Throughout your pregnancy you will have regular appointments with your midwife to check the health and wellbeing of you and your baby, and prepare you for birth and parenthood.

There are also a range of specialist support services which can help you throughout the various parenting stages. Find out more by clicking the drop-down buttons below.

Support services

We offer individual antenatal parenting support, which takes place in your family home or at your local Family Hub. Support is delivered by one of our Early Years and Family Hub Practitioners.

Support is available from the 2nd trimester of your pregnancy (22 to 24 weeks).

Sessions will:

  • help you to think about your future as parents, and as a family
  • give an opportunity for ‘parents to be’ to explore their roots, traditions, hopes and fears for the future
  • increase your understanding of your baby
  • increase your understanding of the benefits of breastfeeding and the practical tasks of caring for a baby
  • help you understand the need to nurture themselves

Sessions include:

  • touching and talking to my baby in the womb
  • helping my baby calm him/herself
  • loving attentiveness: bonding and attachment
  • communication between adults, and adults and babies
  • and lots more…

To find out more or to book a place, call us on 01642 579120 or email earlyyearsandfamilyhubsallocations@middlesbrough.gov.uk.

The Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond class is a free antenatal course for mums to be.

All mums and their partners are welcome. If you can’t come together, expectant mums can bring a family member or a friend. You don’t need to be a first-time mum to attend.

The course is jointly run by midwives, health visitors, and Family Hub staff. The class takes place over 4 sessions in Family Hubs across Middlesbrough.

Topics covered are:

  • developing baby
  • physical and emotional needs of your baby
  • coping with a new baby
  • having a positive labour
  • feeding your baby
  • managing your new baby with confidence
  • keeping baby safe
  • helping baby sleep safely
  • literacy messages
  • baby brain development (brain science)

The first class will be around 20 to 26 weeks of your pregnancy.

To book your place, ring 0300 303 1603.

You can ask your community midwife for more information, or check the Healthier Together 0-19 Middlesbrough website.

Aquanatal
Aquanatal is exercise in water which has many health benefits and is a great way to help you stay active during your pregnancy while giving you the chance to meet other mums.

Aquanatal classes run every Wednesday from 3.15pm at the Neptune Centre (Ormesby Road, Middlesbrough, TS3 7RP) and is followed by refreshments and time to chat with the maternity supports workers and other mums.

Aquanatal is very safe for most women but if you are having complications in your pregnancy please speak to your midwife first. You will be asked about health conditions before your first session.

Cost £4.25

No booking  is required – if you have any questions or want to find out more please email stees.enhancedcaremsw@nhs.net.

Walk and talk sessions (for during pregnancy and after birth)
The maternity support workers lead two weekly walks for pregnant and new mums, exercise and fresh air improve emotional wellbeing and physical health, our maternity support workers will be able to answer any questions and give you useful information about your pregnancy and looking after your baby, the sessions are a great way to meet local parents.

  • Albert Park, Mondays at 12pm, meet at the Dorman Museum entrance
  • Stewart Park, Thursdays at 12.30pm, meet outside of Henry’s cafe

No booking required – If you have any questions or want to find out more please email stees.enhancedcaremsw@nhs.net.

In Middlesbrough every expectant and new parent is entitled to a free code which allows you to access the Triple P for Baby online programme.

Once activated, you have access for 12 months. So you can dip in and out of it as your baby grows, letting you choose the information which is important to you and the stage of your baby’s development.

You will be sent the code following your welcome call from the Family Hub team once you have registered your baby.

Your Health Visitor will contact you to arrange an antenatal appointment so you can get to know each other, and explain what you can expect from the health visiting team.

If you are pregnant and more than 10 weeks along, or if you have a child under the age of 4, you might be able to get help to buy healthy food and milk through the Healthy Start scheme.

If you qualify, you will get a Healthy Start card that has money on it. This card can be used in certain shops across the UK, and more money is added to the card every 4 weeks.

You can use the card to buy:

  • plain liquid cow’s milk

  • fresh, frozen or canned fruit and vegetables

  • fresh, dried or canned pulses (like lentils, chickpeas or beans)

  • infant formula made from cow’s milk

You can also use the card to collect:

  • Healthy Start vitamins to support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding

  • vitamin drops for babies and young children (from birth to 4 years old)

For more information and to check if you qualify, please visit the NHS Healthy Start website.

You can get free vitamins from Public Health South Tees through your local Family Hub.

These vitamins are for you if you are:

  • pregnant

  • breastfeeding

  • a parent or carer of a child under 4 years of age

Children’s vitamin drops – for babies and young children

These drops are for children who are having less than 500ml (about one pint) of infant formula a day. This is because infant formula already contains added vitamins.

If you live in Middlesbrough, all families can get Healthy Start vitamins for free. If you have an NHS Healthy Start card, please bring it with you when you collect your vitamins.

There are two types of Healthy Start vitamins:

  • women’s tablets – for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding

  • children’s drops – for babies and young children

These vitamins provide the right amount of nutrients recommended by the government.

The children’s drops contain:

  • Vitamin A – helps vision and the immune system

  • Vitamin C – helps keep skin and bones healthy

  • Vitamin D – helps build strong bones and teeth

The women’s tablets contain:

  • Folic acid – helps with your baby’s development in pregnancy

  • Vitamin C – supports your immune system

  • Vitamin D – helps your bones stay strong

These vitamins:

  • do not contain milk, egg, gluten, soya or peanut residues

  • are suitable for vegetarians and halal diets

Babies and children can take vitamin drops if:

  • they are under 4 years old

  • they have less than 500ml (about 1 pint) of infant formula a day (as formula already has vitamins added)

  • they are breastfed

You will get an 8-week supply of vitamins:

  • 56 tablets (1 tablet per day)

  • 280 drops (5 drops per day)

Please only take the amount recommended on the label.

Find out more information about taking vitamins on the NHS website.

For more information on pregnancy, baby and parenting advice , visit the Best Start in Life page on the NHS website.

You can also find out who stocks Healthy Start Vitamins in your area, visit the Healthy Start vitamins page on the NHS website for more information.

Where to get free vitamins

You can get these vitamins from your local Family Hub. Find out more by calling  01642 579120.

If you are struggling financially with the cost of buying the things you need for your new baby this can cause additional pressure and  stress. If this is something that you are worried about, please speak to your midwife about a referral to the Baby Essentials programme.

The Baby Essentials programme has been developed to support you in welcoming your baby by providing a Moses basket filled with essential items for you and your baby.

A support service which ensures that the voices of women, birthing people, and their families are listened to, heard, and acted upon by their care providers.

Visit the People First website to find out more about the service, including the eligibility criteria.

Mental health support

You and your partner can receive help with your mental health and wellbeing during pregnancy.

We understand that every new parent’s experiences and feelings are different. There is lots of support available from specialist services. Please talk to your midwife, health visitor, or Family Hubs Worker – they can help you get mental health and wellbeing support that’s right for you.

If you’re in crisis and need to speak to someone urgently, please call NHS 111.

Leo’s Perinatal, part of Leo’s, provides a lived-experience support service caring for parents who have experienced a pregnancy or baby loss, or are pregnant again following a loss and are under obstetric consultant care within the NHS.

Their service is provided by peer support staff, who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss, to offer a safe, nurturing and caring environment for parents to speak openly about their grief and feelings after a loss.

Combined with this is a dedicated trauma service. Talking therapies, cognitive behavioural therapy, rewind therapy, flash and EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) are offered to families to help them navigate life after loss. Many parents who go through a pregnancy or baby loss often have symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and birth trauma.

Care and support is tailored to each individual, and can be done face to face or online.

You can refer yourself for support, or ask a healthcare professional to refer you, if you live in a Middlesbrough postcode and have endured any of the following since April 2021:

  • miscarriage or multiple miscarriages
  • termination for medical reasons
  • stillbirth
  • neonatal loss (if the loss has occurred on a neonatal intensive care unit)

Referrals can be made via the Leo’s website, or via BadgerNet (if under midwifery or obstetric care). For general enquiries, email care@leosneonatal.org.

The Indigo team are a specialist maternity team. They provide enhanced support to improve the emotional wellbeing of families and ensure all babies have the best start in life. Their team includes specialist midwives – Rachel, Jo, and Helen, and enhanced maternity support workers – Ashley, Jo, Kayleigh and Nicola.

You may be referred to the Indigo team by:

  • the midwife in your GP surgery
  • a doctor or midwife at the hospital
  • any other professional involved in your care or with your family

Their specialist midwives may lead your care as your named midwife. Or you may be cared for by the midwife in your GP surgery with additional support from an enhanced maternity support worker.

The Indigo team will arrange to see you at your home or in your local Family Hub for appointments during your pregnancy. They can also support you at your hospital appointments if you wish. They will plan care to meet your needs and help you to build your confidence, knowledge, and support network in preparation for your baby’s birth. You will have the option to have more frequent or longer appointments compared to standard maternity care – this is to ensure you get the most from your care.

They can also provide support and signposting for any difficulties you may be experiencing, such as housing or financial concerns. They work closely with the Family Hubs team and other local services to help you access any support you might need during your pregnancy and after your baby is born.

After your baby is born, they will visit you regularly for between 10 and 28 days after the birth. During this time, they will support you with recovering from your birth, establishing feeding, and adjusting to life with a new baby.

As well as providing individual support, the enhanced maternity support workers also lead maternity walk and talk sessions, aqua natal, and parent education sessions, which are open to everyone to attend.