Wye Valley NHS Trust

Deep Vein Thrombosis This is when a blood clot forms in the deep vein of the calf, leg or pelvis. Women are more at risk of developing a blood clot during pregnancy and after having a baby and a caesarean section can further increase this risk.  Therefore it is essential to look out for possible symptoms. Symptoms can include: A red, hot swollen leg Your entire leg being swollen or a feeling of heaviness Tenderness or pain in your leg which may only be felt when standing or walking  A DVT can lead to a pulmonary embolism (PE), this is…

Take your first step to a smoke free pregnancy Speak to your midwife or our local maternitysmoking cessation support workers who can help you become smoke free.  Our local smoking cessation support workers, Sharon and Anna, are with you every step of the way to help you become smoke free.  They offer a FREE ongoing support, including, weekly meet ups at a venue to suit you and your family and are available for face to face or telephone contacts.  Venues where we can meet you include at your home, hospital clinic appointments and children's centres. Sharon and Anna can also support your partner…

Women’s Health Department Patient information leaflet – Post-Menopausal Bleeding (PMB)   What is Post-menopausal bleeding? Any bleeding from the vagina after menopause. This can be light spotting, a change in discharge colour or heaver bleeding. What causes post-menopausal bleeding? There can be many different causes, including: The walls of the vagina become thinner. Small skin-tag growths (polyps) in the vagina, cervix or uterus. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) making the womb lining thicker.   Most of the time, the cause of post-menopausal bleeding is not serious, but sometimes it can be a sign of cancer of the cervix, vagina or endometrium…

Travel by car, charges and concessions

Before labour starts, the neck of the womb (cervix) is long, firm and closed. Even before labour begins, the cervix can be drawn up and gets thinner.  The ‘latent’ phase of labour is the very first part of your labour – the early part of first stage. During the ‘latent’ phase the neck of the womb thins and opens up to about 3 to 4 cm.  The latent phase can last several days or weeks before active labour starts. This is normal. Some women have bouts of contractions lasting a few hours, which then stop and start again later or…

Mindfulness Do you feel that you are in a daily battle with your pain? Is your mind full of thoughts, fears, frustrations or muddle? Do you feel like you are always rushing? Do you hate the idea of “accepting your pain” or “coming to terms with it”? Mindfulness can help you find a calmer way to live life despite having pain. What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is merely paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.  It is based on meditation practice which helps you Allow your mind to settle more in the present moment…

The advice below is for anyone who is pregnant and needs information about measles. It includes what to do if you have any symptoms of measles, or if you have been in close contact with someone who has measles. If you need to access maternity care and you have measles symptoms or you have been in close contact with someone who has, please phone ahead. This includes if you are coming to hospital in labour, as well as the Maternity Triage or routine appointments in the hospital or community. This will help us to provide care for you in the most…

Temporary suspension of home birth service: Frequently asked questions 1.      Why has the home birth service been temporarily suspended? The Trust has temporarily paused the service following a national request for all NHS Trusts to assess the sustainability and safety of their home birth provision. Although no recent safety concerns about the Trust’s home birth service have been noted, in light of the national directive, we have reviewed the service and have identified areas in which we need to improve to ensure that we have a safe and sustainable service. In response to the national and local increase in the…

Welcome to our breast surgery website page. We hope you find this information helpful.   The Breast Surgery Department specialises in diagnosing and managing breast disorders, and where necessary breast surgery is conducted to remove cancerous tumours and lymph nodes.  If breast surgery is required this is currently being carried out at the County Hospital in Hereford. The County Hospital offers 10 new patient clinics every week allowing excellent access to the breast services. These are specialist ‘one stop’ clinics where full diagnostics, including ultrasound, mammograms and biopsies are carried out in one visit, wherever possible. Breast abscesses can usually be…

'Maddie's' story My waters had gone at around 11pm, my partner and I were in bed and I was actually eating profiteroles rolls before going to sleep at the time! It was strange that day…as we had put the car seat into the car, I had sorted all of the babies bottles and had literally got everything ready. After I had realised my waters had gone I phoned maternity triage, the midwife was very helpful and reassured me as I started to get very nervous. I thought I was going to go over my due date. She advised me to…