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I'm pregnant

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Your pregnancy journey is an important and exciting experience and we would like to ensure that your maternity care and support is right for you. NHS.uk website has a really helpful your pregnancy and baby guide which looks at common problems and things to know as you begin your journey. 
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This is your pregnancy. We will of course observe your birth choices, keeping it in the forefront of your maternity care. However if any concerns arise during one of your visits this will be discussed with you in-depth so you are able to make an informed choice about your care and an agreed plan can be made.

Women with a more complex pregnancy will require a named consultant e.g diabetes, previous pregnancy problems, when a complex pregnancy is identified, there will be early specialist involvement with that Consultant and or other specialists. But your management plans  will still be agreed between you and that team.

You will be encouraged to participate equally in all decision-making processes to enable you make informed choices about your care. All women will be given accurate information to enable their informed choice of intended place of birth and mode of birth, including maternal choice for caesarean delivery.

Making an appointment

You should be offered a booking appointment with a midwife for a booking appointment by the time you are 10 weeks pregnant and have self-refer for maternity care at either Peterborough City or Hinchingbrooke Hospital using My Pregnancy Notes.

Your pregnancy will be treated confidentially, even if you are under 16 years old.


Before you choose the hospital you would like to receive care from for your pregnancy, please read the Your Choices leaflet. This leaflet has been developed to help you with the decisions you will be making at the start of your pregnancy. Your choice of place of birth will also be discussed at your booking appointment but can be talked about at any appointment with your midwife.

There may be some occasions where women are diverted to alternative maternity units due the unit being extremely busy. This possibility is discussed with parents as part of their antenatal care, so they could look at alternative journeys to local units, if they so desired.  We work closely with our neighbouring maternity units to ensure women are transferred safely, including by risk assessing all patients first. We do try to avoid this where possible but please be rest assured that you will be fully involved in any decision around your care.

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Use the information above to refer to Maternity Services at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which includes Peterborough City Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Stamford & Rutland Hospital as well as community-led care, so you can arrange your booking appointment. The Trust is also pleased to announce that expectant mothers under the care of the Maternity Unit at Hinchingbrooke will now experience the same system as those giving birth at Peterborough City Hospital.

K2 Athena, is a new innovative system that provides a complete electronic record of the pregnancy journey from antenatal booking to postnatal care. Clinicians and midwives will now document care directly into K2 Athena, this means they will have more time to spend delivering one to one care in labour and enhanced support in postnatal care. Another benefit to K2 is women are now able to view their maternity notes online via a secure portal on any electronic device that has access to the internet.

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Following collaboration with NHS Digital, K2 Maternity Systems and Maternity Voices Partnership, the Trust is to launch a brand new look to maternity online notes.

To self-refer for maternity care at either PCH or HH please register at www.mypregnancynotes.com

You will need to have an email address to register and use My Pregnancy Notes

Self-referral through My Pregnancy Notes will give you access to the full functionality while you wait for your booking appointment

Please see the leaflet for more information and help.  Also check out this video for more about My Pregnancy Notes and what you can do.

If you are Out Of Area – please have a read of this leaflet. 

Outpatient Antenatal appointments and community appointments 

  • Consultant appointments - Routine appointments we have not been able to introduce partners being present at most appointments due to the size of the consulting rooms being too small to allow appropriate social distancing. What we have put in place is the ability of partners to join via your own FaceTime, Whatsapp etc video call facilities. Where women need additional support for the appointment we are undertaking risk assessments and can put specific arrangements in place on a case by case basis. We will continue to conduct appointments by video call where ever possible.
  • Antenatal Day Unit - Due to the size of the unit across site we haven’t been able to allow partners back due to social distancing, but we have put in place the ability of partners to join via your own mobile phone using Facetime, Whatsapp etc video call facilities. There may be times for confidentiality reasons where this may not be advised but we will discuss these with you at the time. Where women need additional support for the appointment we are undertaking risk assessments and can put specific arrangements in place on a case by case basis.
  • Community midwife led appointments - Due to the community venues we use for these appointments, and the restrictions placed upon us by the owners of these premises, and the size of the rooms we are not able to have partners at these appointments. Where women need additional support for the appointment we are under taking risk assessments and can put specific arrangements in place on a case by case basis. 

Antenatal scans 

  • Birthing partners are able to be present for dating, anomaly and growth scans
  • Early Pregnancy Unit - Due to the size of the unit across site we haven’t been able to allow partners back due to social distancing, but we have put in place the ability of partners to join via your own mobile phone using Facetime, Whatsapp etc video call facilities. There may be times for confidentiality reasons where this may not be advised but we will discuss these with you at the time. Where women need additional support for the appointment we are undertaking risk assessments and can put specific arrangements in place on a case by case basis.

Maternity Inpatient Units (MIPS at Peterborough, Lilac Ward at Hinchingbrooke) 

  • We have visiting in place from 8am-8pm where the birthing partner can give support and be present for this time, but overnight stays aren’t possible.
  • Induction of Labour; the birth partner will be able to be present for the whole of the visiting time. Where the labour is progressing we will move the birthing woman to the labour ward so that partners can stay.
  • On a case by case basis where additional support is required we can make arrangements for the birth partner to be present for longer periods, this can be discussed with your community midwife and midwifery manager. 

Labour Wards/MLBU/Primrose 

  • Partners have been able to remain throughout the labour and for a period of time afterwards until the birthing women and baby move back to the inpatient ward. Where this falls within the visiting times then the partner is able to stay and move to the inpatient area.
  • If you are having a C-section your partner can accompany you to theatres and can also be in theatre with you and be with you in recovery and on the transfer back to the ward area, where normal visiting restrictions apply.                                    

No visitors will be permitted to stay overnight during this time.

If you are due a routine cervical smear and you have just found out you are pregnant, please let your GP know and you can have the smear taken 3 months after your baby is born.

If you have recently had an abnormal cervical smear and have been invited for colposcopy, please attend this appointment even if you are pregnant. Colposcopy is a safe examination in pregnancy.

If you have previously had treatment to the neck of your womb (cervix) and are due your first cervical smear after treatment, you may have this done 3 months after your baby is born.

If you are due a colposcopy appointment as a follow up for a previous abnormal smear or colposcopy, please attend this appointment even if you are pregnant. However follow up colposcopy appointments for previous low grade cervical abnormalities (CIN1)  may be deferred to 3 months after delivery.

Please contact your GP if you wish to discuss any cervical smear related issues further.