Waterlily Unit in King's Lynn celebrates 5th birthday
The Waterlily Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn has celebrated its fifth birthday this month (21 December)
The midwifery-led birthing unit, formally opened in 2015 by the High Sheriff of Norfolk, Nicholas Pratt, the Waterlily has welcomed 1777 babies since its launch and has been a much-loved resource for expectant families.
To celebrate the anniversary, the team are giving out personalised gifts to babies and their families born on the birthday, including candles, notes and commemorative baby grows and bibs.
The team have created a photo memory booklet to honour the anniversary, which includes pictures, stories, poems and memoirs. This special book will be on sale soon.
Since the opening, service users have been impressed by the service, leaving positive feedback for the team via the hospital’s Friends and Family Test.
One family wrote:
"The midwives were very supportive, had good imparting knowledge and information and were very friendly, reassuring and calming."
Another said:
"The service was prompt and efficient; nothing felt like it was too much trouble. The care was personalised and the team spent lots of time with us."
The Waterlily Unit is made-up of three suites, two of which are equipped with birthing pools and the other with a specially designed couch to make it more comfortable for pregnant women. As it’s a midwifery led unit, Waterlily has a significant number of benefits, including increasing the changes of spontaneous vaginal birth.
Amanda Price-Davey, Interim Head of Midwifery, said:
"The team work hard to ensure birthing mothers are comfortable and in a relaxed environment, creating a home from home feel for both mothers and their partners.
"We’re really proud of the Waterlily Unit and the excellent service it provides to expectant families throughout their journey. Happy Birthday Waterlily!"
Expectant mothers benefit from rooms with en-suite facilities, a kitchen and living area and a variety of specialist birthing equipment including birthing pools and tools to support different birthing positions.
The unit is also fitted with mood lighting and Bluetooth, creating a more relaxed atmosphere for the birthing process.