30 October 2020

The Great Labour Ward Swim

Throughout October and November, seven midwives and doctors will be swimming 77 miles in their local pools to raise money for Southampton Hospitals Charity. That’s the combined return distance of swimming from Dover to Calais… twice!

Update: Due to the recent Government lockdown plans, public pools will be shut in November/December. This means the Great Labour Ward Swim will be postponed until January/February for the second half of the challenge.

Watch why they taking on this challenge...

Midwife, Laura Sinclair comments:

“We are all really passionate about where we work, and we want to improve our services for all of the women, families and babies that we welcome into our care.

Last year I decided to swim the distance of the English Channel, and therefore this year I wanted to create a virtual challenge that more of the team could get involved with. It is really flexible, meaning that everyone could pick a distance that suited how well they could swim, so it would be a personal challenge for each of us.”

I am really excited as halfway through the challenge, we are already nearly at 74% of our target of £1,500.”

Maternity Services at Southampton Hospitals Charity

Support the team today!

To support your local labour services, go to southamptonhospitalscharity.org/donate and specify ‘labour ward.’ Alternatively discover more about the challenge via Facebook: The Great Labour Ward Swim or Instagram: @thegreatlwswim.

Why are they choosing to do this?

Every year, around 6,000 women give birth from around the Southampton area.

If a pregnancy is likely to be complicated, or if the mother needs medical intervention, then they are likely to give birth in the labour ward in Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton.

Within the ward is a pool room which is in need of refurbishment to create a relaxing and tranquil environment for expecting mothers. Pool birth is proven to be safe and effective as pain relief for women in labour.

The labour ward want to be able to offer the pool to more women who may have some risk factors in their pregnancy and labour and normalise birth for them whilst continuing to provide positive birth experiences.

Together, we can transform care.

Last updated: 03/11/2020

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