This service follows the recommendations in the Better Births programme and is known nationally as ‘Continuity of Carer’, which involves giving women Continuity of Care (CoC) throughout their pregnancy, birth and postnatal journey.
Each woman will get to know a team of up to eight midwives, one of whom will be her named midwife. She will be seen by either her named midwife, or one of the other team at all stages of her pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. Women will have a point of contact available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Our CoC Jade team are based at Cossham Birth Centre and our Lilac team at Southmead Health Centre, with further teams launching over the coming year.
We have also introduced an additional new team which started late 2019 known as the Cedar team. Cedar is led by specialist midwives and is specifically for women who require extra support.
Alongside launching CoC women are also able to access additional services at Cossham Birth Centre including:
- Breastfeeding support.
- NIPE checks.
- Antenatal checks for women with an uncomplicated pregnancy.
- Review of uncomplicated women who think they may have had Spontaneous rupture of membranes after 37 weeks.
- Review of women who feel they have had reduced fetal movements and are 26 weeks or less.
- Coming soon - online Active Birthing classes
Women will continue to ring their choice of birth place in the first instance when in labour and urgent advice in pregnancy will always be available from the Quantock Assessment Unit (QAU) on 0117 414 6906 or 0117 414 6910 and via the postnatal support line 0117 4145148.
Sandra Reading, Director of Midwifery said: “We are delighted to be able offer Continuity of Carer to women.
“CoC helps build trust and has benefits to both the woman and her baby:
- An increased chance of spontaneous vaginal birth and less likely to need forceps or ventouse.
- A shorter duration of labour.
- Less pain relief and less likely to have an epidural.
- Reduced chance of a caesarean and quicker recovery following birth.
- Less likely to have negative feelings about your birth experience.”
“We are now working towards implementing CoC across the whole of midwifery services and new teams will be added in the coming months.”