Parent Education

Becoming a parent can be one of the most rewarding and challenging times of your life and it is very normal to feel overwhelmed about taking your baby home for the first time. Accessing parent education sessions in pregnancy can support and help you prepare for the arrival of your baby during pregnancy. Attending education classes also gives you the opportunity to meet other parents-to-be who will be going through similar experiences as you so meeting others can really help.

Families who learn together in their pregnancy and have support from others often find the transition to parenthood a little easier as they know what to expect and have some coping strategies for dealing with common challenges in the postnatal period.

Our education classes are here to support you ahead of your baby’s arrival, helping you, your family and your baby connect throughout your journey to build a strong and loving relationship.

Womb to World Antenatal Programme

Here at Walsall we run a bespoke ‘Womb to World Antenatal Programme’ tailored to support you and your family in your transition to parenthood and beyond.

Our Womb to World Antenatal Programme adheres to the Baby Friendly UNICEF standards with four sessions being delivered virtually on Microsoft Teams over 4 weeks, each month. Sessions are delivered by health care practitioners who will be supporting you throughout your pregnancy and beyond into parenthood, from the Maternity Service, Health in Pregnancy Service and Infant Feeding Service.

To join our sessions please contact:

• Your Community Midwife
• Any midwife within maternity at Walsall Manor Hospital
• Health in Pregnancy Service: 01922 423252
• Infant Feeding Service: 01922 605248
• Health Visiting Service: 01922 603074

A referral will then be sent within your electronic record to the Womb to World Team and you will receive an email informing you of your allocated month for the sessions and the details for attending.

Florence

Florence (Flo) is another really useful tool for parents to be, Flo is our free texting service that provides you with hints and tips on responsive parenting and breastfeeding, covering topics like bonding with your baby, safe sleep and normal newborn behaviours. If you require feeding support you can also text HELP/SORE anytime to Flo and a member of our infant feeding team will contact you within working hours to see how we can support you. If you haven’t been signed up to Flo please ask your midwife to refer you.

For further resources on parenting you can access leaflets on your maternity notes app, ask your midwife or visit some of the resource links below:

https://go.walsall.gov.uk/children_and_young_people/early_help/early_help_for_parents/parenting_support

https://www.unicef.org/parenting/

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/leaflets/positive-parenting

For more information on parenting support in Walsall please visit:

http://www.mywalsall.org/walsallearlyhelp/parenting/