Antenatal Care Providers

Currently, pregnant women are able to opt for NHS based Midwifery care, or care from an Independent (Private) Midwife. Women can also opt out of the Midwifery system, choose to have shared care with a GP, or opt to have private care with an obstetrician.   Midwife A qualified Midwife can provide you with support,…

Eating Well in Pregnancy

It is well known that what you eat during pregnancy has an impact on the future health of both you and your baby. Having said that, you may find it hard to eat the perfect diet when you are struggling with nausea or strange cravings. Even the smell and look of some of your favourite…

Coping With Morning Sickness

Anybody suffering with morning sickness will no doubt understand the cruelty of the name, for many pregnant mums the sickness would be better called ‘morning, afternoon, evening and night sickness’. Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy (NVP), or morning sickness as it is more commonly known, is estimated to affect approximately 75% of expectant mums at some point…

Pregnancy Abbreviations – Understanding Your Maternity Notes

Sometimes it can seem as though Doctors and Midwives have a language all of their own, and will often use abbreviations and terms during your care that might need some translation! Here is a collection of some of the more common ones and what they mean:   Abdo – abdomen   ANC – Antenatal Clinic   APH –…

Routine Antenatal Care 6-12 Weeks

If you are booked for NHS midwifery care (i.e. you are classed as ‘low risk’) your schedule of antenatal appointments is likely to follow the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (otherwise known as NICE) guidelines. If you have additional medical needs during pregnancy and require consultant care, you may have extra appointments and care than…

Routine Antenatal Care – 12 to 25 weeks

If you are booked for NHS midwifery care (i.e. you are classed as ‘low risk’) your schedule of antenatal appointments is likely to follow the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (otherwise known as NICE) guidelines. If you have additional medical needs during pregnancy and require consultant care, you may have extra appointments and care than…

Routine Antenatal Care – 28 to 36 Weeks

If you are booked for NHS midwifery care (i.e. you are classed as ‘low risk’) your schedule of antenatal appointments is likely to follow the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (otherwise known as NICE) guidelines. If you have additional medical needs during pregnancy and require consultant care, you may have extra appointments and care than…

Routine Antenatal Care – 37 to 42+ Weeks

If you are booked for NHS midwifery care (i.e. you are classed as ‘low risk’) your schedule of antenatal appointments is likely to follow the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (otherwise known as NICE) guidelines. If you have additional medical needs during pregnancy and require consultant care, you may have extra appointments and care than…

Rhesus Factor and Anti-D Prophylaxis

One of the blood tests offered routinely at pregnancy booking is to your check blood group. This will also discover whether you are rhesus negative or positive and if you are negative whether or not you have any antibodies that may adversely affect your baby. Your blood type is not quite as simple as the…

Charting Your Menstrual Cycle

Whether you are planning to conceive or trying to avoid pregnancy – knowledge of your normal menstrual cycle can give you a good indication of the times when you are fertile and when you aren’t. The Menstrual Cycle – A Brief Summary. Menstrual cycles on average last 28 days and are calculated from the first day of…