EXPECTANT mothers will no longer be able to take group tours around the labour ward at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, before they have their babies.

Midwives and antenatal experts are concerned that managers have stopped the twice-weekly visits, which helped new mothers to become familiar with delivery suites and reduce fears about giving birth.

They claim the changes, which are due to be replaced with a virtual reality DVD next year, could even lead to an increase in clinical intervention during labour - such as forceps deliveries or Caesarean section.

National Childbirth Trust antenatal teacher Kedi Simpson, who helps new parents in Oxfordshire, said: "I think this is a great pity. What we know is that women give birth best when they're in an environment they feel safe in.

"Being familiar with your surroundings is key to feeling safe and relaxed - even if this means you've just looked round the labour ward once.

"There are lots of women who're scared of labour and if they can't look round the ward and get a feel for it beforehand, then this won't help.

"More tension undoubtedly leads to more intervention during a birth and I wouldn't be surprised if more intervention was an upshot as a result of this policy."

Royal College of Midwives regional officer Judy Slessar added: "It's difficult to prove, but we know that if women are stressed in labour, it can have an effect on their ability to labour, which could lead to more intervention. This is something we'll have to monitor.

"I do think the best way to allay mothers' worries is through a tour, so they can meet the staff and have any questions answered, which a DVD could not achieve."

JR managers have stopped the tours because of infection control, security and privacy issues, but said mothers with particular anxieties about labour could organise one-to-one visits with midwives.

The DVD will be given to expectant parents and be available at antenatal classes and in children's centres.

More than 80 women a month have been going on the tours, about 1,000 a year.

Gill Walton, the hospital's head of maternity services, said: "I've not seen any evidence of increased intervention because women have not seen the delivery suites. Our whole philosophy is to reduce intervention by giving women one-to-one support.

"We're moving away from the conveyor belt system to individualising information, which is much more likely to help a woman achieve a more natural birth.

"We had large groups of mums and their partners coming on visits and when we asked new mothers about the tours, they said they didn't appreciate large groups of people walking past them."