Start for life guide

If you haven’t already, you can refer yourself to maternity services by completing a self-referral form

You will then be contacted to arrange your booking appointment, which will happen when you’re around 8 to 12 weeks pregnant, or as soon as possible if you believe that your pregnancy is further along. There is no need to see your GP unless you have existing health problems.

If you have any concerns about your health or your baby’s health before your booking appointment, please arrange to see your GP.

If you have any existing health problems, it’s a good idea to see your GP when you find out that you’re pregnant, so that they can review any medication you’re taking and see if you need any additional care.

Visit Peapods to access a free online course for all new expectant parents, helping you prepare for your new arrival.

When you find out you are pregnant, you will probably have lots of questions.

The NHS week-by-week Start for Life pregnancy guide is packed with lots of useful information.

From what's happening inside your body, to how your baby is developing, and tips and advice on having a healthy pregnancy.

For those looking for a trusted, evidence-based pregnancy app, the Baby Buddy App is free to download. It has tools to help parents in their transition to parenthood and can help develop knowledge and confidence.

The DadPad is an app designed for expectant and new dads, providing really helpful information throughout pregnancy and in the early years.

We recognise that Dads can often feel invisible to services (and friends and family) when it is an equally significant time of change, challenge, transition and learning for you too. Dorpip Dads offer a free online course for men.

The Mental Health Foundation has produced a guide to help expectant dads. 

Healthy Start

The Healthy Start scheme is run by NHS England. It provides vouchers for pregnant women and families with a child under four years old on a low income to buy basic food items. Visit the NHS website to complete the application form.

For further information visit the Healthy Start website. 

Midwives will support you throughout your pregnancy. You will see your midwife through the different stages.

Find out what services and support will be available to you during each stage of pregnancy on the Maternity Matters website:

• early pregnancy information Maternity Matters Dorset
• mid-pregnancy information Maternity Matters Dorset
• late pregnancy information Maternity Matters Dorset

Visit the Maternity Matters website for advice on labour and birth.

The Maternity Advice Line is open 24 hours a day for all maternity questions and concerns. If you are in labour, your waters have broken or you have urgent concerns such as:

• bleeding
• pain
• itching
• headaches
• visual problems
• reduced movements
• COVID symptoms
• an urgent concern following your birth

its best to call us on 0300 369 0388 so a midwife can assess your symptoms and refer you appropriately.

When you and your baby get home, you will continue to get support from your local midwives until around day 21 to 28 when your local health visiting team will take over in supporting you both. 

Some of your postnatal appointments will be held at home, and some will take place in hospital, in a Family Hub or elsewhere in the community. Some women and babies will need more appointments, this will be discussed with you if they are needed.

Women will be offered a maternal 6 to 8 week postnatal GP appointment, which will be a separate appointment from the baby check, though the two may run consecutively. Women will be sent an invitation to the consultation, an outline of what they can expect from it, and what will be discussed.

Visit the Maternity Matters website for more advice after the birth.

It’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed by your baby’s care needs, some parents have never changed a nappy or bathed a baby before and those with other children may find things different each time round. Newborns are so small and seem so fragile, and it’s common to feel nervous about taking care of them at first.

Children can form attachments with more than one caregiver, but the bond with the people who have provided close care from early infancy is the most important and enduring.

It’s important that as parents and carers you are attuned and responsive to your baby’s needs, this includes recognising if your baby is hungry, feeling unwell or in need of closeness and affection. This can take time, but if you feel that you are finding this difficult, have a chat with your health visitor.

Maternity Matters Dorset provides lots of information on caring for your baby, but you can also ask your midwife or maternity support worker for advice if there is anything you’re concerned about.

Foundation Years has produced a guide for parents on what to expect in your child's early years foundation stage (EYFS).

Breastfeeding is the healthiest and most natural way to feed your baby and midwives are there to support you, visit Maternity Matters Dorset for advice on feeding your baby. 

Breastfeeding support

The Breastfeeding Network have trained peer supporters provide emotional support to parents and families from pregnancy to natural term weaning, exclusively breastfeeding, combi feeding or expressing. Peer supporters can also support parents with positioning and attachment and signpost parents to further information. The peer supporters, who have all breastfed their own babies, play an important role in empowering new parents and helping them gain the confidence they need to breastfeed for as long as they wish.

To get in touch you can email Dorset breastfeeding network. Find advice and information on feeding your baby and local breastfeeding support groups.

Families and Babies (FAB) run breastfeeding support groups in various locations, offering support, advice and the opportunity to meet other new parents.

If you have made an informed decision to feed your baby with formula, the maternity team will support you with feeding advice as your baby grows. They’ll make sure your baby is content and feeding well, and check that their growth and weight gain is within normal range. Formula manufacturers also have guides for feeding based on weight and age printed on their packaging to help guide you.

The NHS provides information on how to safely formula feed your baby. 

Weaning

Introducing your baby to solid foods, also referred to as weaning or complementary feeding, starts when your baby is around 6 months old.

Your baby should be introduced to a varied diet, alongside their usual breastmilk or first infant formula.

It can be confusing know when and how to start introducing solid foods.

You can speak with your health visitor to find out more about how and when to start weaning your baby safely. You can also find lots of helpful information on the Start for Life website.

Community Nursery Nurses deliver virtual weaning sessions Parents can book by contacting parent line. 

Oral health

Oral health is important, even with baby teeth. Your baby’s teeth help them to bite and chew. They help with speech and language development and help them feel confident when they smile. Your child’s teeth also help to make space for adult teeth. Good oral health also keeps your child from toothache, infection, and swollen gums.

You can speak with your health visitor to find out more about how to look after your child’s teeth. Visit the NHS website for advice on looking after your baby's teeth.

Your Health Visitor is notified about your pregnancy from maternity services and will contact you in the antenatal period, between 28 weeks and birth. This contact will be to introduce you to the service, give you advice and support leading up to the birth of your baby, and give you details of our further visits to you.

All expectant parents will be offered:

• a contact pre birth from 28 weeks of pregnancy
• contact in the home between 11 and 14 days after birth
• 6 to 8 week reviews will be offered face to face either in the home or a mutually agreed clinic or other suitable setting
• 10 to 12 month development review will be offered either face to face or virtual contact in the home or clinic setting
• a 27 month development review in the home
• additional face to face and virtual contact for children and families as indicated by need or on parental request

You may need to speak to your health visitor in between your scheduled appointment, you can do this by using ParentLine. You can also contact your local Health Visiting team.

ParentLine

ParentLine is a confidential text messaging service providing parents and carers of 0 to 5 year olds in Dorset to seek advice from our health visiting team about their child’s health and development via text message.

Parents and carers can seek advice about a range of issues such as:

• breastfeeding
• bottle feeding
• weaning
• sleep
• toileting
• minor illness
• behaviour
• parenting

and more.

ParentLine runs 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding weekends and bank holidays) with a ParentLine practitioner responding to messages within one working day. If a text is sent outside these hours the parent/carer will receive an automated message with advice on where to get help if they require it urgently. This new messaging service is being provided in addition to the current health visiting service offer.

Text 07312 277162 for confidential advice and support from a member of the health visiting team

ParentLine is not an emergency service, for urgent medical attention contact your GP, 111 or 999.

Your child will be offered a number of vaccinations at 8, 12 and 16 weeks as well as 1 year.

Read about vaccination tips for parents and the UK vaccination schedule. Your child will be offered a seasonal flu vaccine from 2 years. 

Every birth in England and Wales must be registered within 42 days (6 weeks) of the child being born.

Register a birth online in Dorset.

Playing and interacting with your baby will help their development. Simply looking at, talking to and being close to your baby are important things that you can do to support their development in the early weeks, months, and years.

Start 4 Life and Hungry Little Minds provide playtime ideas and activities for you and your baby, including advice on tummy time and activities and games you can do with them through their early years.

Stay and play groups are also beneficial for parents and babies, giving opportunities to socialise and take part in fun activities that support babies development – you can find out where these sessions take place near you from your local Family Hub or by visiting the Dorset Family Information Directory (FID).

If you have any worries about your baby’s development, you can contact your heath visitor via Parent Line, speak to your child’s early years setting or drop into your local Family Hub to speak to a member of staff.

There are lots of things you can do to help support your toddler’s intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development.

Daily active play is important for 1 and 2 year olds to help with their learning and brain development. Dental care and good nutrition are also important at this age. Read about more information and support.

Communication, speech, and language is an important part of development and daily active play continues to play a big part.

You can find more information at the Balanced System about how your child develops communication skills, suggestions to make your home a place that helps with understanding, talking, and communicating, and ideas for activities. 

You may want to consider toilet training at this stage, although every child is different, and they learn to use the toilet at different times. Nutrition and staying healthy is important for your toddler, as is a good bedtime routine. Find out more information and support on all these topics. 

If you have any worries about your toddler’s development, you can contact your heath visitor via ParentLine or drop into your local Family Hub to speak to a member of staff.

It’s completely normal to  feel a range of emotions as a new parent. We go through so many changes, both physically and emotionally, that it would be unusual if we didn’t struggle at times.

If you find that the feelings of sadness, anxiety or low mood aren’t going away or are affecting your ability to function as you would normally, it’s time to talk to someone about it.

There are lots of emotional and mental health issues that are more common during and after pregnancy (sometimes called the “perinatal period”). 

If you’re struggling with your emotional wellbeing, it’s great to seek support from your friends and loved ones, but it’s also really important to speak to a professional. You can speak to your midwife, health visitor or your GP, whoever makes you feel most comfortable.

This can be daunting – lots of women feel embarrassed, find it hard to admit that they need help, or are worried about admitting that they are not coping. This is understandable but it’s important to remember that these problems are common, and the professional you speak to will have helped lots of women with similar problems. If you’d broken a bone, you would get an x-ray! It’s just as important to speak to someone when your mental health is suffering.

Steps to Wellbeing

A dedicated perinatal team run groups for new mums and dads that focus on using the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you take control of your thoughts, feelings, and actions.

You can sign up anytime without needing a GP appointment, or by calling 0800 484 0500 during office hours.

Dorpip offer a range of face to face and online support for parents from conception to 2 years, including infant message, talking therapies and support groups

If you are a parent or carer with one child and would like to access Dorpip services, you can fill out this form.

If you are a parent or carer and have twins or multiples, and would like to access Dorpip services, you can fill out this form.

Homestart

If you feel you need a little extra help at home, Homestart specially trained volunteers can visit you in your own home for between two and four hours a week to offer an extra pair of hands and a listening ear.

Contact Homestart Wessex

Contact Homestart North Dorset (now Homestart Blackmore Vale)

Dorset’s Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Local Offer provides information and advice for children and young people (from birth to 25) who have SEND.

Hearing Support Service (HSS) and Vision Support Service (VSS)

The Vision Support Service (VSS) work with children and young people, from birth to 25 years, with moderate to profound vision impairments. Families can make referrals to the VSS and would need to include any medical reports with the referral form. The Hearing Support Service (HSS) works with children and young people from birth to 18 years with mild to profound hearing loss. Children are referred to the service once they have been medically diagnosed.

The Xchange and Dorset Max Card

The Xchange is dedicated to improving communication and information for families with children who are disabled across the Dorset Council area. The Xchange is our Disability Register and not for children who have special educational needs.

Early years SEND Support

The Best Start in Life Advisor helps settings to support young children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) before they start school. Specifically children whose development is severely delayed in at least two 'areas of development'. This could be:

• speech, language, and communication
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development
• their thinking, understanding and learning

We support families to learn together through play, we also:

• visit some families in their home
• promote inclusion in the community for young children and their families
• encourage families to access the Local Offer of support for children with SEND
• support early years practitioners to meet the needs of all children

Find out more about early years SEND support.

All children in England are able to access free early education.

From when your child is born up until the age of five, their early year’s experience should be:

• happy
• active
• exciting
• fun and secure
• support their development, care and learning needs

Through accessing the funded early education entitlement your child will be cared for by childcare professionals in a safe environment giving them opportunity to learn through their play experience building on their individual needs and interests.

The Money Advice Service provides information and support to help you manage your money, including:

• how to open a bank account
• how to budget
• National Insurance
• credit and borrowing money
• student finance
• restrictions on young people buying goods
• insurance
• dealing with debt

You may be able to claim certain benefits or tax credits (government payments) if you are:

• aged 16 or over
• on a low income
• looking for work
• disabled
• caring for a child or older person

Find out more with the GOV.UK benefits calculators.

If you're disabled you can find information and advice on the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) which is for people who find it hard to work because of a disability or health condition. You may be entitled to claim other health benefits because of a disability or health condition.

There is a range of support available to you if you’re thinking about returning to work. Jobcentre Plus can help you to help you prepare for, find and stay in work, including:

• training, guidance and work placement programmes
• work experience, volunteering and job trialling schemes
• help with starting your own business
• help combining work with looking after children or caring responsibilities

If you want to contact your nearest Jobcentre Plus office, you can find their details using the local office search.

You can also use their ‘Find a job’ service.

Read more about the cost of living help from Dorset Council.

Preparing for and becoming a new parent, or having a new baby is one of the biggest changes to any relationship and on our individual lives.

The stage of readiness and the time it takes to adjust to your new family may not be the same for you both. There’s so much more to juggle with caring for baby that your relationship can quickly lose priority.

Being able to communicate with your partner to adjust together, share responsibility and to understand the emotional demands that you are both experiencing becomes even more important.

This is a new phase for your relationship and with the tiredness, hormones, and stress it can be difficult to talk and listen to each other.

You, Me and Baby too can help you recognise your partners emotions, how to support each other and ways to discuss the difficult topics so it doesn’t lead to an argument.

If you are experiencing abuse you can access advice and support by speaking to your midwife or health visitor, dropping into your local Family Hub or through the Dorset - Paragon Team

Paragon can also offer support to those that recognise that they are abusive and would like support

They can be contacted by calling  Paragon on: 0800 032 5204

If you are in immediate danger, call 999. Do not put yourself or any children at risk.

Read about the Support for Inter‑Parental Conflict (SIPCo) project. 

Support is available to help you stop smoking.

You choose from a range of options including face to face support from your local pharmacy, a pack of nicotine gum and patches through your door, a vape starter kit or stop smoking support sessions

You can talk to specialist advisors to create your plan and the LiveWell Coaches will help you identify your triggers and how you can overcome them. Coaching sessions take place over the phone at a time that's convenient for you.

Register for stop smoking support from LiveWell Dorset

If you use drugs or alcohol you should speak to your midwife to let them know about your use. They can provide information and support to help you.

Support is available through groups and one to one programmes.

Find lots of helpful safety advice about baby proofing your home, bath time, bed time and play time on the Rospa website.

You can also visit Child Safety Advice | Child Accident Prevention Trust for more support, resources and advice to help you keep your child safe.

If you are concerned about the safety or wellbeing of a child you should contact the Family Support and Advice Line.

There is a range of further information and services available to you and your family, including support groups, webpages, activity sessions and courses.

Please visit our Dorset Family Information Directory to find an up to date listing of information and services available.

Or drop into your local Family Hub and speak to a member of the team.

Maternity Voices is an initiative that aims to involve women and their families in the development of local maternity services. We want Dorset’s maternity service to be the best it can be, which means that it must meet the needs of those using the service. Women and their partners must be shown that their voices and experiences matter.