Better Births at Calderdale and Huddersfield

25/07/2025

Antenatal Expressing of Breastmilk


🤚🏽Hand expression in pregnancy can be a great tool for you to prepare to breastfeed. Providing you with practice of how to hand express and confidence in how your breast works, it doesn’t matter if you are unable to collect any colostrum you have still been practicing and stimulating your breasts.
However, if you decide not to express in your pregnancy, this will not affect how you feed when your baby is born!
You can also express some colostrum if you intend to formula feed you baby and give this to them as their first feed.

💜Colostrum
This is the first milk produced. It is a yellow sticky substance which is rich in antibodies and high in protein, vitamins and minerals. At birth, a baby’s stomach is about to the size of a marble, so they only need a small amount of colostrum to receive all the nutrients your baby needs.

It is the ultimate first food, especially produced by a mother for her own baby!

💜Colostrum Collection
During your pregnancy, your breasts will start to produce colostrum. You can collect and freeze this milk, ready to use when your baby is here.
It is recommended to express after 36-37 weeks by hand.

💜Why do it?
Collecting colostrum will be beneficial for your baby if they are likely to have difficulties with feeding or maintaining their blood sugars level during the first few days. These babies include:

🧡Twins or triplets
💛Those with a diagnosed cleft lip and/or palette
💚Those with a congenital abnormality
💙Those who may be expected to be small or large for gestational age.
💜Those whose mums have been diagnosed with diabetes in pregnancy or existing diabetes
🖤Those on medications to control high blood pressure

Not all mums should be expressing antenatally so please make sure you speak to your midwife before you start, she can then provide you with equipment to collect your milk and give you a leaflet on how to store and safely bring in your milk to hospital if needed.

👐How to do it
If you would like to have a go at expressing, then please watch this video below which shows you how to express and collect your colostrum and ask your midwife if you would like try it.

If you have expressed colostrum. It is better to keep this at home in your freezer. If your baby needs any when you are in hospital it is better for someone to bring this in as and when it is needed.

Learning to hand express is a fantastic tool at any time to help feed your baby.

This short clip, produced by the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative, provides an overview of hand expression and how to hand express successfully. Find out m...

24/07/2025

Congratulations Pavan and family. Thankyou for sharing your story and lovely feedback to the staff who cared for you

I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone that looked after me and helped bring Ruben into the world.
At 28 weeks it was noted he was not growing and the risk of pre-eclampsia was growing. I was monitored very closely and safely reached 37 weeks gestation when it was decided for Ruben to be born by elective c section.
The care, support and guidance from the consultants Dr Shamsudin , Alina and Ehi has been amazing.
A very special thank you to the three of you for ensuring that Ruben arrived safely.
Also a very big thank you to midwife and student midwife Natalie for keeping me calm on the day & capturing those special photos 🥹🩵.
Ruben Singh born 27/6/25 at a tiny 4lb 3oz

23/07/2025

Did you know that our parent education sessions are now offered online as well as face-to-face??

Parent education can be really helpful in providing you with information to help you decide on your and your baby's care during your pregnancy journey and what to expect in the postnatal period.

We are running online 'labour and birth' and 'feeding your newborn' sessions for you to join in the comfort of your own home. These are sessions run by experienced midwives with time at the end of the presentations for questions. They are ideal if you are unable to travel to face to face sessions or would rather not be in a face to face group.

We are hosting a face to face 'labour and birth' session in the women's health unit at HRI on 6th September. There are limited spaces for this session so please use the link below if you wish to book on.👇

Maternity courses for the Calderdale Area

22/07/2025

Congratulations Izzy and family. Thankyou for sharing your story and lovely feedback.

I want to say a massive thank you to Paula, Zara, Gemma, Hayley, and the lovely student midwives who helped with the birth of our son.

As someone with a lot of medical anxiety, I had spent my whole pregnancy hoping for a low-risk, intervention-free birth. Luckily, I didn’t have any factors that would make me high-risk, so we planned to have a water birth at the birth centre.

At 39 weeks and 6 days, my waters broke. While I did go into early labor, by 40 weeks I still wasn’t in active labor. At this point, my waters had been broken for over 24 hours and the guidelines recommended we no longer attend the birth centre but instead go to the labour ward to be induced.

We went to MAC to be examined and to monitor the baby. Once we determined the baby was still absolutely fine, the midwife asked how we’d like to proceed. She explained that the guidelines recommended induction but this would be our choice, and we could wait for labour to naturally progress if we preferred. I felt that my body was naturally progressing nicely at home, so we chose to go home and declined induction.

Once we got back home, things progressed quickly and by 3 PM, I was having 3 contractions, 60 seconds long, within 10 minutes. My partner called the birth centre and asked if we could still give birth there despite the recommendation being that we go to the labour ward instead. After coming in for another examination, the birth centre team advised us that while it was against the guidelines, we could make an informed decision and stay on the birth centre unless the midwives spotted anything concerning, in which case we’d go upstairs to the labour ward.
I felt very safe and comfortable on the birth centre, and I believe this was the reason why my labour progressed so quickly.

During the birth, I felt trusted to crack on with what felt good, and there was a really strong emphasis on informed consent in every single decision made for me and for the baby. I was made aware of all risks and guidelines but still trusted to make decisions that felt most comfortable to me, and then completely and fully supported in those decisions.

After a couple of hours, I got into the birthing pool, and within an hour, my son had been born with no pain relief besides a TENS machine then the pool.

My lovely midwife Paula deserves a special shout-out here, as she was truly incredible. She knew exactly what I needed at each point of labour without me saying a word. She also made my partner copious cups of tea, which he was thrilled about. Paula gave me encouragement and guidance when I needed it but also gave me the quiet, calm environment I needed to focus. She monitored baby in a non invasive way which at times I barely even noticed.

After the birth, we waited for the cord to stop pulsing, and my partner got to cut the cord. I was allowed time to birth the placenta naturally, which Paula then showed us both once we were out of the water. We then got to spend some time meeting our baby and recovering (with tea, toast, and biscuits that have never tasted so good). We had support from the team to breastfeed, and then we moved into our room for the night to leave the pool free for anyone else who needed it. My partner was allowed to stay with us (and the team even made him up a bed), which I was so grateful for.

We spent a couple of days on the birth centre while we got the hang of breastfeeding, and I can honestly say that I’ve never felt more cared for and empowered by the whole experience. Everybody that we met was incredibly kind, caring, thoughtful, professional, proactive, and made us all feel so safe. We were made to feel so welcome; the environment was so calm and relaxed, and I truly believe this had a massive impact on my birth.

I won’t ever be able to tell everyone on the birth centre how very, very grateful we are for everything they did for us. Giving birth was something I had feared for years, but you all made it the best day of my life.
Our family will forever be very, very grateful to you all. Thank you so much.

21/07/2025

Do you know that you have a choice of where to birth your baby? Home? Birth Centre? Consultant led labour ward? You can even chose an alternative unit to where you live, if you prefer.

Below is some information which may help you to decide, including a tour of maternity services at CHFT but also thinking about alternative birthing units. If you have any questions about your options, please speak with your midwife.

https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/preparing-for-the-birth/where-to-give-birth-the-options/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZAzUhUsFGA (Calderdale)
https://www.midyorks.nhs.uk/your-birth (Mid Yorks - Wakefield, Pontefract and Dewsbury)
https://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/services/maternity/your-birth-options (Barnsley)
https://www.bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk/womens-and-newborn-unit/ (Bradford)

Find out about your options for where to give birth: at home, in hospital or at a midwife-led (midwifery) unit. Learn more about which pain relief methods will be available.

20/07/2025

'sOKtosay

For many women and their families, pregnancy is a very happy time but sometimes, women may feel that they need support around their emotions and their mental wellbeing. Self care of your mind is as important as self care of your body. Please ask for help from your midwife, GP or contact your local services.

(For urgent help in Calderdale - 01924 316830
non-urgent referrals - 01484 343700. https;//calderdale-talkingtherapies.nhs.uk
For urgent help in Kirklees - 01924 316830
non-urgent referrals - 01484 343700 kirklees.talkingtherapies@swyt.nhs.uk)

https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/mental-health/
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/postnatal-depression-and-perinatal-mental-health/about-maternal-mental-health-problems/

If you are pregnant and would like to know more about looking after your mental health, this page has advice and information.

19/07/2025

If you, or your birthing partner(s) have experienced any degree of birth trauma you may wish to reach out for support. There is no time limit to this and sometimes questions and relived experiences can seemingly come unexpectedly.

Below are different resources and organisations that you may wish to look at if you feel that you are needing additional support, it's OK to not be OK and we, as professionals, want you to enjoy every moment with your baby. If you have any of these feelings, please speak with your midwife, health visitor or GP or contact one of the following organisations.

https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/services/paths/
https://www.talkthru.org.uk/birth-trauma-support
https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/what-is-pnd/birth-trauma/
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/postnatal-depression-and-perinatal-mental-health/ptsd-and-birth-trauma/

West Yorkshire Paths is a specialist service for women and birthing people who are experiencing emotional distress and mental health needs from reproductive trauma. This can include: Birth trauma, trauma from maternity and neonatal care Severe fear of birth Baby and pregnancy loss up to …

17/07/2025

Congratulations Amy and family. Thankyou for sharing your story and lovely feedback for the staff who have cared for you.

My midwives were absolutely fantastic as per usual, I've had two babies at Calderdale now and every time it's been the most safe, comforting and reassuring experience. I know there's a lot of negativity surrounding prenatal and postnatal care in the NHS at the moment so I think it's important to shout when the service is 10/10.

On the delivery of both children, my midwives stayed over their 12 hour shifts to see the baby been born and every single one of them was an absolute diamond.

I can't thank you enough for the seamless care you've delivered for my family. Should we have anymore, I know for a fact there's no where else I'd trust to look after me quite like you guys.
Thank you from the very bottom of my heart.

16/07/2025

Continuing Birth Trauma Awareness Week' we would like to share resources that you may find helpful. Birth trauma is subjective and your experience really does matter and is vital in the development of a positive parent/infant relationship.

There is no time scale to Birth Trauma so you may need to use these resources some time after the birth of your baby Resources are designed for both the birthing and non-birthing parent so please be reassured that there is support there for you. Accessing support has to be at the time that is right for you.

The amazing PATHS service is designed to help families, in South and West Yorkshire, who have experienced birth trauma or loss, where this impacts on your daily life or effects thinking about growing your family. It is always helpful to know what services are on offer to help you in your on-going journey.

https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/services/paths/

https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/resources

resourcesWebsites and books you may find helpful. WebsitesBlissBliss offers support for parents and families of premature and sick babies. ChoicesNorth London-based charity offering counselling to women in the perinatal period.Five X MoreFive X More campaigns for better outcomes in maternity for Bl...

15/07/2025

Congratulations Catherine and family. Thankyou for sharing your story and lovely feedback for the staff who have cared for you

I would like to say a big thank you to the whole team involved with bringing our son, Oliver, into the world.

I went into hospital on Tuesday 8 April to be induced. After several attempts, my labour was not progressing over the course of 4 days.
All the midwives who took care of me during that time were so lovely, including Saqira and Chloe who cared for me most days that week. Thank you for explaining everything to me and my partner, for showing kindness and compassion.

On the Saturday 12 April 2025, the midwife was finally able to break my waters and my contractions started. After my babies heart rate dropped twice, an epidural and a spike in my temperature leading to an infection, I was sent for an emergency c section where I was put under general anaesthetic. Oliver was born at 18.39pm weighing 7lb 8oz.
Big thank you to all the team and special thanks to Leanne and Amy on the labour ward. Thank you for keeping me calm, talking everything through with me and encouraging me that I could do it.

Finally, thank you to my community midwife Molly who answered all my many questions, listened to me, reassured me and cared for us during pregnancy and the first couple of weeks of post partum.

We were very lucky to meet such brilliant midwives - what a special role in someone’s life and birth journey❤️

14/07/2025

This week we want to recognise "Birth Trauma Awareness Week." Whilst the vast majority of birthing experiences are positive and empowering, some can be frightening and traumatic for all involved. We, as professionals understand that everybody experiences different feelings both physically and psychologically and we want to help you process any difficult information.

Here is the 'Birth Trauma Association' website link for you to look through if you feel that you need any additional support. You can also speak with your midwife or consultant about any concerns you may have. Some of the information explaining what birth trauma is, is available on the website in different languages.

https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/what-is-birth-trauma

Over the course of the week, we will be sharing resources and helpful information to support all those who need it.

If you wish to know more about national events that are taking place, please visit this website 👇.

https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/birth-trauma-awareness-week

We've run Birth Trauma Awareness Week yearly since 2017 to raise awareness of birth trauma, share information and resources, including how to get help, and encourage people to share their experiences of birth trauma.

12/07/2025

Latest Maternity Research Update.

As a trust, we frequently approach families to participate in regional and national research projects. Some of you may already be involved with ones which are on-going, to which we are very grateful.

Here is a quick update from Rachel from our research team who is helping participants in the "Calcium Supplementation for Prevention of Pre-Eclampsia in High Risk Women" (CaPE Study).

We have now closed for recruitment for this study but still have some women who are taking part to complete outcomes on.

CHFT was the highest recruiter regionally and we were 8th highest out of 51 hospitals in the UK.

Thanks so much to everyone involved – in particular all participants and to Dr Fi Shamsudin as Principal Investigator.

We use our social media platforms to keep you up top date with any projects which CHFT are involved in so please keep following us for information as it comes through.