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Sage Femme have the safety of our clients as a top priority. Unfortunately, that means that we have had to make changes to the way we give care. This is under constant review. Currently hospitals are saying that women can have one non-interchangeable birth partner and therefore we are not able to accompany you into hospital unless we are in place of another birth partner. We can however do early labour home assessments and provide you with telephone support once you are in hospital.
We would request that you let us know if you or anyone in your household has symptoms so that we can avoid visiting at this time. If you have Covid symptoms or test positive it will be recommended that you have a hospital birth and unfortunately you will not be able to have a birth partner with you.
Our midwives will be wearing full protective equipment for appointments in your home. If you would prefer to have the reassurance of video appointments instead we can organise them in place of physical appointments if that will not negatively impact on your pregnancy. In the event that further assessment is necessary, we will liaise with your booked hospital to ensure that you get the required follow up. We will help you to make the right decisions regarding attendance at the hospital. The NHS is understandably under exceptional strain and we would like to reduce further stress on their systems and risk to you from this contagious virus by reducing unnecessary hospital attendance.
Most of us expecting a baby, particularly for the first time, are so preoccupied with getting through labour and birth that it comes as something of a shock when home alone with a very tiny human who relies on you for everything. It can be terrifying!
In previous times you could rely on family support but many people in London live far from family and close friends. The NHS offers far less support than they used to due to budget constraints and staffing. Unless there are problems, you can expect to be discharged after just one night if your baby is born in hospital.
You may have to wait another couple of days before getting a fifteen minute visit from a Community Midwife who probably has numerous other women to see. The wait to see the midwife can seem very long and you may not be reassured by the short visit or have your numerous questions answered.
What better gift for yourself, or someone you love who has just had a baby, than a one-off postnatal visit from one of the midwives in our team. We spend at least an hour with you but often longer if there are problems to resolve, breastfeeding issues or if you need advice on temperature regulation for your baby, safe sleeping positions and jaundice assessment.
We will also check any stitches or wounds, give advice about pain relief and diet as well as appropriate levels of mobility and rest.
If the visit is useful, you can upgrade to a package of four or eight visits with on-call support from our midwives until your baby is six weeks old.
Please contact us for more information.