Childbirth

Comfort and safety during birth

At Dexeus Mujer, we want your birth experience to be as comfortable as possible. If you want to give birth with the best professionals and every resource available to minimise the risks, come to our clinic.

The hospital has a Level III Neonatal ICU equipped to handle extremely premature births of any gestational age.

We give the options; “You choose”

Our extensive experience and teamwork allow us to give you the peace of mind that every mother needs when giving birth, whatever type of delivery you want.

At Dexeus Mujer, mothers-to-be can express their preferences, needs, desires and expectations about their labour and childbirth. We do this by offering all women a Birth Plan so that the future mother can record all of her preferences for labour in a document.

What does the birth plan include?

In the Birth Plan, you can choose different options so that you and your partner experience this moment how you want:

Choose who will be present at the birth duty team or your gynaecologist (only if you took out the Pregnancy Plus service).
Conditions of the physical space: listen to music, light intensity, watch TV...
Dilation and delivery: enema, ambulation, fluid intake, information prior to the administration of medication.
Foetal monitoring: continuous or intermittent.
Pain management: epidural anaesthesia, walking epidural, local heat...
Support equipment: ball, mirror, pillow, birthing chair...
Decisions at the expulsion stage: position, start of pushing, episiotomy, shaving...

The day of the birth

How do I know if I'm in labour?

The most common symptom is the onset of uterine contractions. The uterus (womb) hardens, causing abdominal discomfort and back pain. These sensations are intermittent, progressively rhythmic and do not subside upon changing position or when getting out of bed. They may be accompanied by minor bleeding. Another, less likely possibility is that your water breaks.

We recommend that you go to the hospital if:

You break waters, even if you don't have painful contractions.
Your contractions are increasingly close, painful and long, and continue every 5-10 minutes for more than an hour.
You have vaginal bleeding that is the same or more than a period.
You notice the baby moving less.

Do you want to know what you have to do from now on?
Here you will find everything you need to know with useful information for the big day.

Download brochure

What checks will the hospital do?

When you arrive at the hospital, our duty team will come and see you. This team consists of gynaecologists, midwives, house doctors, anaesthetists, etc. They will be responsible for:

Review of your medical history (all your antenatal records are incorporated into the computer system in the delivery room).

What checks will the hospital do? - Examination

Examination to determine whether you are in labour.

What checks will the hospital do? - Maternal and foetal monitoring

Maternal and foetal monitoring with cardiotocography to monitor the foetus and the regularity of the contractions.

What checks will the hospital do? - Recording of vital signs

Recording of vital signs: blood pressure, pulse and temperature.

If your cervix is dilated 3 cm or more and you are having regular contractions, you are in labour. From then on, you will stay in the delivery area. If you have a Pregnancy Plus service membership, the team on call will notify your gynaecologist.

If your water has broken but you have not gone into labour yet, you will be kept at the clinic while you wait to go into labour in the next few hours.

If it's a false alarm and it has been ruled out that your water has broken or that you are in labour, you may go home.

I am in labour... What happens now?

I am in labour - You will be assigned a room at admission

You will be assigned a room at admission. In our clinic, the delivery rooms have plenty of natural light and are equipped to allow you to stay in the same room throughout the entire process, from admission to childbirth.

You may choose one person to be at your bedside in the delivery room.

Upon admission to the delivery room, the midwife will give you a hospital gown to change into and will insert an IV line in your arm in case you need intravenous medication.

I am in labour - Childbirth documentation

The healthcare team will also ask for your childbirth documentation, including your birth plan. They will read and discuss it with you in order to be able to provide you with everything you need to ensure your comfort and the smooth delivery of your baby.

If you have a caesarean, it will be performed in one of the obstetric operating theatres located in the same area as the delivery rooms. You may also have one person of your choosing at your bedside, unless you are undergoing an emergency caesarean or have certain risk factors. If you have a caesarean section, you will be kept in the recovery room for about an hour.

The birth of the baby

Once your baby is born, if everything has gone well, we will put him/her on your chest, skin to skin, use the Apgar test to assess how well s/he is adjusting to his/her new environment and administer preventive medication: antibiotic eye drops and vitamin K injection.

In your birth plan, you’ll also be able to choose different options after the birth of the baby:

Delay clamping of the umbilical cord.
Have the umbilical cord blood collected for donation to a public blood bank or for future personal use.
Have your partner cut the umbilical cord.
Breast or bottle feeding.

We encourage breastfeeding at our clinic. If you wish, you may start nursing in the delivery room. You will also receive support from the Nursery staff on the ward.

Hospital stay

Our clinic has “AMIGO DE LOS NIÑOS” (BABY FRIENDLY) accreditation, which means that we encourage rooming-in, i.e. the child stays in the room with the parents.

You can also state your discharge preferences: standard discharge, after 48 hours if you had a normal vaginal delivery or 4 days if your delivery was by caesarean section, or you can choose to leave at midnight and return the next day for the heel prick test.

Your maternity bag

What will I need in the clinic?

To make your stay at the clinic as pleasant and comfortable as possible, don't forget to include the following in your hospital bag:

Nightdresses for after the birth.
Bathrobe.
Slippers.
Toiletries.
Clothes to go home in and whatever you need to keep you entertained in free periods.

What do I need for my baby?

Avoid surprises and have your baby bag ready well in advance of the arrival of your baby. In it, you should include:

6 cotton or batiste long-sleeved bodysuits.
6 fine wool or cotton sweater and pant sets.
2 receiving blankets.
Toiletry bag: soap, comb and brush.
Baby wipes.
Suitable clothing for the trip home (outfit, sleeping bag, etc.).
Nappies will be provided by the hospital, but it's a good idea to bring some extra.
If you intend to breastfeed your baby, we recommend bringing a breastfeeding cushion.

Remember: umbilical bandages are no longer used to hold the cord.

If you want your baby to wear earrings, tell the Nursery staff. They will pierce your daughter's ears and insert the hypoallergenic earrings (sleepers or diamante studs) recommended for the first 15 or 20 days.

Download brochure

Postpartum visit

Approximately 40 days after giving birth, it is essential to arrange a postpartum visit to check that everything has returned to normal after delivery.

At the postpartum visit, you will also be given a pelvic floor assessment by specialised physiotherapists to determine the status of your pelvic muscles (very important in preventing problems of incontinence and sexual dysfunction).

At our clinic, we also offer the possibility of getting your figure back after the birth. In the Figure Recovery Workshop, you can rehabilitate your abdominal muscles and regain your well-being. Find out more from the Patient Care Department.

Why choose us to give birth

Childbirth - More than 3,000 deliveries each year

Our clinic manages the highest number of pregnancies of all the private facilities in Catalonia (more than 3,000 deliveries each year)

Childbirth - Reference in the management of high risk pregnancy

Dexeus Mujer is a reference in the management of high risk pregnancy and one of the few private clinics to be equipped with a neonatal ICU which allows us to deal with complications such as pre-term labour.

We have a Appointment in 24 h, during the day, to which you can go with any questions or concerns.

Childbirth - First-rate hospital environment - 24/7/365

You will be in the best hands, in a first-rate hospital environment with access to an on-call healthcare team (obstetricians, paediatricians and anaesthetists) 24/7/365.