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Address:
The Guildhall
Frankwell Quay
Shrewsbury
SY3 8HQ
 
Telephone:
01743 281000
 
email:
general@shrewsbury.gov.uk

Having a Baby

There are a lot of factors to consider when having a baby, and fortunately there is a wealth of information available on the internet to provide you with help and advice, and to ease any concerns that you may have.
 
Our online business directory contains some local companies that have associated themselves with the life event 'Having a Baby' click on the link below to see the list.
Business directory - Having a Baby
 1 day old baby

Want to get pregnant, but can't

If you are having trouble getting pregnant, you should talk to your doctor, who will be able to advise you.

You can find out more about infertility on the following websites.

If you find that you definitely can't have a baby yourself, perhaps you may wish to consider fostering or adoption. Shropshire County Council administers fostering/adoption in Shropshire, find out more at

When you get pregnant

The fact that you are reading this probably means that you are (or your partner is) already pregnant. But if you are thinking about starting a family then there are things you can do to make everything safer and easier for you and your baby.

Medicines

Assume that all medicines are dangerous until your doctor or pharmacist tells you otherwise.

Some medicines that you might take normally, such as some types of headache tablets, are unsafe to use during pregnancy, check with your doctor or pharmacist before you use any medicines. You get free prescriptions when you are pregnant, so it is well worth seeing your doctor to make sure you get the safest medicines for you and your baby.

If you take regular medication, talk to your doctor before you try to get pregnant, or in any case as soon as possible after you find that you are pregnant.

Vitamins and dietary supplements

If you get pregnant (or are thinking about it) you should talk to your doctor before taking, or continuing to take any vitamins or other diet supplements. Some vitamins can actually harm your baby.

Herbal medicines and Natural remedies

Some herbal medicines can also be harmful to your baby, check with your doctor before you take them while pregnant

Folic Acid

This particular vitamin is known to be of value before and during early pregnancy, it can help to prevent spina bifida and similar birth defects. Some foods such as broccoli contain folic acid, but doctors recommend that you take folic acid tablets as well - you can get these from your doctor or a pharmacist. Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, stop taking folic acid when your pregnancy reaches 12 weeks.

Give up smoking

It is well known that smoking harms your health at any time. Your unborn baby is particularly vulnerable to the cocktail of chemicals from tobacco smoke that will enter his or her bloodstream directly from yours. If you smoke during pregnancy your baby cannot grow as well it should, and is likely to have breathing and other health problems when he or she is born.

The NHS provide a pregnancy smoking helpline on 0800 169 9169

Dads - if both you and your partner smoke, why not quit together.

Having a baby is expensive, and you could probably do without the extra financial drain of buying cigarettes.

Alcohol

Heavy or frequent drinking is known to cause harm to your baby.
There are mixed opinions as to whether light occasional drinking during pregnancy harms your baby, so the safest option is not to drink alcohol at all.

Illegal Drugs

If you use 'street drugs', these are harmful to your baby, and it would be best to stop using them if you can. There is help available - try the FRANK drugs helpline on 0800 282930

Find out more

Get a book

There are a number of books that can help you to understand what is happening during your pregnancy. Ask your midwife about the useful NHS publication 'The Pregnancy Book'

The library service has a selection of books about pregnancy and childbirth.

Make sure that you get an up to date book, don't rely on medical information in any book more than a couple of years old, as doctor's advice on some issues (such as alcohol) has changed in the last few years.

Parentcraft

These classes run at the maternity unit at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. Experienced midwives will be able to tell you what to expect during your pregnancy and birth. You will be able to visit and find out about the various parts of the maternity unit.

Looking after yourself and your unborn baby

Who can help you?

The local health service is there to help you. When you get pregnant you can go to see your doctor.
Alternatively, you can self-refer to your local midwife - your local health centre or surgery will have the contact details.
The midwife will keep in touch with you throughout your pregnancy.

Aquanatal

Aquanatal classes are run at the Quarry Fitness Centre every Tuesday 3pm - 4pm.

For further information, please telephone 01743 246073, or visit the centre on Priory Road, SY1 1RU

Tell your doctor/dentist

You are entitled to free NHS dental care when you are pregnant.

Make sure that your dentist knows that you are pregnant, as some of the treatments dentists use can be harmful to your baby.

X-rays

X-rays can damage your baby, and must be avoided during pregnancy (or even if you think you might be pregnant). Make sure that you tell your dentist, and any other healthcare services you use about your pregnancy.

If you are accompanying someone to hospital, and you are (or think you could be) pregnant you must not remain with them in the X-ray room if they have an X-ray

Avoid certain foods

Many food are best avoided during pregnancy, either because they might contain organisms which might harm your baby, or because they have high levels of minerals or vitamins detrimental to your baby's development.

The University of Sheffield runs an 'Eating for Pregnanacy' helpline on 0845 130 3646

Animals

Cats

Cat faeces can contain an organism that can harm your baby, if at all possible get someone else to empty your cat's litter tray. If you have to do it yourself, wear disposable rubber gloves. Trays should be cleaned daily and filled with boiling water for 5 minutes.

Sheep

Sheep can carry an organism that can lead to miscarriage. Avoid lambing, or milking ewes, and especially new-born lambs. Even if you don't live or work on a farm, you should take care when visiting farms, or farm parks.

Gardening

Wear gloves when gardening, even if you don't have a cat, in case the soil is contaminated.

Tests and scans

Ultrasound scan

In Shropshire, midwives arrange a 'dating' scan at around 10-12 weeks.
This scan is the first time you will see your baby, and for many people this can be quite an emotional moment, when it really sinks in that a new person is growing.
Only one other person will be allowed into the scan room with you, if you have young children it is best not to bring them with you to the scan, as there are no staff available to look after them if they become upset.

At the dating scan only, the ultrasound machine is able to print out a picture if you would like one, however the Hospital will make a £5 charge for this (or 3 for £10) - prices correct at Nov 2005.

About halfway through your pregnancy your midwife will arrange for you to go for a detailed ultrasound scan. The purpose of this is to allow doctors to check out your baby to see if everything is ok. However, it will allow you and your partner to get a fairly clear view of your baby, but pictures are not usually available at this scan.

The antenatal unit in Shrewsbury will NOT attempt to determine the sex of the baby.

If you do want to find out whether your baby is a boy or a girl, then this service can be offered privately by the hospital. At Nov. 2005 the hospital charges £50 for this service, and you should contact the antenatal unit after your detailed scan.

Alternatively you could use one of the private companies offering ultrasound services, refer to the Having a Baby section of our Business Directory for contact details.

Blood tests

You will be offered blood tests during your pregnancy, these are to monitor the wellbeing of both you and your baby.

The tests can also be used to identify potential genetic disorders. Among other things, it can identify a level of risk of your baby being born with down's syndrome. The blood test will only be able to give you the estimated odds (eg. 1 in 50), if your risk is identified as high, then your antenatal screening midwife will talk to you about a test called an amniocentesis

Find out more about what blood tests mean at:

  • Lab Tests Online
    http://www.labtestsonline.org.uk/
    Site designed to help you, the patient, to better understand the many clinical lab tests that are part of routine care as well as diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of conditions and diseases. 

Amniocentesis

In this test, a sample is taken of some of the fluid surrounding your baby, this will reliably determine whether or not your baby has certain genetic disorders, including Down's Syndrome. This test carries roughly a 1 in 150 risk of causing a miscarriage, so is not offered routinely.

If your result comes back positive, and you find you are expecting a baby with a genetic disorder, you will have to make the difficult decision of whether you want to proceed with the pregnancy.

You will certainly need to find out more about what it means to have a baby with a genetic disorder, and there is lots of information, support and advice available. Doctors will give you as much information and help as they can, but the decision about what you do is yours, they will not try to force you into any decision. If you think that you want to terminate the pregnancy, you should realise that it is not an easy option, it will be a traumatic experience that could affect you emotionally for a long time afterwards.

Twins or more

Twins occur in about 1 in 80 pregnancies.

With the increasing use of fertility treatments, twins and multiple births are becoming more common than they used to be.

There are organisations that can offer support and advice during the pregnancy and after your babies are born.

  • TAMBA - Twins and Multiple Births Association
    www.tamba.org.uk
    Tamba is a charity providing information and mutual support networks for families of twins, triplets and more. If you are expecting a multiple birth Tamba can support you.

  • Multiple Births Foundation
    http://www.multiplebirths.org.uk/
    charity based at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in West London. A resource to professionals and families, it aims to improve the care and support of multiple birth families through the education of all relevant professionals. 

Pregnant at school

If you find you are pregnant at school, the first thing you need to do is get help. Even older mothers find pregnancy a frightening process, and its very hard to deal with alone - don't keep it to yourself. There are things that need to be checked out early on, to protect your health and the baby's - talk to your doctor as soon as possible.

If you can't (or don't want to) talk to your own mum or another member of your family, then you can get confidential advice from the Sexwise helpline on 0800 282930

Single Mum?

If the baby's father is not around to help you, then you should try to find someone to talk to, whether it's a family member or a close friend.

If there isn't anyone, then the self-help organisation Gingerbread can offer you information and advice and will be able to put you in touch with other women in a similar situation. The number for their advice line is 0800 018 4318

Working while pregnant

Telling your employer

The latest that you can tell your employer that you are pregnant is 14 weeks before your baby is due.

It might be to your advantage to you tell your employer earlier, since you are entitled to paid time off to attend ante-natal appointments. You also have special health and safety protection and protection against discrimination.

Think about childcare

If you intend to go back to work after having your baby, now is the time to think about daycare for your baby. Many of the nurseries around Shrewsbury have waiting lists of several months.  See our childcare page for links to find childcare.

Driving

As you get larger, later in your pregnancy, you might have to consider giving up driving.

This can be an issue particularly if you are not very tall and need your car seat well forward, as your bump might actually touch the steering wheel, which places you in a vulnerable position in the event of a collision.

In any case, you should ask your midwife about the correct way to wear your seatbelt, if it is positioned wrongly across your bump, it can increase the risk of harm to the baby in the event of an accident.

Your rights

Benefits

There are lots of benefits that you might be entitled to when you become pregnant, unfortunately it is very complicated, and maternity rights are changing all the time. You need to apply to several different agencies. Places that you can find out more are:

Do you get

 You can claim

Where to Apply

Income based Job Seekers Allowance

Income Support

 Low Income

All Mothers

  

 

Y Y Y Y Child Benefit Social Security / Job Centre Plus
Y Y Y Y Free prescription Health Authority
(job centre plus after birth)
Y Y Y Y Free dental treatment Health Authority
(job centre plus after birth)
Y Y     £500 sure start maternity grant Social Security / Job Centre Plus
Y Y     Social Fund Loans Job Centre Plus
Y Y Y   Council Tax Benefit SABC
Y Y Y   Housing Benefit SABC
Y Y     Help with mortgage Social Security / Job Centre Plus
Y Y     Free Milk Social Security / Job Centre Plus
Y Y     Free Vitamins Social Security / Job Centre Plus
Y Y Y   Fares to Hospital At the hospital

(job centre plus after visit)

Housing

Pregnancy will be taken into account if you are waiting for housing

I'm not fat, I'm pregnant!

As your pregnancy progresses you will find that most of your clothes no longer fit, there are plenty of places to buy maternity wear.

If money is tight, many mothers are willing to loan their maternity clothes - mostly it will only have been used for a few weeks and its likely to be in pretty good condition.

Pack your hospital bag

Your midwife will be able to advise you on what to pack, but you need to include clothes for you and for your baby, also you will need bedding for the baby (sheets and blankets), as Shrewsbury Hospital does not provide them. You will also need nappies for the baby.

You will not be able to use a mobile phone inside the hospital, so take some coins for the payphone. It is worth taking a small amount of money to buy things like newspapers or sweets. The league of Friends has a coffee bar and shop in the foyer of the Shrewsbury Hospital Maternity unit.

What will you need

Shops and baby magazines would have you believe that you need every gadget under the sun in order to be a good parent, some are essential and some provide little real benefit. The following is a short list of things you really need to have ready for when your baby goes home.

  • Somewhere to sleep - Cot or Moses basket or something similar. If you have a second hand cot, consider getting a new mattress as older ones might not meet modern standards. Cot bumpers are not recommended. Look for British Standard BS1753
  • Clothes - vests, baby suits, warm tops, warm hat, sun hat, outdoor coat or suit - don't buy too many expensive outfits, baby will grow out of them really quickly.
  • Nappies - Consider using one of the environmentally friendly alternatives to disposables.
  • Nappy bags if you are using disposables.
  • White Cotton wool
  • Baby wipes - much more convenient than cotton wool, especially if you are out and about, but can affect baby's delicate skin if used too much.
  • Changing mat - makes changing messy nappies less stressful - you don't need a changing table unless you have mobility problems - the floor is safer.
  • Nappy rash cream (Sudocrem or similar)
  • Baby Bath - it's hard work leaning over a full size bath.
  • Feeding - 6 bottles, formula milk (if you are using it), sterilising equipment, bottle brush, breast pads. 
  • Towels - ordinary ones are fine as long as they are soft, keep them just for baby.
  • Baby soap
  • Pram or 'Travel System' your baby needs to be able to lie flat. Travel systems are expensive, but they allow you to transfer from the car to the pram without waking baby, which, as any parent will tell you, is a real bonus.
  • Car seat - see below

Having your baby

Where to have your baby

The local maternity unit is at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (North), wards 18, 19 and 20.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Mytton Oak Road,
Shrewsbury
SY3 8XQ.

Location map for RSH Maternity Unit, click on the map to open interactive map.

RSH Location Map - click to enlarge

Car Parking charges apply at the RSH, £2 per day (Nov. 2005) or weekly tickets can be bought from the car park attendants.

Telephone numbers:

Community Midwives: 01743 261000 ext 3868
Antenatal Clinic: 261000 ext 3160
Midwifery Led Unit (formerly the GP unit): 01743 261216
Labour Ward: 01743 261220
Hospital Switchboard: 01743 261000
Minicom/Text: 01743 261213

Home birth

Find out more about this option at:

  • Birthchoice UK
    http://www.birthchoiceuk.com/
    Where you choose to have your baby and whom you choose to look after you in labour will affect the type of birth you have and the care you receive. This website explains your options and gives you some information to help you make those choices. 

Premature Babies

Babies born before the normal 40 weeks term often need special care.

  • BLISS
    http://www.bliss.org.uk/
    Some newborn babies need a little extra special care. BLISS is dedicated to ensuring that more babies survive, have the best possible quality of life and that their parents and families get the support they need. 

Stillbirth

In the UK about 4000 babies each year are stillborn, and about the same number die soon after birth. Often the cause is unknown.

SANDS is an organisation that can help parents in this distressing situation.

Registration, if your baby dies after 24 weeks or more of pregnancy, then you will need to register the death. You can arrange a funeral or cremation if you wish.

Taking your baby home

Car seats

If you have a car, you need a safety restraint for your baby from the start.  It's dangerous and illegal to carry the baby in your arms.  A rear-facing infant baby restraint is the best option.
Never place a rear facing child seat in a seat with an airbag, the impact of the airbag deploying can seriously injure or even kill the baby.

Make sure that you check that the seat fits your car before you go to hospital to pick up baby, not all seats fit in all cars.
In particular, some European prestige brands offer their own child seats, and in some these are the only ones that can be used - check with your dealer.

Coping on your own

There are many people and organisations you can turn to for support if you are a single parent. Gingerbread is a self-help organisation for one-parent families.  They can put you in touch with other mothers and have a network of local groups and information.

Benefits after your baby is born

If you are already on benefits, in the event that you become pregnant, you may be entitled to more.

If you are not on benefits and you become pregnant, you may be entitled to them.  However, it depends on your circumstances.

Call 01743 281466.

Child Benefit

This is an allowance paid to you by the government, you need to claim within 3 months of your baby being born, or you might lose some of your benefit.

Tax Credits

Most families are entitled to some tax credits, even when they are relatively well paid, find out more at

Naming Your Baby

Behind The Name

BabyWorld Baby Namer

iVillage's 10 things to consider when choosing your baby's name

Naming Ceremony

Shropshire Register Office offer Civil Naming Ceremonies for parents to celebrate the birth of their child.

Registering the birth

By law, births must be registered within 42 days of the date of birth.

If you have had your baby in hospital, and while you are still in hospital, you can register your baby with the registrar at the hospital.
The registrar is available in the maternity unit between 9.30am and 4pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Further information about registering births can be found on the General Register Office website.

Alternatively, you can contact The Shrewsbury Register Office directly;

The Register Office,
Column Lodge,
Preston Street,
Shrewsbury,
SY2 5NY

http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/registrar.nsf
0845 678 9016

Location map for Shrewsbury Register Office, click on the map to open interactive map.

Register Office Location Map - click to enlarge

The office is open;

Monday to Friday 09:15 to 16:30 hours

Information about obtaining replacement birth certificates is available on the General Register Office website.

Looking after your baby

Breastfeeding

Breast milk is considered to be the best food for both you and your baby for many reasons.

  • Breastfeeding Network
    http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/
    The Breastfeeding Network (BfN) aims to be an independent source of support and information for breastfeeding women and others.
  • La Leche League
    http://www.laleche.org.uk/
    helps mothers to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information and education. We also aim to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother. 

Swimming

The Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre host Toddler Splash and Parent and Infant sessions.

Immunisations

You can find out about immunisations and their program schedules at

I am worried about cot death

  • SIDS
    SIDS.org.uk
    advice and information about cot death.

General Links

The BBC Parenting site is a great source of information and provides advice from preconception through pregnancy to the time of birth. Message boards are also available to discuss all aspects of pregnancy and parenting with other prospective parents.

Directgov contains a comprehensive section on having a baby, including health in pregnancy, after the birth, and antenatal care. The site also provides additional information covering, amongst other sections, teenage pregnancy, pregnancy complications, benefit entitlements, and leave and pay entitlements.

The NHS Direct website contains an online Health Encyclopaedia where you can find the answers to your health related questions. Simply search for a topic using the search box at the top of their website.

The National Childbirth Trust has a website containing useful help and advice including a section dedicated to becoming a dad.

Our local maternity unit is wards 16-20 of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital