Thank you for choosing to have your baby with us at Hampshire Hospitals. We aim to give you personalised care throughout your pregnancy and will work together with you to identify what matters most to you.

With your midwife or doctor, you can discuss your life, family situation, physical and mental health and wellbeing, so that we care for you safely and respect your needs and preferences. You can find out more about the appointments you’ll have and who is part of the team below and you can view our information leaflets about maternity care here. When you are having your baby with us, we use electronic notes and use a system called Badgernet.

 

During pregnancy you will have routine antenatal checks throughout pregnancy with your midwife. You will usually be seen in the community in a GP surgery or a maternity hub. Our home birth team (Blossom & Bloom), and continuity of care teams (called the Oak and Juniper teams) usually see you in your own home.

You will also be offered at least two routine ultrasound scans, which are usually performed at the new scan department in Andover War Memorial Hospital. Your schedule of pregnancy appointments and what to expect in them can be found on the NHS website here.

Many mothers also have appointments with an obstetrician (a doctor who specialises in caring for women in pregnancy and birth). If needed you will have a named consultant obstetrician and your appointments will be at your chosen hospital for birth, either at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester or Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital. If you are based in Andover, you may be seen at Andover War Memorial Hospital. 

Ultrasound scans, blood tests, vaccinations and antenatal classes are offered in a range of locations across the three hospital sites and sometimes in other community settings. The place of your appointment will be listed in your Badgernet notes, so you know where to go.

 

Many people may be included in your pregnancy, birth, and postnatal journey. We work closely as a team to ensure your care is personalised to you. You can ask your midwife more about:

  • Midwives: During your pregnancy you will be cared for a named midwife, who will meet you at your booking appointment and for your antenatal checks. Midwives can provide much of your care if you are at low risk of complications, including supporting you for birth in midwife led units and home.
  • Specialist midwives: Some midwives have a specialist role, such as infant feeding, mental health, birth reflections, bereavement, fetal medicine, or consultant midwifery. You may be referred to a specialist midwife for additional support or care planning during your pregnancy. 
  • Obstetricians: These are doctors who specialise in providing medical and surgical care for you during pregnancy, labour and after birth. If you have any medical conditions, or pregnancy complications in this or a previous pregnancy, you will be referred to an obstetrician. Many of our obstetricians also specialise, for example, in diabetes care, preterm birth, fetal medicine. You will be referred to the most appropriate one for you.
  • Sonographers: You will be offered routine scans at around 12 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. Some women also have more scans in the last few months of pregnancy to check the baby’s growth and wellbeing. These may be carried out by sonographers, many of whom are also midwives. 
  • Anaesthetists: An obstetric anaesthetist is a doctor who is responsible for providing care to you if you need an anaesthetic in pregnancy or birth – including an epidural in labour and spinal or general anaesthetic for birth. They are a core part of the maternity team and in the management of mothers who become seriously ill.
  • Maternity Support Workers (MSWs): MSWs work in community teams or in the hospital to provide care to families alongside midwives. They may be providing feeding support, observations, and blood tests

We work in partnership with other hospitals in the region to access specialist care. We are part of the Wessex Maternal Medicine network and Fetal Medicine network based at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton. 
 

You will be offered a range of screening tests in pregnancy. The tests can help you make choices about further tests and care or treatment during your pregnancy or after your baby's born. All screening tests offered by the NHS are free. 

For more information before your booking appointment please read and watch the information here

You can also view information about the screening tests offered to you during or after pregnancy here - this can be viewed in multiple languages.

For advice and help about maternal mental health, you can visit the Healthier Together website here. To find out about what help and support you may need with your mental health in pregnancy or if you are supporting someone in pregnancy you can complete a short survey here (Perinatalpathways.com).

At Hampshire Hospitals we have perinatal mental health specialist midwives who work with our midwives to support you with any new or existing mental health concerns you have. They also work closely with regional specialists in mental health.

  • Perinatal Mental Health Team (PMHT) – The PMHT care for mothers who are experiencing serious perinatal mental health difficulties.
  • Maternal Mental Health Service – A specialist service that provides assessment, support and psychological care for people who develop moderate to severe mental health difficulties relating to their maternity experience. This may include people who have experienced traumatic birth or have an extreme fear of childbirth, known as tokophobia. You can find out more about tokophobia here.

You will be asked about your wellbeing at every antenatal and postnatal appointment and your midwife will provide advice, signposting to relevant services and referrals to specialists if needed. You can read more about your care during pregnancy with a serious mental illness here.