Maternity

In maternity services at SWFT, we have listened to women, birthing people and their families and made improvements to our referral process to make it easier for you to let us know that you’re pregnant.

You no longer need to see a GP and can refer yourself for maternity care by filling out the online form.

We will then be in touch by email with some useful advice about keeping well in pregnancy and the details of your appointments. If you don’t receive any emails from us, please check your junk folder.

If you are experiencing bleeding or any other serious pregnancy concerns, please call Bluebell Birth Centre on the number below.

We’re happy to help if you have any difficulties completing the form or any other issues. You can speak to us in the Bluebell Birth Centre by calling 01926 495321 ext 6977.

Please note we do not take out of area referrals via this process please continue to speak to the midwife in your own area to complete the specific referral we need.

Click here to refer yourself for maternity care .

Living Safely with COVID-19. Thank you for using the maternity services of South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust. We would like to update you on a few changes that we have made to our services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Updated Maternity advice for women and families during Covid-19 - Updated July 2022

Maternity:

• The SWFT maternity team

Maternity Tour videos:

• Maternity Services Tour
• How to find the Bluebell Birth Centre

Path to Parenthood Videos:

• 16/40 Preparation for Pregnancy
• 24/40 Preparation for Labour and Birth
• 32 week Preparation for Parenthood
• Perineal massage
• Homebirth
• Twin pregnancy
• Caring for you & your baby following birth
• Packing a hospital bag & writing a birth plan - COMING SOON
• Maternity Relaxation Session

Postnatal Discharge Video:

• Maternity Postnatal care

Physio videos:

• Postnatal Physio Class

Useful leaflets

• Important Update about Provision of Formula Milk for Newborn Babies
• Building a happy baby - a guide for parents
• Caring for your baby at night
• Responsive bottle feeding
• Responsive feeding: Supporting close and loving relationships
• Breastfeeding checklist
• Breastfeeding resources
• Warwickshire feeding directory
• Feeding support groups in Warwickshire and surrounding areas

Useful websites

• unicef - The baby friendly initiative
• Basic - baby sleep information

Videos

Breastfeeding and relationships in the early days:

Positioning and attachment:

If you have chosen to accept a screening test, timing is very important. Please discuss with your midwife if you have any concerns.

Choices Checklist for screening tests in pregnancy:

Screening tests offered during and after pregnancy

Screening tests are used to find people at higher chance of a health condition. Whether or not to have each test is a personal choice that only the individual invited for screening can make.

We offer all pregnant women screening tests during pregnancy to look for certain health conditions that could affect them or their baby.

Screening tests are also offered for babies soon after they are born so they can be given appropriate treatment as quickly as possible if needed.

Watch a video showing the screening tests available during pregnancy and for newborn babies.

Read the Screening tests for you and your baby leaflet before your midwife booking appointment to find out much more about the screening tests offered during and after pregnancy. This information is also available in other languages and easy guides.

If you need one, you can pick up a printed copy of this leaflet at your booking appointment.If you would like information on the choices for antenatal screening choices in pregnancy, please click here.

Community services

In addition we have five community midwifery teams who support you wherever you live in South Warwickshire and the surrounding areas.

Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU)

If your baby is born early or requires special medical and nursing care, they will be looked after in our Special Baby Care Unit. Baby's parents, grandparents and siblings are welcome to visit anytime. A maximum of two other visitors are allowed between 18:30 - 19:30 and all visitors must be accompanied by a parent at all times. As babies are very vulnerable at this time, they should not be visited by anyone who is unwell with a cold, recent diarrhoea or vomiting, or any infection.

NHS Warwickshire Stop Smoking in Pregnancy Service

For help and advice click here.

Certificate of Commitment by the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative

Warwick Hospital is delighted to have been awarded a Certificate of Commitment by the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative. This recognises our commitment to supporting parents to make informed choices about how they feed and care for their babies. Warwick Hospital is proud to be working towards full Baby Friendly accreditation.

The Birth Experience Listening Service

At Warwick hospital we offer all women who have had a baby here, an opportunity to discuss the events surrounding their baby’s birth. If you think you could benefit from the opportunity to discuss your birth experience, please email our generic Birth Listening email address - birth.listening@swft.nhs.uk. The Birth Listening Service is not the correct service if you are looking to discuss complaints.

A member of the Birth Listening Team will email you back as soon as possible to arrange an appointment with an experienced Midwife. We offer sessions by telephone or on Microsoft Teams. Birth Listening Sessions can also be face-to-face if required, however this may incur a longer wait time for appointment. We try to arrange appointments to take place within 2-4 weeks of your email. There is no time limit after the birth, however we recommend that you wait at least 6-8 weeks so that you have had time to process what has happened. You can attend the appointment with your birth partner (or somebody else) if you would like to.

Maternity Voices Partnership Coventry and Warwickshire

Coventry and Warwickshire's Maternity Voices Partnership ensure the views, experiences and ideas of local mothers and birthing people contribute to the development of local maternity care by collecting feedback and sharing information. Click here to read more.

If you're on Facebook, visit the Maternity Voices - Coventry and Warwickshire page for the latest updates and news.

To contact Coventry and Warwickshire MVP email cwicb.mvpcw@nhs.net

SANDS - Stillborn and Neonatal Death Charity

Twins Trust - we support twins, triples and more

Our mission is to:

• Provide twins, triplets or more – and their families – with the information needed to make informed decisions
• Facilitate a network of community support.
• Ensure that our community’s unique needs are understood by the professionals who care for them and reflected in research, care standards and public policy.

Click here for more information.

Twinline is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm and from 7pm to 10pm

Call: 0800 138 0509

If you would prefer not to call but would still like to contact the team for some support, complete Twins Trust's online form or email: asktwinline@twinstrust.org

Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC)

Labour Pains is the public information website of the Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association. They provide reliable, unbiased information to expectant parents on pain relief and anaesthesia choices for birth that is well worth reading, also available in a wide range of translations.

Click here for information on pain relief during labour.

If you’re booked for a caesarean these leaflets are important to read:

• Your Caesarean section at SWFT
• Self-Administration of Medicines

Some useful reading before your birth:

• Back pain and Labour Analgesia
• Anticoagulant therapy in pregnancy at SWFT
• Low platelets in pregnancy

• Your pregnancy - information guide to help with your choice
• QR Codes for helpful maternity videos
• Patients Privacy Notice
• Recovery and exercise advice following childbirth - Patient Information Booklet
• Recovery and exercise advice following a Caesarean Section Induction of Labour - leaflet

• Children's centres in Warwickshire
• Healthy Start - pregnant and on benefits or under 18? Get free vouchers for milk, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and infant formula milk
• Screening for Downs Syndrome

If you and your baby are healthy, your pregnancy is at low risk of complications, and you have not previously had complications related to birth, you should be able to birth in our midwifery led birthing unit or birth at home. For women and babies at low risk of complications, research suggests intervention rates are lower for planned home and midwifery unit births. Women and babies at low risk of complications who birth in these environments are shown to recover more quickly, are less likely to have complications following birth. If your pregnancy is more complex your midwife will recommend that you birth on the Consultant Unit where doctors will be available if needed. Your risk factors will be discussed with you and information given on the potential outcomes that may concern you so you so you can make an informed decision about where you would like to birth your baby. Homebirths and midwife-led units can only support vaginal births where a ventous or forceps are not required.

The Bluebell Birth Centre, the midwife-led unit at Warwick Hospital, is an alongside unit meaning it is on the same site as the consultant led unit. It is staffed by midwives and support workers and is open 24/7.

It offers four top of the range birthing rooms, with birthing pools available in all of them. Birth centres are very safe for women and babies at low risk of complications. Midwives are trained to detect if labour is not progressing as expected and if there are any concerns about you or your baby’s wellbeing you will be transferred to the on-site obstetric unit for a higher level of care.

Tours

We are currently not providing in person tours of the Bluebell Unit. Please see our video tour below and contact your community team with any questions you may have.

Contact and location

Tel: +44(0)1926 495 321 ext 6973/6976

Click the image below to view a video fly-through of the Bluebell Birth Centre:

Click the image below for a video on how to find the Bluebell Birth Centre.