Antenatal clinic

We might ask you to come to the antenatal clinic to discuss your plan of care with our specialist team

Your community midwife will discuss with you anything in your medical history or previous or current pregnancy that may require input from our specialist team. Our medical team and specialist midwives are experts in providing safe and effective, individualised care to you and your baby.

The medical team and specialist midwives will work with you to develop a plan for the management of your pregnancy, labour and birth, and after your baby is born.

We run a number of specialist clinics which change every day. The reason for your referral to the Antenatal Clinic will determine on which day you have your appointment and which clinic you are seen in. Some of the Antenatal Clinic appointments can take place over the telephone as they are just a discussion. Other times you may be asked to come in for a face-to-face appointment.

What happens when I arrive at the antenatal clinic?

For a face-to-face appointment, you will be met on the department by a maternity support worker. Like all antenatal checks that you have with your community midwife, they will perform a blood pressure measurement and test a mid-stream sample of your urine for early detection of any potential problems. A midwife may also want to measure your bump to check your baby’s growth or you may have a scan appointment on the same day to check this.

For all appointments you will be able to have a discussion with one of our specialist doctors, anaesthetists or midwives. They will discuss whether or not they think they may need to do any further investigations or blood tests. The specialists will work with you to ensure the plan of care is still appropriate for you and your baby. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions during this appointment.

It may be necessary to perform some further assessments on the maternity assessment unit if anything is identified during your appointment, such as the need for blood pressure monitoring or if you have reduced fetal movements.

How often will I need to be seen?

You may find that you need to see one of our specialists several times during your pregnancy as well as your community midwife. Alternatively, once you have seen our specialists they may decide they no longer need to see you and that you can go back to having your care with your community midwife.

If you have any urgent concerns, you should contact Maternity Assessment Unit immediately.

We aim to see people at their appointment time, but unexpected delays can occur. Please speak to a member of the team if you have any concerns.

Students

As a teaching hospital we will often have students from various specialities come to the Antenatal Clinic to gain experience during their studies. They could be:

Midwives
Doctors
Paramedics
Nurses
Occupational therapists

The students can be at various stages of their training and may be male or female. They always appreciate your permission to watch or participate in any part of your care as this experience is vital to their training. It is your decision as to whether you will allow any student to participate or watch any or all of your care or whether you would like to decline students altogether.

COVID-19 Guidance

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, visiting on the department may frequently change based on what is happening nationally as well as Trust guidance. Full details can be found here.

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 please contact us before coming for your appointment.