Start for Life journey
Preparation for parenthood
Throughout your pregnancy, you will be seen by your midwife team, your GP and have appointments at the hospital. You will be able to discuss where you will have your baby and further support options.
'Antenatal care' is the name of the care you receive during pregnancy and is mainly delivered by your midwife. Your first appointment with your midwife is called your 'booking appointment'. This care happens throughout your pregnancy:
• 8 to 12 weeks pregnancy - your 'booking appointment'
• 16 weeks pregnancy - midwife check-up appointment
• 20 weeks pregnancy - first 'baby scan' at the hospital
• 25 weeks pregnancy - midwife check-up appointment
• 28 weeks pregnancy - midwife check-up appointment
• 31 weeks pregnancy - midwife check-up appointment
• 34 weeks pregnancy - midwife check-up appointment
• 36 weeks pregnancy - midwife check-up appointment
• 38 weeks pregnancy - midwife check-up appointment
• 40 weeks pregnancy - midwife check-up appointment
• 41 weeks pregnancy - midwife check-up appointment
Watch this video to find out more about antenatal services at Royal Derby Hospital.
Every family’s pregnancy, labour, birth and early parenthood experience looks different – there is no one size fits all! This is why Connected perinatal support Derby offer a range of free peer support services to suit every family.
Healthy Start
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy foods and milk. If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. Money is added onto this card every 4 weeks. Find out how to shop, what you’ll get and how much.
Healthy Start vitamins support you during pregnancy and breast feeding. There are also vitamin drops for babies and young children. These are suitable from birth to 4 years old. You can collect Healthy Start vitamins from several locations in Derby city.
Staying healthy during pregnancy
Being overweight increases the risk of complications for you and your baby. Livewell supports pregnant women with a BMI of 30 or over to gain the right amount of weight by eating healthily and keeping active.
With 4,000 chemicals present in every cigarette, smoking in pregnancy has clear and significant health risks for both mother and baby. Tommy's provide help to pregnant women to stop smoking.
It's recommended that if you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant you should not drink alcohol. This will keep any risk to your baby to a minimum.
Folic acid is important to take when you are planning a pregnancy and during pregnancy because it helps your baby’s nervous system to develop.
There is a Pregnancy week-by-week guide for parents from the NHS. Find out what to expect at every week of your pregnancy:
Around 28 weeks, your health visitor will visit you at home to assess any health needs and discuss preparation for parenthood. Also at this time, you will receive a text from your health visitor with pregnancy support links.
Health visitors advise on:
• attachment
• bonding and responding to baby cues
• responsive infant feeding
• safe sleep
• healthy development
• immunisations
• how to promote communication through talking and singing to your baby
• family mental and physical health
• wellbeing and the value of supportive groups and friendships after the baby is born.
Watch this video to understand about the role of the health visitor.
Health visitors will explain the benefits of attending a Family Hub or Children's Centre to access health, family support and early learning services. Preparation to parenthood is a 3 week programme which will be rolled out in the Family Hubs from 2024.
You can take a virtual tour of the labour ward and the maternity unit at the Royal Derby Hospital. You can also watch a video on the signs of labour and the third stage of labour.