Pregnancy support

Who to contact

As soon as you find out you're pregnant, contact your GP or local midwife service.

You're encouraged to do this as early as possible to get the care you need. Ideally this will be in the first 8 weeks of your pregnancy, but it’s never too late to make contact.

A GP or midwife will give you advice about staying healthy and answer any questions you may have.

Self-refer for maternity care

Register for your maternity care as soon as you find out you're pregnant. There are advantages to having maternity care locally.

For example, you're more likely to see the same midwife in pregnancy, at birth and beyond, which is known as Continuity of Care. It's been found that Continuity of Care can lead to better outcomes for mum and baby.

If you or baby have particular health needs, the midwives or doctors may recommended you have your care in a specific hospital.

You do not have to book with a hospital in Camden if you would prefer to be seen elsewhere Find other maternity services.

To register for maternity care, complete the self-referral form for your chosen hospital. You should then be contacted by the hospital within about 2 weeks.

You should ideally self-refer by 8 weeks, but do it as soon as you can even if it's later than this. If you need help filling in the forms, you can ask your GP to do it for you.

Here's how you can self-refer to one of Camden's maternity hospitals:

Royal Free Hospital

Pond Street, NW3 2QG

Find the Royal Free Hospital self-referral form.

University College London Hospital

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, 25 Grafton Way, WC1E 6DB

Find the UCLH self-referral form.

Whittington Health NHS Trust

Whittington Hospital Labour Ward, Gordon Close, N19 5NF

Find the Whittington Hospital self-referral form.

Register with Camden's Best Start Family Hubs

Complete the form so that we can let you know about support and information available to you during and after your or your partner's pregnancy. We will call you within 3 to 5 working days after we receive your form submission.

Register for antenatal services

You can also start or continue to take pregnancy vitamins - they're free to collect from our Best Start Family Hubs. Find a healthy start vitamin service near you on the NHS website.

Start for Life

Start for Life provides trusted NHS advice during pregnancy, birth and parenthood.

It covers a range of topics around:

• healthy eating in pregnancy
• breastfeeding
• introducing solid foods
• looking after your mental health and well being during pregnancy
• early language and development.

Find the Start for Life promotional video here.

Start for Life email programme

As well as providing information through free orderable and downloadable resources, Start for Life also offers its email programme.

The personalised emails have been created to support mums, parents and carers throughout pregnancy and parenthood. Features of the Start for Life email programme include:

• different email programmes for mums, dads, partners and carers with tailored information for each.
• emails can be translated into a range of different languages.
• pregnancy emails contain information on baby’s development, changes in a woman's body, plus tips and advice on labour and birth, finding antenatal classes, what foods to eat (and avoid) during pregnancy, exercising safely and bonding with baby.​
• post birth emails include advice on baby's development, breast and bottle feeding, coping with tiredness, introducing solid foods and looking after mental wellbeing and more.

Sign-up for the Start For Life email programme.

Join the understanding pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby class

This free, in-person group class is for expectant parents and families preparing for birth and life with a new baby.

The 6-week course covers all the key things you would expect from an antenatal course, from preparing for labour to looking after and bonding with your baby.

Find out more about the Understanding pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby course.

Supporting you and your baby

Your midwife and the hospital maternity team are there to support you during your pregnancy. They'll provide antenatal care and give you information about:

• keeping yourself and your baby healthy
• pregnancy vitamins
• screening tests to check on your baby’s development
• managing long-term health conditions

The maternity team will ask about other things which could affect you and your baby, including relationships, housing, or financial concerns. Your appointments are confidential and will help connect you to any support you need.

Staying healthy

Your midwife will give you advice about how to keep you and your baby healthy. You can get free vitamin D and Healthy Start supplements from your nearest Best Start Family Hub.

A healthy diet is especially important during pregnancy. Visit the NHS Start for Life website for advice on healthy eating during pregnancy. If you are on a low income, you may be eligible for free milk, fruit, and vegetables from NHS Healthy Start.

Listen to this audio message in both Bengali and Somali from a Family Lives volunteer talk about the NHS Healthy Start scheme.

NHS Healthy Start scheme - Bengali audio (youtube.com)

NHS Healthy Start scheme - Somali audio (youtube.com)

Mental health and wellbeing

Finding out that you’re expecting a baby can be a time of mixed emotions, whether your pregnancy was planned or unexpected. There’s no correct way to feel about being pregnant and it is very common to be worried or anxious. Your partner may also be experiencing a range of emotions and feelings.

Talk to your GP if you are feeling overwhelmed or struggling to cope.

For general services and support available in Camden, including what to do in a crisis, visit mental health and wellbeing.

For advice and tips on how to look after your mental health and wellbeing during pregnancy, see:

• NHS mental health and pregnancy: Start for Life
• Tommy's: hormones and mood swings

Support with giving up smoking, alcohol or other substances

If you or your partner smoke or vape, quitting during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do to give your baby a healthy start in life. Giving up smoking can be difficult, but support is available from the Camden Stop Smoking Service.

It is recommended that you should not drink alcohol or take any illegal drugs during your pregnancy as there is a risk of long-term harm to the baby. For more information about the effects of drinking alcohol and taking drugs during pregnancy, visit the NHS website. Find out about local drug and alcohol support services at Change Grow Live Camden.

If you’re unhappy or unsure about being pregnant

You may have mixed feelings or be unhappy about being pregnant. If so, contact your GP or MSI Reproductive Choices UK for free, non-judgemental and confidential advice by phone or online live chat.