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Maternity

Check our latest information about maternity services during coronavirus (COVID-19).

We provide both obstetric (doctor-led) and midwifery-led care, from before birth (antenatal) to birth and after delivery (postnatal).

Booking your antenatal care

It is very important to arrange your antenatal booking appointment with one of our midwives early in pregnancy – ideally, by 8 to 10 weeks. This can help you and your baby have a healthy start to your pregnancy.

You can refer yourself to us – see the ‘Referral’ section below. We aim to arrange your first antenatal appointment within two weeks of hearing from you.

Video tour

Our maternity video takes you on a tour of our maternity unit and the locations you may visit for your pregnancy care. It also shows how we support you during pregnancy, and allows you to meet our team from the comfort of your home:

Antenatal care (before birth)

During your pregnancy, a midwife or obstetrician will see you regularly to ensure that both you and your baby are well. If you are not sure when your next appointment is, please call to ask your midwife.

We provide antenatal care at Orpington Hospital,  Beckenham Beacon, and Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup, as well as local GP surgeries and children’s centres.

Scanning appointments take place at the Harris Birthright Centre at King’s College Hospital, which is an international centre of excellence for fetal medicine.

You will be offered routine health checks such as blood tests and other screening tests during your pregnancy. Your screening choices are explained in a screening information leaflet, which is produced by Public Health England and available in several languages.

Specialist care

We also offer parent education sessions (see and a range of specialist support if you:

  • are having a multiple birth
  • are planning a vaginal birth after a caesarean section
  • are diabetic and need extra support. This is provided at our specialist clinic at Orpington Hospital
  • are diagnosed with an infectious disease during pregnancy. National screening programme leaflets about Hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis explain more.
  • have a significant mental health condition.

Parent education classes

We offer a range of online workshops to help prepare you for birth and baby. Join the ‘Welcome to King’s Maternity’ workshop in your first trimester to learn more about how to stay healthy in pregnancy, the services we offer, and other workshops that may be suitable for you.

Enhanced 12-week ultrasound scan

You will be offered an enhanced 12-week ultrasound at the Harris Birthright Centre, King’s College Hospital. The Harris Birthright Centre is an international centre of excellence for fetal medicine. You can choose to accept or decline this enhanced scan, which includes:

  • more detail than regular 12-week scans
  • results within an hour (elsewhere this can take 7 to 10 days)
  • the opportunity to discuss your scan results straight away with the specialist fetal medicine doctor who completed your scan
  • an assessment of your risk of having your baby too early or developing raised blood pressure
  • if your baby has an increased risk of Down’s syndrome, you can have a fetal DNA (Harmony) test for this. Normally, this is only available privately. Performing this test avoids the need for the standard, more invasive test.

Baby movements

You should become aware of your baby’s movements between weeks 16 to 24. However, if this is your first pregnancy, you may not become aware until around 20 weeks. 

These movements may feel like a flutter, swish, roll, or kicks. As they grow, the number and type of movements will change, and a pattern may develop. Typically, babies are most active during the afternoon and evenings. They have sleep patterns where they don’t move during both day and night for about 20 to 40 minutes (and rarely up to 90 minutes).  

The number of movements tends to increase until 32 weeks and then stay about the same. As you near your due date, movements may change. Even during labour, you should feel your baby moving.  

If you notice that your baby is moving less than usual, you cannot feel their movements anymore, or their usual pattern of movement changes, call immediately. Do not wait.  

Our Maternity Assessment and Triage unit operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and your midwife will advise you if they need to check your baby’s movements and heartbeat. Reduced movements could mean your baby is unwell. Call our Maternity Helpline on 01689 864189. Our midwives will be available to help, even in the middle of the night. 

More information about fetal movements

Birth (labour)

You can choose where to give birth. Your options are:

  • at home. Our home birth service is available if you live in the borough of Bromley or Bexley.
  • the Oasis Birth Centre, our midwife-led unit with six birthing rooms. Two of the rooms have large birthing pools, and all rooms have birthing balls, stools, mats, and en-suite showers.
  • the Labour ward, our obstetric-led unit. On the ward you will have access to increased monitoring, which may be recommended if you have complexities in your pregnancy. There is also a wide range of pain relief options, such as an epidural.
  • Obstetric theatres, if you choose to give birth by caesarean section.

The Labour ward and Oasis Birth Centre are located in Princess Royal University Hospital Maternity Department, on level 3 of the South wing.

If you think you are in labour

Call the Maternity Helpline for support and advice from experienced midwives. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including bank (public) holidays:

Maternity Helpline: tel 01689 864189

If the phone is engaged and your call is urgent, please contact either the Oasis Birth Centre or the Labour ward, depending on where you are planning to give birth:

If your pregnancy is overdue

If your pregnancy is overdue, you may be offered induction of labour. Our leaflet, Induction of labour – post dates (overdue) pregnancies (pdf), gives you information about having your labour induced, and explains your choices.

After your baby is born (postnatal)

The most comfortable place for you to be after your baby is born is in your own home, where you can be together as a family. So, if you have given birth at the Princess Royal and both you and baby are well, we encourage you to go home within a few hours of delivery. A midwife will visit you the next day, and you will be given emergency contact numbers to call if you have any concerns.

You can have your postnatal care at one of our hospitals, in the community, or at home. This includes regular check-ups for you and your baby and support with breast feeding.

PRUH Maternity Voices, Bromley

PRUH Maternity Voices, Bromley, is an NHS working group led by independent service users. Our work is focused on the feedback we receive from women, birthing people and families that have used PRUH maternity services.

We are an advisory group made up of individuals coming together as equals, with a mutual interest in improving maternity services for anyone giving birth at the PRUH and their families.

The group is made up of:

  • anyone giving birth at the PRUH and their partners
  • service user advocates, such as doulas and antenatal educators
  • community organisations and charity representatives
  • midwives and obstetricians
  • other healthcare professionals working in maternity services
  • students
  • commissioners
  • members of public health and local council
  • other strategic partners

If you would like to share your experience of using the maternity services at the PRUH please complete this survey.

For more information, to join the committee or to feed back about your experience, you can email us at PRUHmaternityvoices@outlook.com.

You can also follow PRUH MVP on Instagram and Facebook.

Referral

  • To refer yourself, fill in the PRUH antenatal self-referral form. When you open the form please click ‘Enable Editing’ at the top so you can fill in the form. Please send completed forms as a Word attachment to kch-tr.br-maternitypruh@nhs.net. You will receive an email with your appointment details within 7 working days. If you have not received your appointment within 7 working days, please call us on 020 3910 7279, 8am to 4pm. Please note we may contact and share information with other health professionals as required.
  • Bromley GPs should use the Referrals Optimisation Tool to refer patients, although self-referral should be encouraged. GPs from other boroughs, and other health professionals, should complete the GP referral form, and email it to kch-tr.br-maternitypruh@nhs.net

Contact details

First appointment queries

Antenatal clinics

Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU)

If you have an urgent concern about your pregnancy, for example if your baby is not moving as much as normal, call the Maternity Helpline for support and advice from experienced midwives. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including bank (public) holidays.

The MAU offers unscheduled and emergency maternity care if you experience symptoms or a complication in your pregnancy. It is located at the entrance of Labour Ward and is open 24/7.