
Midwifery and consultant-led antenatal care
Antenatal care refers to the care you receive in your pregnancy before your baby is born.
At your first appointment your midwife will recommend either midwife led or consultant/ obstetric led antenatal care. This will depend on a variety of factors including your physical or mental health, family history, or events in a previous pregnancy.
If there are no identified risk factors then your antenatal care will be provided by the community midwifery team.
Community Midwifery
You will have a named midwife who works within a team of 5-10 others. Our community midwifery teams run from several bases through Nottingham City and the surrounding area.
When you have confirmed that you are pregnant with a home test (usually around 6 weeks from the first day of your last period) please contact your local team to request a booking appointment.
You can do this by contacting your GP surgery, or telephoning our community team directly at their relevant base (see further contact details)
You will receive a number of routine appointments with your community midwife during your pregnancy.
Your first appointment
Your midwife will go through your medical history including family history, previous pregnancies, and social circumstances, smoking and alcohol use.
They may then refer you to Obstetric team, Antenatal care or one of our Specialist services.
They will discuss your options for place of birth and preferences and will measure : your weight & height and calculate your BMI. They will ask for a urine sample, and offer a carbon monoxide (CO) check.
They will give you a hand held maternity booklet, which you should carry with you at all times during your pregnancy.
Contact Us in the Community (Midwives)
ARNOLD MIDWIVES
Byron Court, Brookfield Road, Arnold,
Nottingham
NG5 7ER
Tel: 0115 883 1862
BEESTON MIDWIVES
Beeston HC, Dovecote House,
38 Wollaton Road, Beeston,
Nottingham
NG9 2NR
Tel: 0115 854 2264
BESTWOOD AND SHERWOOD MIDWIVES
Southglade Access Centre,
Southglade Road,
Nottingham NG5 5GU
Tel: 0115 876 1891
BULWELL MIDWIVES
Bulwell Riverside
Main Street, Bulwell, Nottingham
NG6 8QJ
Tel: 0115 883 3368 (contact via Strelley Team at Broxtowe CC)
CARLTON MIDWIVES
Park House Health & Social Care Centre, Burton Road, Carlton,
Nottingham NG4 3DQ
Tel: 0115 955 5391
CLIFTON MIDWIVES
Clifton Cornerstone, Southchurch Drive,
Nottingham
NG11 8EW
Tel: 0115 878 6168
HUCKNALL AND EASTWOOD MIDWIVES
Hucknall HC, 54 Curtis Street, Hucknall, Nottingham
NG15 7JE
Tel: 0115 883 2128
MARY POTTER MIDWIVES
Mary Potter Centre, Gregory Boulevard, Hyson Green, Nottingham
NG7 5HY
Tel: 0115 883 8414
RADFORD MIDWIVES
Radford HC, Ilkeston Road,
Nottingham
NG7 3GW
Tel: 0115 883 4000
RUSHCLIFFE MIDWIVES
Keyworth Primary Care Centre, Bunny Lane, Keyworth, Nottingham
NG12 5JU
Tel: 0115 844 0504
ST ANNS MIDWIVES
St Ann’s Valley Centre, 2 Livingston Road, St Ann’s, Nottingham
NG3 3GG
Tel: 0115 883 8755
STAPLEFORD MIDWIVES
Stapleford Care Centre, Church Street, Stapleford,
Nottingham
NG9 8DB
Tel: 0115 883 5078
STRELLEY MIDWIVES
Broxtowe Children’s Centre
The Cornerhouse, 18 Strelley Road, Nottingham
NG8 3AP
Tel: 0115 883 3368
WEST BRIDGFORD MIDWIVES (inc. Meadows)
West Bridgford Health Centre,
97 Musters Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham
NG2 7PX
Tel: 0115 952 9422
WOLLATON MIDWIVES
Wollaton HC, Wollaton Vale, Wollaton
Nottingham
NG8 2GR
Tel: 0115 883 3100
TEENAGE MIDWIVES
Old Basford HC, Bailey Street,
Nottingham
NG6 0HD
Tel: 0115 883 3215
SPECIALIST TEAMS (Alcohol / Drug Misuse, Mental Health, Homeless and Domestic Abuse)
Byron Court, Brookfield Road, Arnold
NG5 7ER
Tel: 0115 883 1748
Obstetric team care
If you are under Obstetric Team Care (also known as Consultant-led Care) during your pregnancy, labour or after the baby is born, the lead professional is a Consultant Obstetrician.
You will usually be under Obstetric Team Care if you have additional factors to consider during your pregnancy or delivery. The team also work closely with the Midwifery Teams.
During labour, if things are progressing normally, you may be looked after by midwives with minimal involvement from the Obstetric Team.
Appointments
You will be seen in a Consultant-led Antenatal Clinic in either QMC or City Hospital to assess the implications of the underlying medical factors.
You will be given advice regarding any additional blood tests, medications or scan appointments and sometimes there may be discussion about the mode and timing of birth.
Each woman is different and some may continue to need more hospital appointments and scans whereas some others may be discharged back to midwifery led care.
Does this affect the place of birth?
Not in all situations. A recommendation will be made about place of birth depending on your circumstances.
You can discuss your preference regarding place and mode of birth with the team of midwives/doctors based in the hospital. We aim to support your choice and consider your preferences where possible.
Scans and screening tests
A number of tests are offered for you and your baby during pregnancy and tests are also offered for your baby after birth.
See the leaflet Screening tests for you and your baby (available in a number of different languages).
If you have factors in your history that mean you may have higher chance of developing diabetes in pregnancy you will be offered a screening.
See more info here:
Screening for Gestational Diabetes in Pregnancy[pdf] 276KB
Ultrasound scans
All pregnant women are offered two routine ultrasound scans, a dating scan and an anomaly scan. These will be performed by one of our sonographers.
You may require additional scans to monitor your baby’s growth during pregnancy. Your midwife or obstetric doctor will explain why these are necessary.
If your baby is breech at 36 weeks
3-4 of every 100 babies are breech (bottom first) at 36 weeks gestation. Your midwife will check for this at your routine 36 week visit, however is not always possible to tell if a baby is presenting breech.
If the baby is breech, you will be offered a scan to confirm this. For more information:
Babies sometimes turn to head down on their own. The closer you are to your due date, the less likely this is. Turning the baby by external cephalic version (ECV) before labour avoids the small risk of complications during birth.
We offer an ECV service at both QMC and City Hospital. If ECV is unsuccessful, you will need to plan either a caesarean section or vaginal breech birth.
Antenatal Clinic
If you are referred to the Obstetric Team, you will be given an appointment in Antenatal Clinic. This may coincide with your dating or detailed scan.
If you are attending clinic for both a scan and clinic visit, your first appointment may take 2-3 hours
On arrival please check in at reception. One of our midwifery support workers will check your blood pressure and test your urine. Please bring a sample with you to each visit.
The clinics are led by a Consultant Obstetrician, along with midwives and other obstetric doctors.
We have a vaccinator in clinic most days who can administer the flu and whooping cough vaccines. You do not need to make an appointment for this, ask the reception.