After receiving your referral, we will invite you to attend a booking appointment so that we can find out more about you and your health, offer you a range of health screening options and give you information about what will happen next.
It is very important that you are seen regularly throughout your pregnancy, to monitor the heath of you and your baby.
If you are unable to attend your appointments for any reason, please contact your midwife as soon as possible so that an alternative appointment may be made.
Regular check-ups are an important part of keeping you and your baby healthy and can help identify and reduce any risks – even if you are feeling well it is still important to attend all of your appointments.
Before your appointment
Before attending your booking appointment it is important that you read the following information:
-
- Screening tests for you and your baby in a variety of languages, can be found here
After your appointment
Following your booking, you will be invited to a series of appointments with your community midwife or obstetric doctors, as well as being offered screening information, ultrasound scanning appointments and access to other specialist health professionals if necessary.
We will offer you a choice about the location of your antenatal care provision. If you have underlying medical or obstetric conditions that might affect your pregnancy, you will be offered a level of care which includes more specialist consultant involvement. Women that have no complicating medical or obstetric factors will normally be offered care by the named community midwife at a variety of possible locations.
All care offered is based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence antenatal care guidelines and is made around individual needs. Midwives have open access to the Obstetric Team, or the Maternity Assessment Centre for women who require investigation or inpatient care.
Staying healthy in pregnancy
Now that you are pregnant, there are many things that you can do to keep yourself and your baby healthy. The following links will give you useful information about improving your health and wellbeing.
- Exercise in pregnancy
- Stop smoking in pregnancy
- Weight management in pregnancy
- Nutrition and health eating in pregnancy
- Drinking alcohol while pregnant
- Drug misuse
- Emotional wellbeing and mental health
- Domestic abuse
- Alcohol
- Drug misuse
- Emotional Wellbeing and Mental health
- Domestic Abuse
Contact us
You will also be given the contact details of the community midwife looking after you in case you need some advice. If you cannot contact your community midwife directly, please contact:
Community Midwifery Office: 01423 553051 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday)
Antenatal Clinic: 01423 553010 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday)
Maternity Assessment Centre: 01423 557531 (8am-8pm Monday-Friday)
If you need to speak to someone urgently outside of these hours, Delivery Suite can be contacted 24 hours a day on 01423 553184.