NHS have advice on planning ahead for your pregnancy. This includes advice on increasing your chances of becoming pregnant as well as how to sustain a healthy pregnancy.
If you smoke, the Wellbeing Service in B&NES offer Stop Smoking Support to enable you to become smoke free before, during and after your pregnancy. This incudes tailored support form Health and Pregnancy Advisors.
Key terms you may hear when discussing your journey:
- 'Antenatal' or 'pre-natal' meaning 'before birth'
- 'Postnatal' or 'postpartum' meaning 'after birth'
- 'Perinatal' refers to the period of time when you become pregnant and up to a year after giving birth.
Better Health Start For Life is an online resource providing information about pregnancy both for your baby and you, early pregnancy signs to look out for, information about prenatal vitamins.
Find information about Maternity Allowance to prepare for your income whilst on maternity leave.
Midwifery and Antenatal Care
See a GP or midwife as soon as you find out you're pregnant. It's important to see a midwife or GP as early as possible and preferably before 10 weeks of pregnancy to get the pregnancy (antenatal) care and information you need to have a healthy pregnancy. If you are not already registered with a GP, search for your local one. Alternatively you can contact your local Maternity Unit directly.
The Health in Pregnancy Service supports pregnant women to ensure they have a healthy pregnancy, providing information about lifestyle, diet, vitamins, vaccines and beyond.
The Family Nurse Partnership is a voluntary programme for young women who are expecting their first baby.
The NHS have created a 'what to expect' page dedicated to explaining what to expect after labour. You'll find a video on this page where a Midwife takes you through the stages you may experience.
Health Visitors are specialist community public health nurses who provide an advice and support service for all pregnant women and their families, from 28 weeks into pregnancy until their child starts school. You will be assigned a Health Visitor and will be invited to attend Baby and Toddler Hubs once your baby is born to access support, advice and monitor your child's progress.
Support for Dads
As a new dad you may be feeling excited, but you may also be feeling left out, unsure or overwhelmed. Dadpad is an app created by the NHS to support new Dads to gain knowledge and practical skills that will help you, your partner and your baby as they develop.
You may hear the following terms:
- Perinatal mental health (PMH) problems are those which occur during pregnancy or in the first year following the birth of a child. Perinatal mental illness affects up to 27% of new and expectant mums and covers a wide range of conditions, including anxiety, depression and other more complex diagnoses,
- Parental Mental Health refers to variety of mental health problems affecting parents of children of any age.
Early Help Perinatal Mental Health Services
There are several organisations working together to offer Early Help Perinatal Mental Health services available to mothers:
Bright Start Children’s Centre services work in partnership with others (HCRG Health Visiting Service, local Creative & Arts organisations and Bath College) to facilitate provision of:
- ‘Our Time, Our Space’ (for pregnant mums) and;
- ‘My Time, My Space’ (for mums with babies under 1 year).
They also offer:
- 'Trauma Counselling', a service for new & expectant mothers affected by their own Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Support to heal past hurts to develop stronger family relationships.
Details of these courses can be found on BathNES HUB or you can contact the children's centre directly (details below).
Make A Move has been working with mothers in the area since it was founded in 2011. We help mothers by providing them with a personal toolbox of resources to use to help them manage their low mood both now and for the future.
Open Space is an arts-based therapy group delivered by Domini Hooper. Issues covered include pregnancy, birth, early motherhood, family dynamics and how relationships can change after childbirth. The sessions are particularly suitable for mothers who have experienced difficult or traumatic births and want a supportive space to work through their experience.
New Mums Sanctuary is a supportive, creative postnatal group for new mums struggling with their mental health.
The Specialist Perinatal Mental Health service supports people who:
- have previously experienced a serious mental illness and are planning to conceive;
- develop a serious mental illness in the perinatal period;
- have had a serious perinatal illness in a past pregnancy and are now pregnant;
- are already under the care of AWP when we may provide additional support;
- have been previously admitted to a mother and baby unit;
- display significant mental health difficulties during the perinatal period.
Parental Mental Health Services
NHS B&NES Talking Therapies aims to help people access support for a range of common mental health problems. Talking therapies provides a service for people registered with a GP in Bath and North East Somerset. Women can self refer to Talking Therapies and be fast tracked for support if they are in the peri-natal period (pregnant and up to 1 year after the birth). Contact 01225 675150 or email awp.banes-talkingtherapies@nhs.net.
Children's Centre Services provide support for families with children aged 0-5 years. They help with parenting support and support you to ensure children are developing well and will be ready to start school.
Children's Centres are located across Bath and North East Somerset. Find your local Children's Centre. You can also follow their Facebook pages for up to date information about baby and toddler groups, support services and drop in sessions:
B&NES Health Visiting Service offers advice on infant feeding.
BSW Maternity Voices have created an Infant Feeding Padlet providing information and advice to support you around feeding your baby or toddler. On the padlet you will also find the 'Essential guide to feeding and caring for your baby'.
Bath La Leche League offers friendly breastfeeding support and chat through weekly group meetings, on Facebook and on WhatsApp.
Breastfeeding Network support and information for breastfeeding women and those supporting them.
Breastfeeding Friend is a digital tool from Start For Life. It's available whenever you need it, 24 / 7. All the information provided is NHS-approved and based on questions asked by thousands of new mums. Whether you're experiencing breastfeeding difficulties, you've got sore nipples, or you want to know about vitamins and what you should include in your diet – if it's a breastfeeding related question, the Breastfeeding Friend is ready to help you. Available on Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Facebook Messenger.
Somer Valley Breastfeeding Network
Venues across the Somer Valley have signed up to the Somer Valley Breastfeeding charter as they welcome breastfeeding parents. The map is coming soon but you can view the view the venues that have signed up to the Somer Valley breastfeeding charter.
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 food 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. We’ll add your benefit onto this card every 4 weeks.
You can use your card to buy:
• plain liquid cow’s milk
• fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
• fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
• infant formula milk based on cow’s milk
You can also use your card to collect:
• Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old
Further information on how to apply can be found on the Healthy Start website.
Better Health, Healthier Families provides information about children's weight, sugar facts, tips to get your family moving and healthy recipe ideas.
Better Health, Start for Life Baby moves offers information and simple play activities to do with your baby, which support their development.
HCRG Care Group offer free healthy family courses, including:
- HENRY Healthy Families course: A free 8 week course for parents/carers of children aged 0-5. The course gives support around feeling more confident as a parent, early years nutrition, managing challenging behaviour and other aspects of a healthy lifestyle. It’s a great way to meet and connect with other families in your area. In person and online groups are available, please see more information and how to book via the link below. Starting Solids and Fussy Eaters workshops also available.
- Cook It: A free, cook-a-long style course for families with 5-17 year olds. This is a fun and relaxed course to help improve confidence in cooking low cost, healthy recipes. In person and online courses are available. Please see more information and how to book via the link below. New Parent and Baby Cook It also ran occasionally, specific to those starting their baby on solid foods, a chance to get recipe ideas and support.
To book or find out more please visit Healthy Eating and Wellbeing Courses - HCRG group website.
Introducing Family Foods
Introducing your baby to solid foods, also referred to as weaning or complementary feeding, starts when your baby is around 6 months old. Your baby should be introduced to a varied diet, alongside their usual breast milk or first infant formula. You can find guidance on weaning on the NHS website.
Starting Solids Workshop from HCRG offer a free, online workshop to give you the confidence on how and when to start your baby on solid foods.
First Steps Nutrition Information and resources to support eating well from preconception to five years. firststepsnutrition.org
Dr Ranj and Supertooth video guides offer top tips on looking after your children's teeth including babies.
The Singing Dentist, Dr Milad Shadrooh answers questions about caring for children's teeth.
Better Health, Start for Life Learning to talk provides ideas and tips to help with your baby's communication and speech development through play.
Explore simple activities and play ideas to help you develop your child's language skills with BBC Tiny Happy People.
Find out what vaccinations and newborn screening tests best protect your baby from diseases.
The Lullaby Trust offers safer sleep advice, including how to set up your babies sleeping area, advice on co-sleeping, advice on sleep aids and more.
BASIS online offers information on safer sleep.
The RUH Handi App offers access expert advice about common childhood illnesses and how to treat them.
Redcross Baby and Child First Aid App
If you live in B&NES and are a family with children under the age of 5 years, you are likely to be eligible for a free Home Fire Safety Visit.
B&NES Home Safety Equipment Scheme can support families with young children to have free cupboard locks and stairgates. For further information, contact 0300 323 0700 or vcl.wecareandrepair@nhs.net.
Child Accident Prevention Trust provide information on how to make sure your home is safe for young children.
You can find a full list of local support organisations and service in and around Bath & North East Somerset within the Parenting and Family Support pages.
The Nest Project offer clothes and equipment for your child, all free of charge.
Small Stuff Baby Bank can give you free 0-5-year-old clothing and essentials.
Birth to Five provides information on caring for children and yourself and help to find practical support.
Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) is a voice for those who use local maternity service and is made up of volunteers who have recently used maternity services. They collect feedback from women, birthing people and families on the care they received. Using your anonymous feedback as a guide they work together with hospital trusts to review and contribute to the development of maternity services. MVP have also created a number of padlets providing B&NES, Swindon and Wiltshire information, advice and signposting around different topics including Dads & Partners, Perinatal Mental Health, Baby & Toddler Groups and much more.
The B&NES HUB includes local and national information to support professionals working with families including presentations from recent training webinars, B&NES Children & Young People’s Plan, B&NES Local Safeguarding Children’s Board Neglect Toolkit, Healthy Start Scheme resources for professionals and national policy relating to the first 1001 critical days.
The Five to Thrive is based on a set of five key activities that are the building blocks of healthy communication and brain development: Respond, Cuddle, Relax, Play, Talk.