Current situation with partners allowed in for birth? (England)

[Teamox]

Can anyone tell me what is happening at the moment with partners in for birth? If it depends on area then just a rough idea of where you are would be great. Did things change in the summer with low numbers? Have they changed since the most recent lockdown? If partners are still banned during early labour, do you think it's likely to change after the end of March when hospital numbers come right down and many more are vaccinated?

I'm in a country where partners are only allowed in for the last part of labour, average stay in hospital for straight forward birth is 3 days and absolutely no visitors are allowed, and I can't see it changing any time soon. Also no chance of a home birth. Contemplating returning to the UK (no judgement please - we're only living abroad temporarily so it would just be a slightly earlier move back. I don't leave the house now other than for the odd walk, I'd 100% get tests and quarantine, it would be a ferry journey back - straight out of car and into private cabin so no airport/ confined plane journey). Thinking about it for a number of other reasons to do with the birth too, not just partner being allowed in, but I'm also aware that I knew this could be a possibility when getting pregnant in the middle of a pandemic and may just have get on with it on my own anyway.

SIL had her baby last week. She was induced, her DH wasn't allowed to be visit at all. She was allowed out for a couple of walks so he met her outside. He was called when she went to the delivery suite. He had a COVID test & as they results were negative he was allowed to stay with her for an hour once they got to the ward. He was not allowed to visit while she stayed in afterwards, he met her at the entrance when she was leaving to take her and baby home.
Doesn't sound too different to your expected experience.

it all depends on the NHS trust, they all have different rules. You can google them though. I moved from one trust to another due to location and found out that my new trust has private rooms in the main hospital so partner can be there for whole thing. Other hospital was more restricted. I hope you get sorted and do what feels best for you and baby :)

SW London
Birth partners allowed at all times. Exceptions are not allowed to stay on antenatal ward overnight or in theatre recovery overnight (you’d only have to stay in recovery overnight if there were unusual complications)
Home birth as normal

Check your hospitals website for their current rules.
Ours is currently allowing 1 birth partner in during active labor. They asses partners being present at cesarean on a case by case basis. If they have symptoms they will not be allowed in at all.

We're I am partners are only allowed in for active labour and that's it, may be allowed to stay before being moved on2 ward and no visiting while in hospital. Remember aswell from next week if coming into the UK you will have to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days when you arrive, so it would be important to plan that in if your coming over.

Depends on the hospital so check directly with them. I'm in the North West and your partner is allowed to stay for the full birth and afterwards, and can visit during visiting hours if you have to stay in. It can only be one person throughout though.

Usually in the UK they send you home fairly quickly if there's no issues, same day possibly or overnight. My friend had a c section and only stayed 2 days so 3 days mandatory seems excessive! Also as someone said above, you would need a negative covid test before entering the country and quarantine for 10 days on arrival. I know you said temporarily abroad but just checking that you are still officially resident in the UK as if you are resident abroad you may not be entitled to treatment. Also, will your antenatal maternity care/notes be abroad and therefore potentially in a foreign language, or in the UK (not sure how many weeks you are)?

My trust is allowing a partner for all of the birth apart from in an induction as they say there isn’t isn’t enough space on the wards. So if being included partner can join when you get moved to delivery suite.

They are then allowed to stay for 1 hour one you are moved to the postnatal ward.

They don’t say anywhere was visiting is allowed on the postnatal ward. I assume not.

I’m planning a Homebirth anyway where my partner will need to wear a mask (I assume this is the same for hospitals). The home birth service here has kept going throughout all of covid.

I’m in east anglia (north west anglia trust) and last announcement they made on Facebook (beginning of December) said partners can visit between 8-8 daily, the only time they can’t be present is during the initial assessment in triage and if you give birth in the middle of the night they have to leave when you get transferred to a ward, but can then come back at 8am for visiting hours. The only visitor allowed though is the birth partner, you can’t switch out on visiting hours!

I’m in London. Current rules for my hospital is partner only allowed for active birth and then 4 hours after birth. Then visiting is 2 hours a day at set times.

They relaxed the rules in September and allowed partner for full birth plus visiting from 10am to 8pm, but they changed it again in December.

London here too - St Mary's in Paddington. Current guidance is that partners are allowed in for the birth and/ or to theatre if c section and can visit between 9-5 I think during the day post birth. Guidance was updated to this at the end of last year.
I'm due in the summer so goodness knows what it'll be then!

Very much depends where you are in England. Here in my part of the south birth partners are allowed for all of labour (no restrictions on it having to be "active" labour) and all through inductions. And I believe home births have continued as normal throughout. But partners are currently not allowed to visit at all if you stay in hospital - not even for a limited number of hours a day. I know a couple of ladies who recently had C sections and were then separated from their partners for several days before they got discharged, which sounds really stressful. So I guess it would depend where you're planning to move to, and also what your birth plans are...