I'm pregnant.....what next?

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Every woman, every pregnancy, every baby and every family is different. Therefore quality services (by which we mean safe, clinically effective and providing a good experience) must be personalised.

On 30 March 2023 NHS England published its three year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services.

The report sets out the 12 priority actions for Trusts and systems for the next three years, across four themes:

Listening to women and families with compassion
Supporting the workforce
Developing and sustaining a culture of safety
Meeting and improving standards and structures.

To support you in your choices we have included contact information for each hospital in Humber and North Yorkshire below and you can find the link to our virtual hospital tours page here.

Pregnancy booking appointment

This is your first appointment where you will meet a community midwife to discuss you and your pregnancy. It's the first opportunity to discuss what kind of care you would like.

You will be seen by a midwife for your booking appointment when you are eight to 10 weeks pregnant. It is advisable to have this appointment before 12 weeks, so that you have all the information you need to decide what care you prefer and tests and scans that you might want. Your midwife will ask questions about your health, your medical history, your lifestyle and any previous pregnancies, so that they can put together a suitable care plan with you.

At your booking appointment, you’ll be given a set of maternity notes which are often referred to as 'green notes'. You will need to take these notes to every appointment during your pregnancy. Your midwife will add to these notes, and reports from scans and other tests will be added as your pregnancy progresses.

Your midwife will also give you an application form for a maternity prescription exemption, which entitles you to free prescriptions and dental treatment until your baby is 12 months old.

At your booking appointment, your midwife will assign how you will access care:

Midwife-led care: Women who are healthy and have a low chance of developing problems during pregnancy and birth will receive midwife-led care, this could be at home or in hospital. This may change as your pregnancy progresses if you develop complications, if you are having multiple births, or if you need closer monitoring.
Consultant-led care: Women who have certain medical conditions, or a higher chance of developing problems during pregnancy and birth, will be overseen by a consultant obstetrician. As well as the routine pregnancy appointments with your midwife, you will also have appointments with an obstetrician, and possibly other specialists too. These will be tailored to your needs.

If your care is hospital based for example if you are a diabetic, have mental health problems or another specialist area requiring consultant care, teams are now in the process of being set up to meet your needs including doctors, dieticians and specialised services.

Don’t worry if things change during your pregnancy – your midwife will reassess your care and will make changes to your care plan if they are needed.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust information

Care Quality Commission (CQC) report

Hull Women and Children's Hospital

If you wish to book to give birth here please contact the direct access midwives on 01482 605304 text 07825 280822 or email hyp-tr.direct.access@nhs.net. They will arrange your first appointment to see a midwife and discuss your plan of care with you. Click here to visit the hospital website.

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust information

Care Quality Commission (CQC) report here .

York Hospital and Scarborough General Hospitals

This maternity service is now using Badger Notes. This is an electronic system aimed at giving mothers more access to and control of their pregnancy records and care notes.

Please access the self referral process through Badger Notes, here .

Click here to visit the hospital website.