Maternity Obstetrics

After being received by the obstetric emergency team and in the event of a work start, you will be admitted in the birth room, most often in the pre-work room. During this start of work period which can last several hours, you will have the opportunity to go for a walk, to mobilize, to do the ball or to take a shower.

Do not hesitate to bring your breastfeeding cushion, music, personal elements in particular a gourd and a flexible outfit allowing you to be comfortable.

During your visit to the birth room, you can be accompanied by the person of your choice at any time (only one accompanying, always the same). 

The birth room:

The rest of your birth course takes place in the delivery room and is always accompanied by a venous track and monitoring tracking. We invite you to define your birth project ( my birth project ) during pregnancy, and we will do everything to respect it at best.

Support and monitoring of work are provided by a midwife and, possibly, a midwife student.

Obstetrician-gynecologists, anesthesiologists and pediatricians are present on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can intervene if the state of health of the mother or baby so requires.

The delivery room has 11 rooms: 7 delivery rooms including two “natural” rooms, 3 pre-labor rooms and an interventional emergency surgery room.

Ideally placed between the operating room (for emergency or scheduled caesareans) and the neonatology department (for the care of newborns who require it) , the obstetrical room is equipped with computers and repeaters in each room in order to to optimize the monitoring of women in labour.

Level 3 maternity, that is to say capable of accommodating high-risk pregnancies and newborns requiring resuscitation management, the maternity hospital of the CAEN CHU has been able to open its doors to liberal midwives who wish to give birth to their patients in a secure physiological space (see below “delivery on technical set”).

Patients who want a “natural” birth (but who are not accompanied by a liberal midwife) are cared for within a physiological space by a team of midwives trained in mobilization during the labour, childbirth postures but also acupuncture.

The 2 natural rooms are equipped with a delivery sofa, a bathtub, balloon, a delivery seat and a suspension and stretching system.

Our anesthesia team will be available to manage your pain. Even in the event of an epidural ( epidural anesthesia ), you can wander in the birth room sector to facilitate the progress of work, and you will have a pump that will allow you to manage the administration of products in the epidural according to the intensity of the contractions and what you want to experience.

You will find links for some information documents concerning the low -way childbirth, the Cesarean,

The intervention of the daycare gynecologist is sometimes necessary, whether for aid for childbirth by low way or for an emergency cesarean: assistance during childbirth

Delivery on technical set:

Some self-employed midwives have signed a partnership with the University Hospital, giving them the opportunity to come and give birth to their patients in the department's delivery rooms. These are patients motivated by a physiological delivery without epidural and who meet specific medical criteria.

For this, get closer to liberal midwives; if the request is suitable, they will explain the steps to follow and will send you to the CHU Caen Normandie for validation of your file by its medical teams. If the file is validated, the liberal midwife undertakes to accompany you throughout labor and delivery and for the following 2 hours. Your birth follow-up is then normally done by the CHU teams until you return home.

At any time during the course, in case of medical necessity, a return to the classic care circuit is possible, whether during pregnancy, during labor or just after childbirth.

The birth suite unit welcomes mothers and their children after childbirth.

It has a capacity of 48 -lits, including 42 individual rooms. Each room is equipped with a shower, a toilet cabinet and a space dedicated to the baby.

We have an equipped room for people with reduced mobility ( PMR ).

Medical and paramedical supervision:

It is multidisciplinary. 24 hours a day, midwives, doctors, paediatricians, childcare assistants, caregivers, monitor the progress of your stay and that of your child, in order to meet your expectations.

The team is committed to the fight against pain, while ensuring your well-being. Invested in the support of breastfeeding, she advises you on childcare and accompanies you towards autonomy.

Your stay :

For the well -being of our patients and babies, we advise you to limit the number and duration of visits as much as possible in order to rest and be fully available to discover your baby.
The children's visit is prohibited except for the baby's brothers and sisters.

The limitation of visits is necessary to respect the pace and the needs of the newborn. The presence of your supporter is important to support you.

Apart from the Coparent and your children, visits are only allowed from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. from September 2025.
Anyone with fever or signs of infection is requested to postpone their visit.

The duration of hospitalization is on average 72 hours for a physiological delivery and 96 hours for a birth by cesarean section.

To find out what to put in your suitcase, consult our specific brochure: mother trousseau · children

Most of the rooms are equipped with an extra bed for the Coparent, its presence is authorized 24 hours a day and allows you to take care of the two of your child (presence subject to the acceptance of a charter intended for accompanying people). The night and accompanying meals are paid (prices in the reception booklet and in the rooms).

Maternity outings:

They can be standard or early . In any case, they must be organized during pregnancy. Your outing takes place before noon, after having reviewed the midwife and/or the gynecologist-obstetrician and the pediatrician, who deliver your prescriptions and your child's health book. In the event of late departure, an exit fair is at your disposal until the arrival of those around you.

A return home within 48 hours of the birth is offered to you in the context of a birth without associated pathology. Eligibility for this outing is subject to certain conditions which are explained to you by the doctor or midwife monitoring your pregnancy.

If you are interested in this early discharge plan, you are advised to prepare it from the start of pregnancy, with the help of our teams.

As soon as you wish, you can contact the liberal professional who will take over from maternity, when you go out . You will meet it in the first 24 hours of your return.

These visits to your home, like those of your attending physician, are reimbursed by social security and allow you to recharge your batteries within your family, while benefiting from the expertise of a professional you know, able to advise, and to detect any anomaly for you and your child

These early outings promote family ties, while providing personalized support to your new family.

For more information on maternity leave, see our specific brochure.

The Kangaroo Unit

The kangaroo unit is a specific obstetric-pediatric unit that welcomes mothers whose children require neonatal care.

Established in the maternity ward, it takes care of premature babies after 34 weeks and/or newborns with a simple pathology. These newborns stay in their mother's room, thus preserving the mother-child bond.

The little extras

• The declaration of birth : compulsory within 5 days of birth, it can be carried out directly at the hospital. A dedicated counter, located the central hall of the ground floor, welcomes the parents (s) and takes care of the procedures, in connection with the civil status of Caen, thus avoiding a trip to the town hall. If you are not married, think of the realization during the pregnancy by the coparer of the early recognition of the child in the town hall, a document to be provided in the pregnancy file on the day of childbirth.
• Midwives in lactation consulting in the unit, but also by appointment to accompany you once back home,
• Other professionals, graduates in acupuncture , bring you their skills to respond to any issues,
• If you wish, a psychologist can meet with you during your stay.
• Films made by the neonatology of CHU Caen Normandie can be consulted.

Here you will find the exit advice of the Normandy perinatal network for:

• The mother: https://www.perinat-normandie.fr/apres-la-natissance/conseils-sante-pour-la-mere/
• The child: https://www.perinat-normandie.fr/apres-la-natissance/conseils-sante-pour-lenfant/

You will also find below a video with many tips, developed by the Aurore network.