Our birth centres

Please note, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we've had to make some important changes to our maternity services to help keep you and our staff safe. Please visit our dedicated COVID-19 advice page for maternity service users.

Our birth centres offer you a relaxed and friendly environment for the birth of your baby. All forms of pain relief are available, with the exception of an epidural.

Women planning to give birth at the Royal Free London can choose to give birth in any one of our birth centres:

• Barnet Birth Centre at Barnet Hospital
• Edgware Birth Centre at Edgware Community Hospital
• The Heath Birth Centre at the Royal Free Hospital

If you are healthy and your pregnancy is straightforward the evidence says you should give birth at home or in a birth centre.

• Self-refer to have your baby at the Royal Free London
• Watch our short video about our maternity services

Advantages of giving birth at a birth centre

• You are more likely to have a normal birth
• You are more likely to have access to a birthing pool to labour or birth
• You are less likely to need intervention
• You are less likely to have vaginal or perineal tears
• You are more likely to be satisfied with your care
• You are less likely to need pain relieving drugs for labour

We also provide a wide range of birthing balls, bean bags, birthing stools and other aids to support women giving birth in our birth centres.