Congratulations on your pregnancy.

Pregnancy is an exciting time, to achieve the best possible experience for you and your family please read the information in the links below.

Top Tip…. Please and follow the link to the Somerset Maternity Tool kit which gives you national and local information on your pregnancy and beyond.

If you are pregnant and need to book a first appointment with the midwives, please complete the self referral form found HERE

Health and Wellbeing

Eating well during pregnancy and beyond is extremely important to yours and your baby’s health. Please see our drop-down guides below for some advice from our maternity and dietetic teams.

Click here for more advice.

During your pregnancy you will be offered several screening tests for you and your baby. It is your decision whether to have any of these tests. Please read Screening tests for you and your baby which is available in different languages, before your first appointment with the midwife.

Animation for Screening in pregnancy

First trimester Screening

This information gives you details about screening tests for Down’s Syndrome (Trisomy 21), Edwards’ Syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau’s Syndrome (Trisomy 13). These are offered between 11-14 weeks of your pregnancy.

This information aims to help you to make an informed choice regarding your screening options. Please read the following prior to attending the First Trimester. Screening Clinic and bring your hand held pregnancy notes with you to the appointment.

Click here for more information about Down’s Syndrome (Trisomy 21) Edwards’ Syndrome (Trisomy 18) & Patau’s Syndrome (trisomy 13).

Ultrasound scans

Important update during Coronavirus Pandemic.

We have been able to reduce some restrictions that mean women attending their 12 and 20 week scans can be accompanied by one person. Please don’t enter the building more than 5 minutes before your appointment and a face covering must be worn at all times, there are some available for you to use as you enter the women’s hospital. For additional scans, we suggest you arrive with your partner, who can wait outside/in the car for you which would mean that, for the small number of women who unfortunately receive sad news, we can call your partner and hey can be with you quickly.

All women booked at Yeovil Hospital are offered two routine ultrasound scans in pregnancy, these are usually held in the first trimester between 11-14 weeks and then again in the second trimester at 20 weeks, and performed by our team of sonographers based on the ground floor of the women’s hospital. The first trimester ultrasound scan will be able to confirm your pregnancy dates, give you an accurate due date and also check on the health of your growing baby and placenta. At your booking appointment, your midwife will discuss with you the scan choices available and if you wish to have combined risk screening for genetic conditions such as Down’s, Edward’s and Patau’s Syndromes.

At 20 weeks, the second scan provides an opportunity to fully see your baby, this is otherwise known as the mid pregnancy or anomaly scan. This scan takes a detailed look at your baby’s bones, internal organs, brain, spinal cord and abdomen to check that your baby is developing normally. It is important to note that ultrasound scans are medical examinations but are limited and cannot always detect every abnormality, at this scan it may also be possible to find out the sex of your baby if you choose, however this is dependent on whether your baby is lying in the right position! Unfortunately, if the sonographer is unable to determine the baby’s sex on the day you will not be offered a further medical scan.

For more information on pregnancy screening and the choices available to you please speak to your midwife or our antenatal screening midwife Natalie Phipps.

When to book?

We suggest you have your NHS scans in the first instance before booking a bonding scan. However, if you cannot wait that long please note this service does not replace your screening scans.

Scan Cost

Baby Bonding scans cost £80 for a 20 minute scan (price correct from January 2021).

How to book an appointment?

Please telephone: 01935 384907 or 01935 384576 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Debit/credit card payment is required before you attend your scan. Please phone the Ultrasound Office on 01935 384508 Monday to Friday between 9am and 12pm to make this payment.

If you do not have a credit/debit card payment can be made at the hospital General Office by cash or cheque.

Please note, payment cannot be taken by the sonographer on the evening. Please pay in advance. If payment has not been received three working days prior to your scan appointment, we reserve the right to cancel your appointment.

Important information

Baby Bonding Scans at Yeovil are not undertaken as fetal abnormality checks.

This service has been chosen by you, voluntarily and in addition to your NHS routine scans.

If, however, we suspect that there might be a problem, we will explain in as much detail as possible.

With your consent, we will contact your Consultant team or midwife responsible for your care, and a full complete report will be sent to your health professionals.

Please note: This will be done on the next working day as we are unable to contact people out of hours.

How clear will my scan be?

The quality and detail of any scan can be affected by many things including the position of your baby, the amount of fluid around your baby, position of umbilical cord/placenta, stage of pregnancy and maternal size– all beyond our control.

If the sound has to pass through an increased amount of maternal body tissue (skin, fat and muscle) the pictures may not be as clear.

Baby bonding at Yeovil our aim!

Ultimately, we hope you find your Baby Bonding Scan at Yeovil Womens Hospital a reassuring and enjoyable experience.

For further information

Should you wish to discuss this service with a sonographer prior to booking please contact : Andrea Gane or Luis Aparicio on 01935 384508 or email [email protected]

Ref: 14-19-103
Review: 07/21

Pregnancy choices

Who will be involved in my care?

The majority of women experience straight forward pregnancies and birth. If you have any concerns about what may happen during this time, you will be able to discuss these and any choices with your midwife or doctor during any stage of your pregnancy.

At the beginning of your pregnancy your midwife with discuss with you your medical and previous pregnancy history.

Your midwife will discuss the following options with you and support you in your choice of care.

Midwife Led Care

If you are physically well and healthy and the likelihood of you or your baby developing problems in pregnancy is low, then we recommend that you are cared for by a midwife. You can chose whether you would like to give birth at home or in the Midwife Led Unit. The midwife will be your first point of contact for information and support for all your pregnancy and birth needs. Your routine antenatal checks will be held by your team of midwives in the community.

If you or your baby develop problems during your pregnancy you midwife will refer you for a consultant opinion.

Consultant Led Care

If you have had previous pregnancy or birth complications, or are at increased risk of developing problems in this pregnancy, we would recommend your care is led by the Obstetricians (Doctors) based at Women’s Hospital. Depending on the needs of you and your baby your antenatal appointments will be shared between your obstetrician and your midwife. You will see your obstetrician regularly in the antenatal clinic at the hospital, and will see your midwife in the community too. The Antenatal clinic at the hospital run regular specialist clinics that you may be invited depending on your complications such as the Diabetic Clinic, the Pre - Assessment clinic, the Vaginal Birth after Caesarean Section (VBAC) clinic.

Choosing where to have your baby - at home, in the alongside midwife led unit or labour ward.

We aim to provide you with unbiased information about the choices available to you to help you decide on the place of your baby’s birth. You can decide on where you would like to have your baby at any point during your pregnancy. Our support for your choice is based on clinical assessment during pregnancy and labour which may change depending on you and your baby’s needs.

NHS Birth choices leaflet

NHS your choice - where to have your first baby

NHS your choice - where to have your baby if you’ve had a baby before

Birth place decisions

Pregnancy and Baby Loss

The loss of a pregnancy or baby at any stage throughout your pregnancy can be devastating for both parents.

We are committed to provide the highest standards of care to those parents who have sadly suffered a bereavement, by upholding the National Bereavement Care Pathway standards.

Sadly a miscarriage occurs in 1 in 4 pregnancies. A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the first 24 weeks. We recommend that if you are experiencing pain, bleeding or spotting, loss or pregnancy symptoms, if you have previously had an ectopic pregnancy, or have sharp one-sided pain and/or pain in your shoulders, or feel very faint or dizzy that you contact your GP, Community Midwife or Emergency Department who will refer you to Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic (EPAC) if required.

You may also be referred to this clinic if you are pregnant and have previously had an ectopic pregnancy or tubal surgery.

If you are experiencing these symptoms it doesn’t always mean that you will miscarry but we do recommend that you are referred to our Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic who will see women between 8-18 weeks of pregnancy. If you are experiencing any heaving bleeding or more pain that you can cope with please attend the Emergency Department.

Sometimes you may have attended for a scan and be told you have suffered a missed miscarriage and not experienced any symptoms at all.

There are a number of support organisations that can be found below offering support through helplines, groups and information.

Some families may choose a termination for medical reason (TFMR), following problems being identified in baby at ultrasound. A specialist team will provide individualised support at this difficult time, discussing with you your options and what to expect.

We recommend visiting ARC for further information:

For parents | ARC supports parents throughout antenatal testing and its consequences (arc-uk.org)

When a baby dies after 24 weeks of pregnancy either before or during birth this is known as a Stillbirth. A specialist team provides support at this difficult time and will care for you and your baby with dignity and respect at all times. We will ensure you have opportunities to spend time and make memories with your baby if this is what you would like to do.

A baby that dies shortly after birth or up to twenty eight days following birth is called a Neonatal Death. Some babies may have been very ill and this was expected or for others this happens suddenly. Whatever the situation this can be traumatic and our specialist Midwives or Nurses will be able to support you through this difficult time for you and your family.

We work with local and national charities, as below, who can provide you with further support via helplines, support groups and therapies.

Please do get in contact if you have any questions to our Bereavement Midwifery team

Natalie Avery and Becky Cockings on:

01935 384261

For links to support click here.