Hospital of Southern Jutland
2021-2024
Sensory Delivery Room
Sandra Steenholdt had a dream birth in a sensory delivery room at Hospital of Southern Jutland, she shares in a TV feature. Today, the hospital has four Wavecare Sensory Delivery Rooms, and with new standards in place, the region is ready to offer all birthing parents the same experience.
The Wavecare Sensory Delivery Room supports a positive birth experience for both the birthing parent and healthcare professionals through various sensory stimuli. By calming the nervous system, natural processes are encouraged, helping the birthing parent feel empowered throughout labour.
Research shows that sensory delivery rooms provide a greater sense of safety, reduce the risk of emergency C-sections, and lower the use of labour-inducing medication. It was also a positive experience for Sandra Steenholdt, who gave birth to her first child in March 2022 in the region’s first sensory delivery room at Sygehus Sønderjylland, an experience she describes as a true dream birth.
“I was terrified of giving birth because everyone says it hurts like hell. But now I think I’d actually call it a dream birth.”
“The sensory room helped calm me in a completely different way. I actually enjoyed it.”
Listen to Sandra’s personal account of her experience in the Sensory Delivery Room, along with midwife Jannie Bladt, who shares her insights from working with the sensory environment at Sygehus Sønderjylland.
In 2022, the Regional Council of the Region of Southern Denmark approved a design catalogue for the future of birth environments. Developed by Southern Denmark Health Innovation, the design guide (published in November 2022) outlines and defines a unified standard for creating positive and supportive birth settings across the region.
The guide draws inspiration from research conducted at North Zealand Hospital, Herning Hospital, and Sygehus Sønderjylland. It forms the foundation for how future delivery rooms in the region should be designed to ensure consistency and equal care for all birthing parents.
As part of creating homely and sensory-rich delivery rooms, Wavecare is proud to contribute sensory technology that meets every requirement outlined in the guide:
Evidence-based and atmosphere-enhancing lighting
Calming music and natural sounds adapted to the visual stimuli
The option to play personal music via Wavecare’s Bluetooth sound system
Nature scenes that stimulate the senses
User-friendly design that supports the autonomy of the couple
A seamless light and sound experience across both the delivery room and bathroom
A CE-certified solution that ensures stable operation
Better birth experiences throughout the region
In 2022, the Regional Council allocated DKK 15.4 million to support the implementation of sensory delivery rooms, with the clear ambition of making childbirth a safe and positive experience – and giving every newborn the best possible start in life.
“It’s well documented that with light, sound, and a calm interior, we can create a more homely and relaxing atmosphere than what’s typically found in traditional delivery rooms. This increases the sense of safety for the birthing parent, their partner, and the staff, and ensures better birth experiences. That’s why we want all sensory delivery rooms to be established based on the same thoughtful design concept- so that everyone is offered the same quality conditions,” says Karsten Uno Petersen (S), Chair of the Committee for Construction, Procurement and Green Transition in the Region of Southern Denmark.
Wavecare has delivered four Sensory Delivery Rooms to the Region of Southern Jutland. In addition, Sygehus Sønderjylland has a service agreement with Wavecare, ensuring access to support, continuous software updates, system usage statistics, and expansion of Wavecare
The maternity wards in the region include Sygehus Sønderjylland, Kolding Sygehus, Sydvestjysk Sygehus i Esbjerg, the new OUH (Odense Universitets Hospital), and OUH in Svendborg.
Wavecare Sensory Delivery Rooms have also been installed at several other hospitals in Denmark, including North Zealand Hospital, Herlev Hospital, Hvidovre Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Slagelse Hospital, Nykøbing Falster Hospital, and Randers Regional Hospital.
Wavecare is already well-established in China and Taiwan with more than 40 Sensory Delivery Rooms. In Sweden the first Sensory Delivery Room opened in 2024, at Mälarsjukhuset, Eskilstuna. Furthermore, Wavecare is also represented in North America, Canada at Stratford General Hospital.
The first sensory delivery room was established at North Zealand Hospital in 2012. A study from North Zealand Hospital (2014-2015) compared births in sensory delivery rooms with those in standard delivery rooms. An important result of the study is that:
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