During your pregnancy we will regularly assess your and your baby’s health and wellbeing.

Every woman is cared for by midwives during their pregnancy. Some women will also be offered additional appointments with a doctor (an obstetrician) or other specialist healthcare professionals, depending on their needs.

You can self-refer as soon as you know that you are pregnant using our online self-referral form.

Telling us promptly will ensure you receive maternity care that considers all your health needs and preferences.

Within 2 weeks of your referral, you can expect to receive two appointments. 

  • Your ‘booking assessment’ appointment with a midwife. We aim to complete this by 9 weeks of pregnancy
  • An ultrasound scan appointment 

If your circumstances change before you receive your appointment, please contact the Maternity Admin Office on 0208 934 2290.

We aim to see women for their first appointment by 9 weeks of pregnancy or within 2 weeks of their referral. This appointment is with a midwife.

Depending on where you live, it will take place either at the hospital’s Maternity Unit or in a local clinic such as a Children’s Centre, health centre or at your GP surgery. Please click here for a map of the Hospital.

Your Midwife will discuss an individual plan of care with you. This plan will be based on information that you provide about your previous and current medical history and pregnancy history, as well as any social and mental health needs.

You will be offered several screening tests - these involve blood tests, a urine test, checking your weight and height and measuring your blood pressure. In some cases, the baby’s father may be offered a blood test to check for inherited conditions.

This video explains the different tests that are available during pregnancy and may be offered to you.

You will also be given information on nutrition, exercise, antenatal classes, infant feeding workshops, maternity and paternity benefits, planning your labour and birth and where to have your baby. You can read more here: Pregnancy leaflets and links :: Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust

You may have lots of questions to ask us. It’s important for us to find out what’s important to you. It often helps to write down what you want to say in advance, as it’s easy to forget once you are there.

You can discuss your options about where, when and how you will give birth at any time throughout your pregnancy. For more information about these options see our Birth options page.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

During your pregnancy you will be offered several screening tests.

This first trimester screening leaflet explains the screening that is offered to all women at Kingston in the first trimester.

This video explains the different tests that are available during pregnancy and may be offered to you.
 

You will be offered two routine scans during your pregnancy. Scans take place either in the Maternity Unit at Kingston Hospital or at Raynes Park Health Centre.

We recognise that attending a scan is an important event for you and your partner, but we would respectfully request that you do not bring children with you for the following reasons:

  • A scan is a clinical examination to check the health of your baby and exclude abnormalities. The sonographer needs full concentration to ensure optimum assessment of your baby.
  • Children often find scans boring or upsetting because 90% of the pictures on the screen are sectional images of the baby’s anatomy and do not make sense to a child’s eyes.
  • If your child is upset or bored, the sonographer’s concentration may be affected and you and your partner will not be able to enjoy the scan.       
  • On the rare occasion that a problem is suspected, the presence of a child is very distressing for all concerned.

We do understand that in exceptional circumstances, lack of childcare may mean that bringing a child is unavoidable.

This scan is to confirm the pregnancy and calculate an accurate due date. It will also establish whether it is a single or multiple pregnancy. A basic anatomy check is performed.

A screening test for chromosomal abnormalities will also be offered, called the combined test.

This video explains what this test is about:

 

This scan is a detailed look at the baby’s anatomy, including major organs, limbs, face and the umbilical cord. The position of the placenta will also be identified. Assessment of the blood flow in the uterine arteries is performed to identify whether the pregnancy would benefit from extra growth scans in the third trimester.

This short video explains the purpose of the scan, and you can find more information about the second trimester scan on the government website:

To assist the sonographer in providing the best quality assessment we ask that you bring only one person with you to a scan to minimise distraction.

We are happy to offer our opinion on the gender of your baby, but this is not the purpose of the scan.

Scan photos are available at a cost of £5 for two to three images.

We may offer extra scans based on your and your baby’s health and wellbeing.

Growth scans
We recommend extra scans for women with diabetes, high blood pressure, some existing medical conditions and those expecting twins. We will also offer extra scans to women over 40 years old or who have a high or low body mass index (BMI).

These scans check the baby’s growth, the fluid around the baby and the blood flow to the baby through the placenta.

Early pregnancy scans
These take place in the Jasmine Unit which provides care before 18 weeks of pregnancy.

Pre-term cervical length clinic
A specialist scan clinic for pregnancies at higher chance of pre-term birth.

Fetal medicine scan clinic
Two Fetal Medicine specialists provide scans and clinical management for pregnancies where a complication may have been identified.

Scans are performed by sonographers, midwife-sonographers and fetal medicine specialists who are trained in fetal ultrasound assessment.

Pregnant employees have 4 main legal rights:

  • paid time off for antenatal care
  • maternity leave
  • maternity pay or maternity allowance
  • protection against unfair treatment, discrimination or dismissal

‘Antenatal care’ is not just medical appointments - it can also include antenatal or parenting classes if they’ve been recommended by a doctor or midwife. More information about pregnant employee rights is on the government website.

Maternity Action is the UK’s maternity rights charity dedicated to promoting, protecting and enhancing the rights of all pregnant women, new mothers and their families to employment, social security and health care.

Your care in each trimester

Please see below information about the care you can expect in each trimester of your pregnancy. 

Women are offered the following appointments:

Booking appointment – with a midwife

First trimester ultrasound scan – with a sonographer at Kingston Maternity Unit or Raynes Park Health Centre. Takes place between 11-14 weeks. A screening test called the combined test. This first trimester screening leaflet has more information about what to expect. 

This video explains what this test is about:

 

Please always bring your handheld records with you to every appointment.

In general, women are offered the following appointments with a midwife. Women may see other health professionals at these appointments (such as an obstetrician) or be recommended to attend additional appointments:

16 weeks midwife appointment 

Discuss results of initial blood tests and screening; blood pressure and urine sample tested; listen to baby’s heartbeat; further information on a healthy pregnancy provided; infant feeding conversation. It is a national recommendation that you attend this appointment alone.

Second trimester ultrasound scan

This appointment is with a sonographer at Kingston Maternity Unit or Raynes Park Health Centre. It takes place between 18-21 weeks. This short video explains the purpose of the scan and you can find more information on the government website here: 

24 weeks midwife appointment (first-time mothers)

Blood pressure and urine sample tested; listen to baby’s heartbeat; measure your baby’s growth

28 weeks midwife appointment 

Repeat blood test taken; blood pressure and urine sample tested; listen to baby’s heartbeat; measure your baby’s growth; further information on a healthy pregnancy given; infant feeding conversation. You may want to have further conversations about planning your labour and birth and where to have your baby.

Please always bring your handheld records with you to every appointment. 

In general, women are offered the following appointments with a midwife. Women may see other health professionals at these appointments (such as an obstetrician) or be recommended to attend additional appointments:

32 weeks appointment (first-time mothers)

Blood pressure and urine sample tested; listen to baby’s heartbeat; measure your baby’s growth.

34 weeks appointment

Blood pressure and urine sample tested; listen to baby’s heartbeat; measure your baby’s growth; further information on a healthy pregnancy given; infant feeding conversation. You may want to have further conversations about planning your labour and birth and where to have your baby.

36 weeks appointment

Blood pressure and urine sample tested; listen to baby’s heartbeat; measure your baby’s growth; further information on a healthy pregnancy given; infant feeding conversation; discuss signs of labour, labour and birth preferences.

38 weeks appointment

Blood pressure and urine sample tested; listen to baby’s heartbeat; measure your baby’s growth.

40 weeks appointment

Blood pressure and urine sample tested; listen to baby’s heartbeat; measure your baby’s growth. A membrane sweep may be offered.

41 weeks appointment

Blood pressure and urine sample tested; listen to baby’s heartbeat; measure your baby’s growth. A membrane sweep may be offered. You may be offered an induction of labour.