Maternity Services

Your community midwife team can be contacted on either 01942 481487 or via the community desk on 01942 481461.  Please contact them directly for further details.

Your health visitor can be contacted at Worsley Mesnes Health Centre on 01942 481480.

The following timetable applies to patients who attend Wigan Infirmary. They are a general guide only and also only apply to uncomplicated pregnancy. They may vary slightly at the Midwife’s/Doctors discretion. Bookings for other hospitals may vary slightly regarding hospital attendance dates and screening, but the care provided at the surgery ante-natal clinics is identical for all patients.

Antenatal Care

Once your pregnancy is confirmed you should book an appointment with the community midwife via this surgery. You will then receive information regarding 1st booking appointment, 1st scan and information about screening tests which you can normally collect from the surgery a few days later.

It is important that you take folic acid vitamin supplements (400 mcg daily) from the start of pregnancy, and ideally as soon as you decide you wish to conceive.  

Appointments

 

 

 

4 – 12 weeks

Community midwife: blood pressure, urine dipstick test, take blood, may check the size of the fundus, agree estimated date of confinement, offer dietary and lifestyle advice and obtain any previous antenatal history.

10 – 13 weeks

All pregnant women are offered an ultrasound scan to determine gestational age.

 

12 weeks

Confinement booking appointment - at this appointment relevant lifestyle and medical history taken. Information about routine screening tests given, eg:
• Blood group and Rhesus status 
• Screen for anaemia 
• Rubella status 
• Hepatitis B 
• Syphilis 
• Urine test to screen for asymptomatic bacteruria 
• Downs Syndrome screening - Triple test

16 weeks

Community Midwife: This appointment is usually only needed if the Triple test is being carried out.

18 – 20 weeks

Hospital: Ultrasound scan to check the development of the baby.

21 weeks

Consultant’s Ante-Natal Clinic (held at the hospital booked for confinement)

25 weeks

Community Midwife: Measure blood pressure, test urine (if first pregnancy) Measure the size of the baby and listening to the baby’s heartbeat.

28 weeks

Community Midwife: Repeat screening tests for: 
• Anemia 
• Red cell antibodies 
Offer Rhesus negative women 1st dose of anti D

31 weeks

Community Midwife: Discuss and document results of routine screening tests.

34 weeks

Community Midwife: Offer rhesus negative women 2nd dose of anti D and antenatal check.

36 weeks

Community Midwife: Routine antenatal checks and check position of baby.

38 weeks

Community Midwife: Routine antenatal checks.

40 weeks

Community Midwife: Routine antenatal checks.

41 weeks

For all women who have not delivered offer membrane sweep.

 

Parent Craft Education 
Classes are held at the maternity hospital or local health centres attached to your GP clinic. You should contact your hospital or midwife to find out their schedule. A good time to start, will be around 30 weeks of your pregnancy, some classes are women only.

 

 

Parent Craft

Your midwife will advise you about where parent craft classes are being held and will remind you about attending these classes during your pregnancy.

Aerobics

Some hospital offer exercise classes for pregnant women. Information will be given at your booking appointment.

Aqua-natal

Exercises for pregnant women at local swimming pool. Information will be given at your booking appointment.

 

Postnatal Care

When you and your baby come home from hospital, postnatal care will be provided by your community midwife who may visit you for up 28 days following confinement to provide postnatal care.

Frequencies of visits are determined by the mother’s need.

You are invited to the surgery in the following few days after delivery/arrival home. The idea of this visit is to ensure your general well being and to briefly examine the baby. If you can contact the surgery after your arrival back home after the delivery and let the reception know the circumstances, they will generally arrange to book you in after the end of normal surgery so that the waiting room is fairly empty.

At 6 weeks you should have a post natal examination. This is usually the final check to confirm that the uterus is shrinking back to its normal size as expected. Traditionally at this time we offered a smear to all women. Current advice however is that this only needs to be offered to those women who would routinely be due at this time (or in the previous few months and was delayed due to the pregnancy.) We tend to delay this smear until approx 12 weeks after the delivery to ensure a minimal amount of false abnormal reading due to the after effects of the womb still shrinking down to normal size.

 
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