Who will look after me?

Community Midwife

Your community midwife provides you with all routine maternity care from your first “booking in” appointment in early pregnancy to discharging you to the care of the health visitors when your baby is 2 weeks old. She will give you information on keeping you and your baby healthy during pregnancy and refer you to specialists if required.

Whilst you may have individual contact details for your community midwife, if you are concerned about your pregnancy we advise you call the maternity unit on the numbers provided because staff are available 24 hours a day. Please do not leave urgent voicemails or texts on a community midwife’s phone.

Obstetrician

Obstetricians are doctors that specialise in pregnancy. They are the lead care giver for complicated pregnancies. You may see an obstetrician if you have pre existing medical conditions, develop complications in your pregnancy or require additional support during birth. A midwife will care for you along side an obstetrician.

Maternity Unit

Your local maternity unit is staffed 24 hours a day with obstetricians and midwives to help care for you, your baby and your pregnancy related health concerns. For health concerns that are not related to your pregnancy you are advised to see your GP, call NHS 111 out of hours, or attend A&E if it is an emergency.

To find the contact numbers for your local maternity unit, please click here.

Many maternity units provide women with a central advice line. You are advised to call this number if you think you might be in labour. The phone is answered by a midwife 24 hours a day. They will ask you questions, assess you and give advice. When the time is right they will arrange for you to attend your preferred place of birth, or arrange a midwife to come to you if you are planning a homebirth.

GP

GPs assess, treat and manage a whole range of health problems. They also provide health education, give vaccinations and can arrange referral to a hospital specialist should you need it. Whilst pregnant, you will have regular appointments with a midwife but it is still important to continue with any ongoing care from your GP.

NHS 111

NHS 111 can ask you questions to assess your symptoms, give you advice or can put you in touch with a GP out of usual working hours.

Accident and Emergency

A&E departments provide vital care for life threatening emergencies, such as suspected heart attack or breathing difficulties. If you are not sure it’s an emergency, call labour line for advice.

Midwife

Midwives work both in the community and in the hospital. They are the lead care giver in low risk pregnancies and care for you during labour at home, in a birth centre or in the maternity unit.

Obstetrician

Obstetricians are doctors that specialise in pregnancy. They are available in main hospital unit if there are any concerns or should you require any assistance during the birth of your baby.

Neonatal Team

A team of doctors and nurses will care for your baby in a maternity unit should he/she require additional support following birth. This may be because your baby has been born prematurely, or is unwell.

Maternity Support Worker

Maternity Support Workers work alongside the midwives and obstetricians within the hospital but also work in the community to support you after you have had your baby. They may see you at home or in a community clinic and can assist you with any concerns you have, advice, signpost and support with feeding.

Midwife

Your community midwife will aim to see you once you have had your baby and is on hand to support you with any concerns you may have. You can access a midwife by calling your maternity hospital. You may be seen at home or invited to attend a postnatal community clinic.

Health Visitor

A Health Visitor may arrange to meet you whilst you are still pregnant to offer advice and support and will arrange to see you again during the first 2 weeks after birth. They may see you at home or in a community clinic. They offer advice on a range of topics such as sleeping, feeding, weight gain and weaning and will care for your child until they reach school age.