Better Births at Calderdale and Huddersfield

20/12/2025

Trying to quit smoking during pregnancy can be difficult - especially when family, friends or workmates are smokers. If you are trying to quit, why not ask your closest people to quit with you? We can help!
For our mothers to be, free support and ni****ne replacement therapy is available from our Maternity Health Advisers - and we can refer your closest people for the same support with a provider close to their home. Speak to your Midwife or drop us a line for a friendly call back and chat about your options!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

19/12/2025

Merry Christmas from the Infant Feeding Team!!


If you feel you need extra support for feeding concerns over the Christmas period, here are some useful numbers.

Some, however, will still have limited support over the holidays. You can also ring your community midwife or the ward you were discharged from if your baby is under 28 days old.

💜National Breastfeeding Helpline 24/7
0300 100 0212

💜NCT Breastfeeding Helpline
0300 330 0771

💜La Leche League Helpline
0845 120 2918

💜Association of Breastfeeding Mothers
0300 330 5453

💜Infant Feeding Team - Midwives
(voicemail service, accessed Mon-Fri excluding bank holidays)
01484 344345

18/12/2025

⚠️ Please note we have had a change of access to maternity ward 4. Please use lift 1 to floor 3 and the ward is on your right. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience. ⚠️

18/12/2025

Congratulations Liv and family. Thankyou for sharing your birth story and lovely feedback.

I would just like to say a huge thank you to all the amazing staff in MAC, Labour Ward, Ward 4B and Ward 4C throughout my pregnancy and labour.
I would also like to give a separate shoutout to Veronica, Janine, Becky, Pam, Maggie, Pam 4C and Karen 4C.

My whole pregnancy journey wasn’t the easiest but all I can say is a huge thank you to all the staff and doctors on ward 4B for making me feel so safe and secure when I have been staying in.(I am very much known for my green dressing gown in 4B and 4C so any midwives reading this you will know who it is🙈)

Our beautiful princess was born on Saturday 8th November 2025 at 8:59am weighing a beautiful 6lbs 4oz.
She is an absolute dream and anyone who asks me how my labour went my exact words was “It was an amazing experience with the most loveliest staff around me”.

The MAC staff were amazing too especially Megan, I know you always thought I planned my days to come in when you was on shift but honestly without you being so reassuring and comforting I don’t know how I’d have coped.

I would wish everyone the amazing experience that I had with Calderdale staff and I would just like to wish them all the best and thank you so much for being the most amazing people.🤍

17/12/2025

Thank you to everyone who sends in feedback about their birth story or experience at Calderdale Royal Hospital. These stories are good for us to read but also help other parents-to-be who may feel anxious about birth or coming into hospital. They can also help us to raise awareness about pregnancy issues such as what to do if you notice your baby is not moving as much as usual. If you would like to share your experience with us or say thank you to those who looked after you, please send in a direct message to the page.
Don’t forget to include your partner’s name and any photographs you are happy to share.
We would also love to hear your feedback about your experience of -
• Care from your Community Midwife / Support Workers
• Visiting Maternity Assessment Centre (MAC)
• Visiting Antenatal Clinic or Antenatal Day Unit
• Accessing Breastfeeding support
• Attending Antenatal Classes
• Anything you think is important for us/others to know

17/12/2025

What is in my baby's nappy? Why does my baby's poo change? What does it all mean?

These are questions which new parents may ask in the first weeks of your baby arriving. La Leche League have put together this guide to newborn baby's poo. If you are ever concerned about the contents of your baby's nappy, please do seek professional advice.

As new parents, we suddenly find ourselves examining our babies’ poo more closely than we could ever have imagined. We pay attention to the colour, quantity, texture and smell, and notice the slightest changes. We then go to the internet looking for answers and fear the worst. There are many versi...

16/12/2025

Congratulations Kirsty and Cori. Thankyou for sharing your homebirth story and lovely feedback

I’d just like to share my positive pregnancy, homebirth and postnatal experience. This is my third baby, but my other 2 kids are 9 and 13, so a big gap. This is also my first baby as a midwife so a very different experience from ‘the other side’. This is a super long post as I have so many thankyou's to give!

Firstly, pregnancy….
To Cathie Howell and Swati Kanchan, I can never thank you both enough for listening to me when I came to EPAU due to bleeding at 11/12 weeks of pregnancy. Due to an SCH, I had ongoing bleeding for the first 4 months of pregnancy. The scan you both did really put my mind at rest when we were so sure we were losing the baby. Luckily all was fine, but you both made such a scary time easier.

Esa Evans, my lovely community midwife. I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for all the care, support, and kindness you’ve given throughout this journey. Your professionalism, patience, and reassurance made such a difference — especially during the moments that felt overwhelming. It’s been fab having you not only as a colleague, but a friend too.

Due to me having a gastric sleeve a few years ago, I was classed as a high risk pregnancy and therefore had to have closer monitoring on my bloods and growth of baby. I became anaemic in pregnancy and required 2 iron transfusions. A big thank you to nurse Hannah Durkin for seeing me for these. Hannah was always on time, quick and efficient for the cannula/transfusion and it was lovely to come have a chat with you whilst it was being done. I hope you’re enjoying your new job!

Another huge thank you to the lovely ladies in Antenatal Clinic. The midwives varied who I saw each time, but every time I went, I was greeted by the lovely Daizie Waite with a big smile on her face and always so kind and lovely. Thank you to Jo Gledhill, for taking my endless bottles of bloods (and got it first time everytime, which is a challenge in itself!).

Also a big thank you to Joe (both Hanlon and Barton!) the sonographers at ANC. Both were lovely and friendly. Due to the bleeding at the beginning of pregnancy I ended up having an additional 6 scans to the ‘norm’, and apart from 1, I had one of the Joes each time and I left every scan feeling reassured.

Thank you to the lovely Fi, Dr Shamsudin also. As soon as I found out I got pregnant I knew I wanted Fi to be my consultant as I’ve always found she had a lovely and caring nature. Thank you for taking care of me, listening to my concerns and making sure all my bloods were done efficiently and abnormal results acted on quickly (even if I was a bu**er for not taking the medication properly).

Birth…
I was so lucky that Esa was on call when I laboured too! Alongside Esa at the Labour/birth I had Sally Gledhill. We want to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to you both for being such an incredible part of our home birth experience. Your calm presence, skill, and encouragement made us feel safe, supported, and empowered from start to finish. You helped create the most peaceful and positive atmosphere we could have wished for — one filled with trust, care, and compassion. We’ll always remember the kindness and confidence you brought into our home on such a special day. Thank you for the amazing work you do and for helping us welcome our baby into the world in such a beautiful way. I’d give birth 1000x over if I could have the same experience as I’ve had this time!

Unfortunately due to me bleeding and the baby being cold, we had to transfer to labour ward where we was cared for by Abbie Walsh. Typically, when we arrived baby was lovely and warm and everything with me was fine. Thank you for getting things organised so quickly so we could get back home ASAP. It felt like a little day trip to introduce him to colleagues more than anything else!

Postnatally..
Thank you to Esa again and also to Jennifer O’Neill for all your care postnatally. Thank you for letting me be a mum aswell as a midwife! I’m so grateful for the postnatal care you both provided. You made me feel supported, listened to, and cared for every step of the way. Your gentle guidance and encouragement helped me gain confidence as a new mum — thank you for everything! Your women are lucky to have you both as their midwives 🥰

My final thank you goes to all my colleagues on the birth centre. Thank you for all your support, patience and kindness throughout my pregnancy. From ‘manning the fort’ whilst I attended appointments, picking up my slack of the more physical jobs and for all the gorgeous gifts when I went on maternity leave. I can’t wait to come back to work to see you all again, roll on July 🤪

Thank you all again a thousand times over. Love Kirsty, Cori and baby Reuben. Born at home 21/10/25 weighing 7lb 14oz xx

15/12/2025

💜Pregnancy can bring many new symptoms. Most are harmless but there are some to look out for as they may be a sign of something more serious.💜
If you are worried about your health or your baby's movements, remember you can phone Maternity Assessment Centre to speak to a midwife, we are here to help.
Maternity Assessment Centre (24/7 urgent care 16 weeks+) - 01422 224392

Tommy's symptom checker is a reliable source of evidence based information.

In many cases the symptoms in this section can be treated easily and will not lead to a serious pregnancy complication. But sometimes they are serious.

14/12/2025

Just pregnant? Or do you know someone who is (please share)?
💜PLEASE REGISTER AS SOON AS YOU FIND OUT YOU ARE PREGNANT so we can ensure that you are able to have any screening tests on offer, at the appropriate time and be able to support you in your plan of care. The sooner we know about your pregnancy, the better. 💜
Those wishing to birth under the care of Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Trust should book for care through 'My Pregnancy Notes website' AND if you have diabetes you should contact the Antenatal Clinic ASAP, please see the information on the Calderdale Maternity website: https://www.cht.nhs.uk/services/clinical-services/maternity-services/book-your-pregnancy

13/12/2025

Sensitive, nurturing relationships between parents and their babies are fundamental to emotional attachment and infant mental health. These relationships begin during pregnancy, and can be helped by talking and singing to your baby and responding by touch and voice to their movements.
For more info on the services available to you visit, https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/health-and-social-care/children-and-family-care/family-journey/step-2

12/12/2025

Formula


💜Breastfeeding is the recommended way to exclusively feed your baby for the first six months and in combination with complimentary foods for as long as the mother wishes to do so.

However we understand that some mothers choose not to breastfeed. In this case we strongly recommend that you consider giving your baby colostrum from your breast for the first few feeds. Colostrum is full of antibodies that will be absorbed into your baby's gut to help protect it from infection and support their immune system.

Also, some mothers may at times need to give formula alongside breast-milk.

There a few types of formula available, these include;
🧡Infant formula – milks which are the sole food for infants from birth

🧡Follow-on Formula – milks marketed to be used after 6 months of age but there is no reason to change your baby's formula at 6 months.

🧡Specialist Infant Milk – for special medical purposes which sometimes needs prescribing from your GP.

🧡Milks marketed for children over 1 year of age

We don't recommend any particular brands, as no formula can recreate breast-milk!

All infant formula has to meet certain regulations so there is minimal difference between brands.

From birth to 1 year, you should just use Infant Formula, (as stated above) there is no reason to move on to follow on milk.

From 1 year old, full fat cows milk can be given alongside food as most of the vitamins and nutrients will be coming from the food itself.

There is also no evidence that ‘special’ milks i.e. hungry baby, comfort formula, make any difference to your baby and if you feel you may need these milks then please speak to your health visitor or midwife.

If you need any advice or help with formula feeding the Infant Feeding Team are here to help you. So please ask your midwife who can give you our details.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON FORMULA FEEDING YOU WILL NEED TO BRING FORMULA WITH YOU TO THE HOSPITAL- FORMULA WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ON THE WARDS TO USE

A steriliser will be provided and milk room are available for you to make up and clean your bottles and equipment.

The First Steps Nutrition website has further information on all things formula if you wish to have a look.

https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/parents-carers

And below are a couple of leaflets to help with formula feeding, how to prepare and make up feeds safely and a few questions and answers around responsive feeding and formula.

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/04/Infant-formula-and-responsive-bottle-feeding.pdf

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2008/02/start4life_guide_to_bottle_-feeding.pdf

The different types of infant formula, and other infant milks, marketed for babies and young children can seem confusing when you see lots of different ones on the supermarket shelf, but the information you need as a parent or carer is really quite simple. The majority of infants who are formula fed...

11/12/2025

* INFORMATION FOR HUDDERSFIELD ANTENATAL WOMEN * CHANGE TO VENUE*
If you have an antenatal community midwife appointment booked within the next few weeks that states its at ; The Maternity Hub on Huddersfield Birth Centre.
Please note :
This will now be on Corridor One (still at HRI)... through Costa Coffee on the left.