New labor unit Aallokko to open at the Women's Hospital in November

A labor unit named Aallokko will open in the Women's Hospital on November 25, 2024. The new labor unit will provide a soft and family-friendly environment for women giving birth who have no pre-existing risk factors. The welcoming facilities include six delivery rooms and two rooms with a birthing tub. 

The design of the delivery rooms facilitates a gentle and natural birth experience to incorporate the wishes of women giving birth. Midwives have a wide range of resources to support the mother during labor. In addition to the birthing tubs, many other relaxation and pain relief methods are available, such as yoga hammocks and TENS units for nerve stimulation.

“Respecting the wishes of the patients giving birth is important to us. The role of our midwives is to strengthen the birthing mother's confidence in her own body and support her sense of control. We start to build that trust already during our remote prenatal classes which we have recently revamped,” says Nurse Manager Marjo Lyyra.

Personalized care for all births

The Women's Hospital's aim is to provide a warm and personalized birth experience for all patients—from arrival to discharge. Going forward, the hospital will have two complementary labor units: Aallokko and Luotsi. Luotsi, which was opened in 2017, will continue to handle high-risk and very preterm births from the entire Uusimaa region. Patients should call the childbirth helpline before seeking treatment at either of the units. The helpline's number is 09 471 71500.

“The new names draw inspiration from the natural power of childbirth. Our professionals support the mother through the waves [=aallokko] of contractions and emotions, and pilot [=luotsi] the family safely to harbor. The Women's Hospital's seaside location also played into the name selection, and the building sections are named A and L to make navigation to the units smooth,” says Nurse Director Satu Polkko.

As the renovation is completed, all services related to childbirth will move next to each other on the Women's Hospital's entrance floor. In addition to delivery rooms, the renovated facilities will have appointments available with a midwife specialized in fear of childbirth, and rooms for induction of labor and monitoring. From a monitoring room, the transfer to the actual delivery room is flexible, depending on the progress of the labor.

After the delivery, if the family is in good health, they can go across the street to the Family Nest hotel, or they can even go directly home from the delivery room if the mother and child are well enough to do so. If the mother or infant requires further care, the expanded maternity wards have plenty of space following the renovation. The number of family rooms has been increased to improve family-friendliness.

Renovation involved complete refurbishment of the facilities 

In addition to childbirth services, the Gynecology Outpatient Clinic from Haartman Hospital will also move into the newly renovated facilities in Women’s Hospital. New ward space for maternity and gynecological patients will open on other floors. These spaces will be introduced gradually between November and December. Simultaneously, more customer parking spaces will be made available in the courtyard of the Women’s Hospital.

Women’s Hospital is the oldest hospital building in Meilahti. The A section of the building next to New Children's Hospital was completely redesigned in the extensive renovation that started in 2022. The renovation respects the protected 90-year-old hospital building. The design of the facilities and services has involved both staff from the units and experts by experience.