We have provided live webinar antenatal classes for women in Dorset. These were provided by midwives and support workers across all sites covering a range of topics. We are currently filming more antenatal classes, these will be available soon and will be added once complete, but until then we have the below videos and resources.
Birthing partners
- Why birthing partners are important
- What is your role?
- Tips and tricks
- Do’s and don’ts (in an ideal world!)
- What to pack
An introduction to hypnobirthing
- What hypnobirthing is
- The benefits
- How to use it in your pregnancy and labour
Preparing for labour
- What is active labour
- Where can you choose to labour and birth
- The role of hormones in labour
- What is happening to your body during this stage
- What can you do and what options do you have if you need
Recognising and supporting early labour
- Preparing for labour
- Signs of labour
- What happens to your body in early labour
- Labour hormones
- Coping at home
- Role of birth partner
- When to go into hospital or seek support
- Packing your hospital bag
Induction of labour
- Recommend it
- How can labour be induced- how long does it take?
- What can you do prior to an induction being offered
- What can you do whilst in hospital
What happens when labour goes to Plan B?
- Some of the things that can throw your plan of kilter
- What does that mean for you, your options and your preferences?
- What does an assisted or instrumental birth mean?
- Making the most of Plan B
Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC)
- What is the difference between labouring with and without a prior section
- What can you do to support labour
- What are the recommendations
Meeting your baby
- Skin to Skin contact
- Vitamin K options for your baby
- What to expect in a nappy and when
- Getting to know your baby: what to expect in terms of behaviour and sleep
Feeding your baby
- Skin to skin
- Feeding Cues
- Colostrum
- Milk coming in & hormones
- Positioning & attachment
- Brain development
- Hand expressing
- Safe formula feeding
Midwife and health visitor
- Transition between midwifery services and health visiting services in the postnatal period.
Birthing your baby
- Effective Breathing Techniques
- Positions you can be in to give birth
- Protecting your perineum
- Options for the afterbirth
- Clamping the cord
Pain relief and the role of an anaesthetist
- Gas and Air (Entonox)
- Pethidine
- Remifentanyl
- Epidural
- Epidural top up
- Spinal
- General Anaesthesia
Multiple pregnancy
For those expecting multiple babies.
Singing and talking to your bump
Babies love to hear their mums’ voices, it is the voice they have been used to hearing since their hearing first started developing in the womb (around 18 weeks). It is familiar and they don’t judge the ‘quality’ of your singing even if you are tempted to! When you sing to your baby you will naturally gain control over your breathing – we know this will give the best chance for both of you to feel calmer.
Poole midwife Jillian Ireland wrote this lullaby after working with a group of mothers in a collaborative partnership which also included a health visitor and an early years practitioner. The partnership was supported by the Foundation of Nursing Studies and together they designed a programme of creative activities to support the group as they prepared for birth and motherhood (fathers were also welcome and took part). They talked about why sleep is important and also why having little moments to remember the love they have for their baby/babies is a precious part of the whole, sometimes exhausting experience! You may remember lullabies you have heard long ago or if not you might like to sing along to this one, whatever you choose will be right for you.