Wye Valley NHS Trust

Your midwife will talk to you about your choices for contraception when you are being discharged from the hospital. Contraception should ideally be commenced 21 days after giving birth. The most reliable form of contraceptive is the implant or the coil, this is because it doesn’t rely on the user to remember to take it. However, everyone has a different health history and therefore this may limit your options, for example if you have a personal or family history of bloods clots, cancer, diabetes, asthma or migraines. Your GP will also discuss contraception with you at your 8 week postnatal…

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…

About the Service School Nurses are public health nurses working in the community, they are registered nurses with an additional public health nursing qualification. School Nurses have specialist knowledge and skills to enable them to work with children and young people aged from 5-19. The School Nursing team is comprised of School Nurses, Community Staff Nurses and School Nurse Assistants and as a service we are committed to supporting students, therefore a student may accompany us and be present during contacts. If you would prefer for a student to not be present please let your School Nurse know. The School…

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…

Gestational diabetes If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it is because it has been found that you have a higher than normal level of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream. It is called gestational diabetes because it has been found whilst you are pregnant.  In a small amount of cases, it may be that a woman has undiagnosed diabetes, not caused by pregnancy.  The only way to know this is after your baby is born.  If your blood glucose remains high or uncontrolled postnatally then it is likely you have type 2 diabetes, your GP will check this at…

This service aims are: For all People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Herefordshire to have access to the MS nurse service within a variety of settings To provide a responsive service to the changing needs of the person with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS), their families and carers Provide health promotion for people newly diagnosed with MS Undertake the management of people with MS at and after diagnosis Provide education for carers of the person with MS and also health and social care staff Management and co-ordination of the disease modifying medication Palliative care and management of people throughout the whole of their disease trajectory leading to being severely…

Local Counter Fraud Specialist We have a Local Counter Fraud service provided for Wye Valley NHS Trust who hold the required accreditation to undertake such work. The Trust is responsible for the administration of public funds for the purpose of providing health care to the community we serve. It is recognised that the existence of fraud and corruption threaten to prevent these funds providing maximum benefit to patients. The Trust takes a robust response to these threats as reflected in the Counter Fraud and Corruption Policy and by developing an organisational culture that is intolerant of fraud and corruption. Suspicions…

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…

'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…

If you have previously given birth by caesarean section your care will differ slightly. You will continue seeing your midwife in the community setting, but will also be invited for a consultant appointment at 14 to 16 weeks and then again at 34 to 36 weeks.  A full discussion about your previous birth and current pregnancy will take place and the options for birth this time around.  Your consultant should go through the risks and benefits of both a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) and an EL LSCS (elective caesarean section).  If you decide to opt for an EL LSCS…