Maternity Health

25/06/2026

🚫Co***ne use in pregnancy🚫

Co***ne use in pregnancy carries the following risks:
bleeding, miscarriage, premature labour and stillbirth. It can also impact on the baby’s growth and development before, and after birth.

Co***ne increases the heart rate in both the mother and baby and the supply of oxygen and blood to the baby is reduced. There is an increased risk of bleeding in the brain of babies whose mothers use co***ne.

The rise in maternal blood pressure and subsequent constriction of blood vessels to the placenta, has the potential to cause the placenta to separate from the mother’s womb (placental abruption), this is potentially fatal for mother and baby.

If co***ne is used close to the birth the baby may be born excessively active and appear distressed and restless.
Withdrawal symptoms are expected in babies of mothers who use co***ne regularly. These symptoms appear similar to those of adults experiencing withdrawal.
The baby will need a brain scan following birth and require extended close monitoring in hospital.

Co***ne is known to pass through breastmilk to the baby, as a result the baby may be unsettled, irritable and difficult to feed. Breastfeeding is not recommended.

Please let your GP and Midwife know if you are misusing drugs so that specialist help can be offered.

For information and advice about drug misuse in pregnancy and support with stopping please consider the following websites and support services:

🔹FRANK - website offers a wealth of information and confidential advice on all types of drugs. You can also use their postcode lookup to find out where to go for support in your area https://www.talktofrank.com/

🔹OPEN ROAD - Open Road provides services to support individuals in Essex on their journey to recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. https://www.openroad.org.uk/

🔹THE FORWARD TRUST - The Forward Trust empowers people to break the cycles of addiction or crime to move forward with their lives.
Main Site: https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/
Southend Information: https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/service/stars-southend-treatment-and-recovery-service/
Thurrock Information: https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/service/thurrock-drug-and-alcohol-service/

🔹TOMMY’s – Have a section on drug use in pregnancy with lots of information and further links https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/illegal-or-recreational-drugs-and-pregnancy

24/06/2026

🌞Carrying in the sun🌞

When the weather is warm , we worry that baby will overheat. Lots of people start worrying about what to wear.

🌞The sling is a layer of clothing, they’re also sharing your body heat! If you have a thick stretchy wrap it may count as two to three layers.
Use loose, breathable cotton clothing on your child.
🌞You can use a muslin between you to stop the skin on skin stickiness, a damp muslin can be cooling. Just make sure it’s not blocking their airways!
🌞Remember that you will get warm too - don’t wear too much under the sling
🌞Protect the extremities - long cool trousers, wide brimmed sunhat, draped muslin over legs/arms or an umbrella
🌞Hip and back carries are cooler, if your child is old enough
🌞Thinner, cooler slings are available if needed ( see below)
🌞Use a one layer carry with woven wraps or try a ring sling
🌞If using sunscreen, leave at least 30 mins before using the sling as it can stain
🌞Stay in the shade where possible
🌞Check your child often - feel their back - and if they’re too hot, take them out and have a break

🌞Both of you stay hydrated. Baby may want to feed more often, formula fed babies may need small amounts of water (none needed for breastfed babies under 6m)

🌞Lastly - its ok to not carry if its very hot! you can use the pram. ( just DO NOT cover it with anything)

Some options for cooler slings below, all can be hired from me, some I can retail. Pop me a message if you’re interested in trying one.

Melliapis muslin ring slings.
Minimonkey minisling/carrier
Kahubaby sunshine carrier.
Integra solar carrier (in pic below)
linen or cotton woven wraps
Imzi breeze carrier

brentwoodessex thurrock thurrockmums billericaymums brentwoodmums basildonessex canveyisland haroldwood romfordmums chelmsford essexmaternitydirectory newparent oxytocin prenatalmentalhealth antenatalsupport antenatalpreparation attachmentparenting

24/06/2026

Some medications can change how your body responds to heat and sun exposure. 🌞

Certain medications can affect how your body regulates temperature, controls blood flow, sweats, and stays hydrated. This can make it harder to cope with hot weather and increase the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, or, in severe cases, heatstroke. Other medications might make your skin more sensitive to the sun, meaning you need greater protection.

If you're taking regular medication, it's worth checking whether heat or sun exposure may affect you.

Continue taking your medication as prescribed, unless advised otherwise by a healthcare professional. Speak to your pharmacist or healthcare professional if you have any concerns.

24/06/2026

24/06/2026

🌟Head engaged? What does that mean?!🌟

So has your midwife said to you that baby’s head is now engaged? Then been worried about what it means?...
…it simply means your baby is in the correct position for birth, which is that their head has moved down to sit in the pelvis cavity. This is sometimes known as ‘lightening’

As your baby grows at the end of the second trimester and into the third, you may notice that you feel more ‘full up’ and may be more breathless. This is due to your baby getting bigger and pushing into the space of your stomach and lungs.
When your baby moves or ‘drops’ down into your pelvis and its head engages, you may notice these symptoms ease as more space is feed up for your stomach and lungs. (unfortunately the downside is that you may need to p*e more as your baby often plays bouncy-ball on your bladder!)
A myth with engagement is that birth is imminent… unfortunately this isn’t always the case. All pregnancies are different – some babies ‘drop’ early (and that can be weeks before birth) and some don’t engage until labour really gets going.
Sometimes things can affect engagement –
~if baby is a posterior position (lying back to back with you) it can make it harder for the head to engage.
~ If baby is small – it has lots of room to play with so may not engage until later. ~ Equally bigger babies may not have as much room to engage until labour ‘encourages’ them to.
~ The placenta position and the shape of your pelvis may also impact on when engagement happens.

💜What is important to remember is that your baby’s head will engage when its ready and the time is right for both of you.

23/06/2026

👶Your baby's nappy and meconium (first poop!)👶

Your baby's wet and dirty nappies can be a good sign of how your baby is doing.

⭐️Your baby's first poo is thick and black. This is called meconium. Your baby normally starts to pass this in the first 24 hours.

⭐️This is waste from your baby being inside the womb, this consists of skin cells, lanugo (hair), mucous, and amniotic fluid (fluid around your baby from the womb).

⭐️The first few nappies can be very messy! The colour of poo starts off black/ green and then it changes over the first few days turning to a yellow - mustard colour.

⭐️Stools should increase to 2+ dirty nappies a day

⭐️Stools should be soft in texture and not hard or pellet like

⭐️Try keep the cord out of the nappy by folding the nappy down

⭐️Many people worry about how much milk baby is taking per feed, having an increase in wet and dirty nappies is reassuring

⭐️Your baby will normally have at least one wet nappy in the first 24 hours this might be small in volume. Most nappies now have a faint yellow line on the front which turns blue when urine is present. If your nappies don’t have this, you can place a little bit of cotton wool into the nappy to see if your baby has had a wee.

⭐️Wet nappies should keep increasing over the early days (Day 1-2 = 1-2 wet nappies, Day 3-4 =3-4 wet nappies, Day 5= 5+ wet and heavier nappies).

⭐️Female infants may have a small marking of blood or discharge in their nappy in the early days. This can be normal as some hormones have transferred in pregnancy and within breast milk creating a mini period.

Always contact your midwife or your local unit if your baby:

📞stops feeding

📞passes stools which are red, green or white or pale

📞Hasn't had a wee in over 24 hours

📞Hasn't had a poo in over 24 hours (normally a feeding issue which can be rectified)

📞Urine is concentrated or has an offensive smell

📞You notice blood or orange marks in your baby's wee

23/06/2026

🥰A Little Message...🥰

23/06/2026

🌟Taking Baby Home...🌟

So you are finally taking this new little person home… 😳.. its normal to feel daunted and anxious – especially if you haven’t had a baby before.

You'll probably spend a large part of the first few days after birth just looking at your baby!!
Babies arrive with no instruction manual so its easy to feel overwhelmed trying to work out their ever-changing needs.
As a new parent, its normal to be worried about if everything is ok and you're bound to have lots of questions on everything from getting to grips with feeding to washing and bathing your baby as for the content of their nappies…. (Well that’s a whole topic on its own!!)

If this is all new to you try and do some reading up before baby arrives so you are at least a little bit prepared for the journey ahead.

And remember to reach out to those you trust for advice and support because it OK to ask for help!
Here are some links that may also be of use and interest:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/support-and-services/tips-for-new-parents/

https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/after-the-birth/getting-to-know-your-newborn/

https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/after-the-birth/early-days/

https://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/baby/new-born-care

https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/after-the-birth

22/06/2026

🌟Contact Numbers / Websites Supporting Women from Black & Ethnic Minority Communities🌟

Please check out these fantastic resources:

📌 The Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK): This is a national specialist faith service that offers in-depth guidance on domestic abuse. Although their name focuses on Muslim women, their support is boundless, irrespective of faith. They offer an incredible array of aid for domestic abuse victims in the form of phone, text, online chat and email. Website: https://www.mwnhelpline.co.uk/index.php Phone Helpline: 08009995786 Text Service: 07415206936 email: [email protected]

📌Southall Black Sisters: Provides advice and information on domestic violence, racial harassment, welfare and immigration, primarily for Asian, African and African-Caribbean women. Casework primarily undertaken in London Borough of Ealing, but deals with enquiries on a national basis. Phone: 020 8571 0800. Website: https://southallblacksisters.org.uk/ email: [email protected]

📌Multikulti: Provides information in a number of community languages (as well as English) on issues such as immigration, claiming asylum, health, housing, welfare benefits and employment. Website: https://www.multikulti.org.uk/links.html

📌Forced marriage: If you fear you may be forced into marriage overseas, or know someone else who may be, the UK GOV Forced Marriage Unit may be able to help. You could call one of the following number: 020 7008 0151. You can also contact the organisation at [email protected]. All calls and emails are dealt with on a totally confidential basis by skilled caseworkers who are fully aware of the cultural, social and emotional issues surrounding this abuse. Website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/forced-marriage
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forcedmarriage

22/06/2026