Last Modified: 9:20am 08/03/2023

Maternity Teams

Your carers

Midwife: your midwifery team are usually the main care providers throughout your pregnancy. They provide care and support for women and their families during pregnancy, childbirth and the early days after the birth. They will work in partnership with you and your family to ensure you can make informed decisions about your care. Your midwives will arrange to see you at clinics in the local community and will visit you at home after the birth of your baby.

Student Midwives: they will work under the supervision of a qualified Midwife. Students will be undertaking a degree course at a university, but will spend time gaining experience in a clinical setting.

Maternity Care Assistants: they support midwives as part of the midwifery team. They have had appropriate training and supervision to provide information, guidance, reassurance and support for example with antenatal classes and infant feeding, which improves the quality of care that the Midwife is able to provide to you, your partner and your baby.

Obstetricians and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists (MFM): these are doctors who specialise in the care of women during pregnancy and childbirth. You may be referred to their care at the beginning of your pregnancy if you already have a medical problem, or during pregnancy and childbirth. You may be referred to their care at the beginning of your pregnancy if you already have a medical problem, or during pregnancy if there are any concerns about your health or the health of your baby, but will also see you during your pregnancy.

Health Visitors: they work within the NHS. They are all qualified nurses/midwives who have done additional training in family and child health, health promotion and public health development work. They work as part of a team alongside your GP, other community nurses and your midwives. Your health visitor will visit you at home after you have had your baby, but will also see you during your pregnancy.

General Practitioner (GP): Doctors work work in the community, providing care for all aspects of health for you and your family throughout your lifetime.

Specialists: some women with medical problems such as diabetes, may need to be referred to a specialist for additional care during pregnancy. They may continue to provide care for you after you have had your baby.

Ultrasonographers: these are specially trained to carry out ultrasound scans. They will perform your dating, mid-pregnancy (anomaly) and any other scans you may need, based on your individual needs.