The maternal medicine service provides care for women with pre-existing medical disorders or pregnancy-related medical conditions. We work in a multidisciplinary team of doctors and midwives in order to provide the best standard of care for women and their babies.

Referral

At your first appointment, your midwife will collect detailed information about your medical history and will refer to the maternal medicine team for further input if necessary. The team will contact you directly and will plan all the required follow-up appointments for the rest of your pregnancy.

Ongoing antenatal care

Once you have been referred to the maternal medicine team, your pregnancy care will be shared between doctors and midwives. The frequency of appointments will be tailored according to your condition and your individualised needs.

We work in collaboration with consultants from a wide range of specialities (neurologists, gastroenterologists, oncologists, rheumatologists, anaesthetists, obstetric physicians, obstetricians) and we conduct regular multidisciplinary meetings to discuss your pregnancy care.

Pre pregnancy advice

Our team also provides pre-pregnancy advice for women with pre-existing medical conditions. If you were told that you would need pre-pregnancy advice for a future pregnancy, please speak to your GP so they can refer you to the appropriate specialist.

The health professionals involved in the maternal medicine team

• Maternal medicine specialist midwives are specialised in the care of women with complex medical conditions. They use a holistic approach and provide valuable support for transition to motherhood, help navigate the health system, help focus on the normal and joyful aspects of pregnancy and coordinate the communication between different specialists.
• Consultant obstetric physicians are physicians who specialise in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical disorders in pregnancy.  They will counsel you on the safe use of medication and how to optimise the management of your medical condition during pregnancy. They also work closely with obstetricians and midwives to advise on your birth options.
• Consultant obstetricians are doctors specialised in the care of pregnant women. They will help to coordinate the care that you receive from different healthcare professionals during your pregnancy. They will work closely with the obstetric physicians and midwives to advise on your birth options.

In addition to the above, other professionals work alongside the maternal medicine team: anaesthetists, consultant specialists like cardiologists, haematologists, rheumatologists, neurologists, neonatologists.