other children to play while visiting postnatal, and a day room
- Induction rooms and a family suite
How to contact the service
Maternity tour
If you would like a chat about coming to Gateshead to have your baby or would like a tour of our unit, watch the video below or please call maternity reception.
Gateshead Maternity Tour Video
Welcome to the QE Maternity unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead.
Every year we welcomed around 2,000 families, who choose to come and deliver their babies here with us in Gateshead and we’d like to take this opportunity to give you a tour of our unit and welcome you to our world. Our team are here to offer you and your baby kind, caring and highly trained care in first-class facilities.
During your pregnancy, at approximately 12 and 20 weeks. You’ll be offered routine scans. Seeing your baby on the screen for the first time is a truly magical experience and our team of highly trained sonographers will talk you through these special moments.
You can bring up a pregnancy assessment unit at anytime night or day and speak to a midwife if you have any concerns about yourself or your baby. We’re going to be there all the way throughout your pregnancy, especially during the early stages of your labour when you really need that support. When you arrive at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in labour, our team of midwives will be there to greet you.
There’s also the facility for free parking for you and your partner, straight outside the doors of the maternity unit. We promote good hand hygiene so you’ll be expected to use the hand gel every time you enter and leave the unit. Whilst you’re on the unit there’s a day room for you and your partner to sit in comfy sofas to watch TV and just have a timeout area.
At the QE maternity department Gateshead we offer quality care throughout pregnancy and through birth to all mothers who come in to our care. We pride ourselves on providing midwives throughout pregnancy, a team of midwives and support workers within hospital to support you through the birth and also that team and community to support you in the early days.
We have the facilities to support all women in your labour with different beds that can go into different positions to suit your needs. We can also use birthing balls and mattresses on the floor as well as the use of our birthing pool to support you in your labour.
Once you’ve given birth you and your baby, and your birthing partner will be transferred to our newly refurbished postnatal ward. Some of our single rooms have an ensuite facility allowing for birth partners to stay over when this is appropriate. During your stay on our Maternity Ward.
We’ve got midwives, breastfeeding support workers, healthcare assistants, and students that are there to support you and give you advice throughout your stay. I really appreciated the kindness and compassion, show my old midwives and all the surgical staff as well. It was brilliant, second to none. Above and beyond seems to be default here.
They’ve been so attentive. We have a special care baby unit, caring for premature and babies needing extra support which is situated just off the labour ward.
Mums, and dads are welcome to spend as much time as they want with their babies and we receive lots of support and information to ensure the whole family are included in their care pathway.
It’s important to have have us so mum’s and babies can stay together so they’re not separated. We work closely alongside the midwives and the maternity support workers and we provide more supportive care for these families.
We have more time to spend with them and to explain procedures that we’re doing with their babies. Within our maternity unit, we aim to give you personalised, compassionate individualised care and we care for you and your whole family.
So if you want to have your baby within our unit would be very proud to provide you with that care.
I was making a joke to my partner that we should do a Trip Advisor review and say, definitely would stay again. So yeah, I would I would highly recommend it. I think it’s been fantastic.
If you’d like a chat about delivering your baby with us at the QE. Please speak with your community midwife team or call maternity reception or visit our website.