Getting ready for baby

Pregnancy is an exciting time and there are lots of things to think about. Here you will find links to advice and support that might be useful to you.

During pregnancy

When you get to 28 weeks pregnant, you and your partner could attend the Family Hub's Antenatal BABES sessions. These sessions can be a mixture of face to face and virtual. For more information, go to BABES (Baby and Breastfeeding Encouragement and Support)

Read about some of the help and support on offer to new parents in the Congratulations on your new baby leaflet [PDF].

Find out about the early help and services available from our Family Hub Networks (Nottinghamshire County Council)

Best Start for Life

In Nottinghamshire, we are committed to making sure all children have the Best Start in Life for more information visit, Nottinghamshire's Best Start for life offer

Pregnancy websites

Health for Under 5s

Health for Under 5s is a website for healthy happy early years with support from trusted NHS professionals, covering all topics from pregnancy right through to pre-school. It offers details on support, advice, events and services in Nottinghamshire.

For information on preparation, the challenges ahead, looking after yourself and getting support visit Pregnancy (Health for Under 5s)

NHS

NHS Pregnancy Guide includes all you need to know about trying for a baby, pregnancy, labour and birth.

Visit Pregnancy guide (NHS)

Sherwood Forest Hospitals has some leaflets for during pregnancy and after the birth of your child

Visit Patient information leaflets: maternity (Sherwood Forest Hospitals)

Nottingham University Hospitals have a document library with a range of pregnancy and maternity information leaflets to go along with the advice of professional healthcare staff.

Visit Patient information leaflets (Nottingham University Hospitals)

Healthier Together

Healthier Together provides pregnant women, babies, children and young people across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw with consistent and high-quality advice from local health professionals

Visit Pregnant, New Baby (Healthier Together)

Communicating with your bump

It's never too soon to talk to your little one.

You can talk to your baby before they are born and from around 16 weeks they can hear you and feel the vibrations your voice makes and dads and partners its important you talk to your bump too, since they can hear and feel vibrations from dad’s lower pitched voice better than mum’s higher pitched one.

For more information, and advice, visit Start Talking Together

Feeding your baby

It’s never too early to start thinking about how you want to feed your baby. Find information and advice on feeding your baby in the following sections

Nappies

Have you ever thought about using real nappies instead of disposable ones? Currently, in the UK about eight million disposable nappies are thrown away each day, which accounts for about three percent of our household waste. Using real nappies can dramatically reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill and minimise our impact on the environment.

To find out more, go to: Real Nappies (Veolia Nottinghamshire)

Safer sleeping

Choosing what items your baby might need can be overwhelming, to help with this, The Lullaby Trust has put together a product guide, visit How to choose baby sleeping products (The Lullaby Trust)

Find information and advice on sleep in the Baby's sleep page.

Relationships

Disagreements and arguments are a natural part of relationships, find help and advice in our section, Relationships Really Matter

There are free online course available in section, Relationships Really Matter: Things to do for your relationship

People living with domestic abuse

For many women, pregnancy is a time of happiness and anticipation, but pregnancy can also be a risk factor for domestic abuse. One in four women experiences domestic abuse or domestic violence at some point in their lives, this may be physical, sexual, emotional or psychological abuse.

For more information and support, visit

Maternity, financial support and leave allowances

There are a range of financial support and leave allowances available to help families with their maternity, for example:

Sure Start Maternity Grant (GOV.UK): You could get a one-off payment of £500 to help towards the costs of having a child.
Maternity Allowance (GOV.UK): A payment you can get when you take time off to have a baby.
Child Benefit (GOV.UK): You could get Child Benefit if you’re responsible for bringing up a child under the age of 20 years old.
Maternity pay and leave (GOV.UK): You might be eligible for statutory maternity leave and pay, whilst you take time off to have a baby.
Paternity pay and leave (GOV.UK): You could be eligible for paternity pay and leave, when you take time off because your partner’s having a baby, adopting a child or having a baby through a surrogacy arrangement, you might be eligible for paid leave.
Shared Parental Leave and Pay (GOV.UK): You and your partner may be able to get Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP).

Childcare support

Find more information about what childcare funding support is available on our page Help with Childcare Costs

You can find out about different types of childcare providers and find providers near you on our Families Information Service Directory

If your child has Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) then our Families Information Service Directory has a list of Providers with SEND Experience

If you would like to speak to an advisor for further information about the different types of childcare available, please telephone our helpline on 0300 500 80 80