Your antenatal care

Antenatal care is the care that our women and birthing people receive during pregnancy. Antenatal care includes regular check-ups with your midwife, as well as tests and screenings to monitor the health of you and your baby. As you embark on your pregnancy journey, regular antenatal care is important for your wellbeing and your baby's health. 

Partners are welcome at your scan appointments and general checkups at Basildon, Broomfield, and Southend hospitals, but waiting procedures may differ. Young children are not recommended unless in exceptional circumstances; bring them in a stroller or buggy during the scan.

Note: As part of your antenatal care, you will be asked to create a personalised care and support plan (PCSP). This plan will outline your preferences for your pregnancy, labour and birth, as well as your healthcare needs. Please click on the 'Personalised Care plan' section below to access your personal care plan, which you may want to have ready for your first (and subsequent) midwife appointment.

Scheduling antenatal appointments

Below you will find links to NICE guidance that will explain what appointments, including scans, you are can expect during your pregnancy.

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Navigating antenatal care

Want to learn more about antenatal care and staying healthy during pregnancy? Check out the following resources: 

Free prescriptions and NHS dental treatment

If you are pregnant or have given birth in the last 12 months, a midwife, GP or healthcare professional can apply for a maternity exemption certificate on your behalf. They will discuss this with you at your first appointment once your pregnancy has been confirmed. You will receive your certificate by email as soon as the application has been completed.

Otherwise, a paper certificate will be posted within 10 working days of the application being received. The certificate will expire 12 months after either your due date or the birth of your baby.

You can find out more about maternity and paternity benefits at https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/finding-out/maternity-and-paternity-benefits-and-leave. 

 

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Join our classes!

Journey to parenthood antenatal education

Are you new expecting parents? Join our free six week antenatal education programme.

This programme is open to women, pregnant people, and birthing partners.

We offer a friendly relaxed group where you can take time to stop and think about how you can embrace your pregnancy, prepare for labour and the birth of your baby, whilst meeting people also embarking on this exciting journey.

What we cover

  • Adapting to pregnancy, exploring your feelings around becoming parents, hormonal changes,support, and ice breakers.
  • Learning about babies’ emotional brain development, how babies communicate with you before and after birth.
  • Activities and discussions about support you may require during pregnancy, labour and birth.
  • Exploring different options for pain relief during labour and the different birthing positions and modes of delivery.
  • Responsive parenting and feeding, how to respond to your babies needs, relationship building and safe sleeping.
  • Caring for your baby post-delivery, practical skills like bathing and changing nappies.  Common emotions you may experience following birth and discussions about help, support and advice available if needed.

Location and contact details

The Journey to Parenthood are held at different venues around Southend, and are run jointly between midwives and the family centre staff in Southend.

We encourage partners to attend or women can bring a guest with them.

If you have any questions or would like to book onto the next course, email mse.journeytoparenthoodsouthend@nhs.net. 

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Hypnobirthing classes

These classes are a holistic, antenatal package for everything you need to know to prepare physically and mentally for labour and birth. These classes help you to develop a positive attitude and philosophy, they are inclusive of all modes of birth. You can use all of these skills to support any type of birth, whether planned or birth choices change during labour. All these skills will help to facilitate a calm and empowering experience.

What we cover

  • How the brain affects the physical response in the body and using our subconscious brain to help reduce fear and anxiety.
  • Importance of positive language.
  • Breathing techniques.
  • The use of visualisation.
  • Understanding the physical body during the labour and birth process
  • Active birth – staying mobile during labour and working with our bodies to help labour progress and increase comfort
  • Massage for the pregnant person and teaching the birth partners techniques.
  • Developing techniques for the birth partner to support the pregnant person in labour and aid practice antenatally.
  • Educations for the birth partner on techniques and supportive relaxation strategies.
  • How to plan, prepare for your labour and birth using skills to navigate discussion with health professions and making informed choices. 

Benefits

  • Creating a positive birth environment to support relaxation.
  • Bonding with your baby.
  • Spending time together to bond as a family and your birth partner to bond with the baby.
  • Increase brain development for your unborn baby.
  • Creating awareness of your babies movement and activity.
  • Reduce anxiety and stress antenatal, labour, birth and after.
  • Developing coping strategies to remain calm and relaxed in stressful situation and reduce panic.
  • Birth partner developing skills and help facilitate choices.
  • Understanding hormones in pregnancy.
  • Meeting other families.
  • Taking time for yourself and pregnancy.
  • Teaching by Midwives working at Southend University Hospital – providing honest and relist expectations.

Southend

These sessions are run by midwives from Southend hospital and are held at the hospital. 

  • One day work shop — Saturdays between 9.30am and 5pm.
  • Saturday morning classes (2 weeks) – between 9.30am and 2pm.
  • Saturday morning classes (3 weeks) - between 9.30am and 12.30pm.
  • Wednesday night classes (3 weeks) – between 6.30pm and 9pm. 

Book onto the session by emailing, Mse.hypno.birthing@nhs.net. 

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Labour and delivery sessions

What we cover

  • Understanding the birth process, how it all works.
  • Signs and stages of labour.
  • What to do, when to call and where to go when labour begins.
  • Birthplace options at Southend.
  • What to bring with you.
  • How to cope and support in labour.
  • Monitoring and safety.
  • Your preferences for birth.
  • What happens after the birth.
  • Skin to skin and vitamin K.
  • When do you get to go home.
  • Recovery/ expectations after birth.
  • Support at home for new parents.
  • What if labour doesn’t start on its own.
  • What might happen in an emergency.

Location and contact details

Basildon

Birthing information classes can be viewed and booked on the EventBrite website, at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/birthing-information-class-basildon-hospital-tickets-779937573277?aff=oddtdtcreator. 

Southend

The labour and delivery session is run once a month on a Saturday between 9am and 11.30am.

These sessions are held at Southend Hospital by one of our midwives.

If you have questions or would like to book, please call 07887 656884.

Willian Julien Courtauld (WJC) Birthing unit

On Saturdays between 9am and 4pm for women and birthing people at/past 36 weeks.

If you would like to book your spot, please speak to your midwife.

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Labour and delivery sessions

What we cover

  • Close and loving relationships.
  • Importance of bonding with baby in pregnancy and postnatally.
  • Responsive parenting.
  • Making informed choices.
  • Brain development.
  • How to get breastfeeding off to a good start.
  • Skin to skin.
  • Colostrum harvesting.
  • Expressing your breast milk.
  • Fourth trimester.
  • Partners role in this journey.
  • Challenges.
  • Mixed feeding.
  • Bottle feeding.
  • Storage of breastmilk.
  • Safe sleeping.
  • Emotional wellbeing and mental health.
  • Health visiting team discussion.

Location and contact details

Basildon

Infant feeding classes are tbc.

Broomfield 

Virtual infant feeding classes are held every Tuesday, between 10am and11.30am.

For more information, please call us on 0300 247 0014.

Southend

The infant feeding session runs on a Saturday once a month, between 12.30pm and 4pm.

These sessions are run by the infant feeding team at Southend Hospital. Refreshments are provided.

For more information or to book, please call 07385 391787. 

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Gestational Diabetes Information

If you are interested in attending a gestational diabetes information session, please email mse.gdm.service@nhs.net to register your interest.

Please include your name, date of birth, your hospital number and your contact number.

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Contact details

You can call us on:

Main maternity — call 0300 443 4444

Maternity triage — 0300 443 5555