Community Midwifery Service - Chelmsford

Chelmsford Community Midwives deliver a full and comprehensive midwifery service throughout Chelmsford and the surrounding area.   The midwives are arranged into small groups who provide midwifery care to the women on their caseloads.  You will have a named midwife who will have responsibility for looking after you throughout your pregnancy but, if she is on holiday or unavailable, one of her colleagues from the group may see you.  We aim to keep the number of midwives that you see down to one or two in order to provide you with continuity of care and enable you to get to know and build your relationship with your midwife.

Antenatal Care

For the majority of women pregnancy is normal and uncomplicated.  If you are a healthy woman then you will be booked under the care of a Community Midwife and you will receive “Midwife Led Care”.  For those women with a medical or obstetric complication, “Consultant Led Care” is advised.  

Community Midwives are attached to every GP surgery in the locality.

Accessing Maternity Care

Following your positive pregnancy test you can now contact your Midwife directly by telephoning 01245 513040 (answerphone available)  or click the link opposite (under contact Chelmsford Community Midwives) for Chelmsford Community, put your answers to the questions on the email and send to the midwives, they will contact you to arrange your booking.

You will be asked to complete a simple form, a copy of which will be sent to the Community Midwives or Birthing Units and a further copy will go to Maternity Administration – who will arrange your scan appointment. This will be sent to you either by return email or through the post.

If you are using the contact telephone number to make your referral you will be asked to give the following information:

• Your name

• Your address

• Your telephone number – home and mobile

• Your GP’s name and address

• The date of the first day of your last period

• How many babies you have already

We offer direct access to a midwife for your maternity booking but if you would prefer to go to your GP first please make an appointment at your surgery.  Your GP will then refer you to the midwife attached to your surgery for booking and antenatal care.

If you would like to receive your antenatal care and deliver at one of our two excellent Birthing Units in Maldon or Braintree, please see the Birthing Units own pages.

Following receipt of either your referral form or answerphone message, the Community Midwives will contact you and make arrangements to meet with you to complete your Antenatal Notes, discuss recommended blood tests available and give health and dietary advice. 

The initial meeting with the Midwife will usually take place at one of our Birthing Units, at Broomfield (where we offer evening booking appointments), at your GP Surgery or at your local Childrens Centre.  Antenatal appointments with the Community Midwife will take place at regular intervals throughout your pregnancy.  Wherever possible we aim to have the same midwife see you at each appointment. You are entitled, by law, to paid time off work to attend all antenatal appointments.

Sometimes complications develop as the pregnancy progresses.  If this happens to you, your midwife will refer you to Broomfield Hospital for review by an Obstetric Consultant.

For women with an existing medical condition or previous obstetric complication the majority of care may still take place in the community with your named midwife, however some appointments will be at the hospital antenatal clinic with hospital midwives and Doctors.

Parent Education Classes / Breast Feeding Workshop

The Essex Birth Company (EBC) currently offer antenatal classes at Broomfield, Braintree and Maldon.  These are very informative, fun and interactive classes run by specially trained antenatal educators.  Midwives also offer "Saturday Special" classes at Broomfield and Braintree.  Please see your midwife for further details and how to book your classes.

Please also see our "Patient Leaflets" page for some useful labour leaflets kindly produced by the EBC.

Care In Labour

Community Midwives also offer a home birth service, labour care at Braintree or Maldon or in The Birthing Unit, Broomfield.  If women choose one of these options, they will be delivered by their named midwife, if she is on duty or, if not, a member of the community midwifery team.  We can offer water birth in The Birthing Unit, Broomfield and the Birthing Units in Maldon and Braintree.  If you would like a water birth at home please speak to your midwife about hiring a birthing pool.

Postnatal Care

Following the birth of the baby the community midwife will see the mother and baby at home either the same day of birth if you have been discharged early from The Birthing Unit or the day following transfer home if you have had an overnight stay in the Post Natal ward at Broomfield or St Peters.

Subsequent visits will be planned with the mother on an individualised basis. The midwife will come either to the mother’s home or, at the weekends, you may be asked to attend a post natal clinic at Broomfield, Maldon or Braintree. As part of the multidisciplinary team delivering care in the community, Maternity Support Workers are employed to assist the midwives at clinics and in undertaking visits to support breastfeeding, advise on caring for your new baby and to perform the Newborn Blood Spot Test.  We also have Breast Feeding Support Workers, volunteers who have undertaken intensive training to enable them to support breast feeding mothers both in hospital and at home. 

Providing there are no complications during the postnatal period, discharge from midwifery care occurs on Day 10 following the birth and care is handed over to the Health Visitor.