Community midwifery

You will be asked information about your health, given information about staying healthy in pregnancy and offered information about support to stop smoking if you or anyone in your household smokes. The midwife will explain information about routine blood tests, and screening choices offered in pregnancy.

The plan of care for your pregnancy will be discussed at this appointment, this may include hospital and community venues dependant on your health and wellbeing.  You can choose to have your baby at home, in our alongside birth centre or labour ward; the midwife will explain your choices to help you decide the right place for you considering both preferences and safety.

It is very important to attend for your booking appointment to ensure you have all the information required to make informed choices and know what to expect. Also it is very important for your midwife to assess your health needs in pregnancy to ensure you get the right care plan.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals use electronic patient records systems called Medway and EPR. These systems are used to record your hospital admission and maternity care. Printed copies of records from your pregnancy booking visit, midwife or hospital appointments are not routinely printed. Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is moving towards a paperless system to ensure records are accessible electronically; the maternity service has implemented this for antenatal care. Paper copies can be provided should you require them. We recommend that if you are travelling outside of the Bradford area, you obtain paper copies of your maternity records in case you require care in another hospital.

• 11-14 weeks: You will be offered a dating scan and combined screening test for Down’s syndrome
• 16 weeks: At your 16-week appointment with your midwife we will review your blood results from book and any screening test you may have had. We will measure your blood pressure and check your urine. We will do this at each visit from now on. We will give you information about vaccines recommended in your pregnancy and answer any questions about your pregnancy and care. You may also have a hospital clinic appointment around this time if you had any potential complications identified from your booking visit
• 18-20 weeks: You will be offered a fetal anomaly scan, which looks at your baby’s physical development. If you would like to know the sex of your baby then please ask when you attend this scan
• 25 weeks: * Women in their first pregnancy will receive an appointment at this stage for an antenatal check (blood pressure check, urine check and measurement of size of uterus)

• 28 weeks: At this appointment we will check your blood for anaemia (low haemoglobin) and antibodies. Depending on your blood group you may be offered an Anti-D injection. Around this time some ladies will also be offered a Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT)
• 31 weeks: * At this appointment we will perform an antenatal check and review your results from your previous visit
• 34 weeks: Alongside your full antenatal check we will also discuss preparing for labour and birth. We will look at developing you birth plan
• 36 weeks: Full antenatal check and discussion around caring for newborn, feeding and your own health in the postnatal period
• 38 weeks: Full antenatal check and discuss if you pregnancy progresses past your due date
• 40 weeks: * Antenatal check support and advice
• 41 weeks: Antenatal check, offer stretch and sweep and discuss option for induction of labour

* Additional appointment for women in first pregnancy