Antenatal care in community
Depending on where you live you will see a community midwife at a clinic that is held in the most convenient location for you. We cover a vast geographical area and some travel to a clinic location may be required. We have clinics running from a variety of locations including Harrogate Hospital, Mowbray Square, Ripon Community Hospital, Otley Children’s Centre, and Yeadon Children’s Centre. Care will be provided by a named midwife or her buddy wherever possible. You will be offered a range of appointments and tests throughout your pregnancy. Some women may need more appointments or tests than others, so an individualised plan will be agreed. Our priority is to ensure that care is personalised, recognising that every woman, every pregnancy, every baby and every family is different. We also want to ensure that women and birthing people are enabled to make choices based on good information they receive.
We work closely with our local service users and those with lived experiences to ensure the care available to women, birthing people and their families is reflective of our local populations and is centred on individual needs.
All women and birthing people can choose which hospital they wish to provide their pregnancy, birth and after birth care. We work in partnership with West Yorkshire Local Maternity and Neonatal System as well as Humber and North Yorkshire Local Maternity and Neonatal System. There is further information about the services available across the region on the following websites –
https://www.humberandnorthyorkshirematernity.org.uk/pregnancy-journey/im-pregnantwhat-next/
Home births
For some women, labouring and birthing at home is a more relaxing and a positive experience. Home birth is a safe choice for women who have a pregnancy without any health concerns for Mum or baby, and who want to give birth in familiar surroundings with support from Midwives. Research suggests that having your baby at home can increase the chances of having a normal birth and reduce the risks of intervention in birth, such as caesarean section, assisted delivery, episiotomy and the need for medicinal pain relief (Birthplace study, 2011). Women who have their babies at home are more likely to birth in water and report higher levels of birth satisfaction. If there is a problem during labour you will be offered a transfer to hospital, accompanied by your Midwife.
If you wish to have your baby at home, the community midwives can offer you support and guidance to facilitate this opportunity. Please discuss this with your community midwife for more information.
Postnatal care in the community
Following the birth of your baby, community midwives will continue to support you following your discharge home. If you have given birth in hospital, a community midwife will visit you on the day following discharge to make a plan of care for you and your baby.
Similarly, if you have given birth at home, the midwife will return the following day. After your initial visit a choice of location of postnatal follow-up care will be offered.
Working hours
Community midwives provide routine services daily 9am-5pm. We also operate an out-of-hours on call system for homebirths.
Community midwives can be contacted via our single point of access 01423 557531