Antenatal Education
Free antenatal courses are available on pregnancy, birth and parenting. These sessions are delivered with our midwifery service, health visiting teams, Be Well, Family Hubs, and community infant feeding team.
The sessions are interactive and set in a welcoming and relaxed environment, which can help ease any worries you may have about labour and birth, offer a space to ask your questions, and gain further information to help you prepare for parenthood.
Our sessions run in blocks of four weeks, and you are welcome to attend alone or bring your birthing partner, friend or relative along with you.
What’s included in the sessions?
There are 4 separate sessions, and each session is no more than 90 minutes.
Antenatal wellness (online only)
• Myth busting – the facts
• Exercise during pregnancy
• What influences our decisions and support medicines
• Feeding choices
• Bonding and attachment
• Vitamins and healthy start vouchers.
Infant feeding (in person only)
• Feeding choices
• Skin to skin
• Responsive feeding and positions
• Safe sleep and night-time tips
• Storage of milk.
Labour and birth (online and in person)
• Signs and stages of labour
• Birthing plans
• Visiting hospital/home birth
• Signs your baby is unwell.
Bringing baby home (in person only)
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Baby brain development and play
• Keeping your baby safe
• Services for you and your baby.
When are the sessions?
Online
Antenatal wellness, and labour and birth are held virtually on Mondays and Tuesdays at 6pm to 7:30pm.
Book your place through the Eventbrite website (external link).
In person
Infant feeding, labour and birth, and bringing baby home sessions are held:
- Tuesdays, 6pm to 7:30pm at the Family Hub at Mornington Road
Location: Mornington Road, Hindley, Wigan, WN2 4LG
Book your place through the Eventbrite website (external link).
- Thursdays, 1pm to 2.30pm at the Family Hub at The Meadows
Location: 100-116 Ridyard Street, Wigan, WN5 9RQ
Book your place through the Eventbrite website (external link).
- Thursdays, 6pm to 7:30pm at the Family Hub at West Leigh
Location: Westleigh Family Centre, Westleigh Lane, WN7 5NJ
Book your place through the Eventbrite website (external link).
Health Visitors
The Health Visiting Service is available to all children and families, including children with additional health needs.
We provide advice, information and support to families and children and help parents make decisions that improve their family’s future health and well-being.
Essential Parent
Essential Parent hosts expert-led, evidence-based parental advice, guidance and support. Information is available in written and video form to support parents on a range of topics from pregnancy right through to adolescence.
The Essential Parent library includes information on a range of topics, for example:
- Pregnancy and birth
- Caring for your newborn baby
- Support with toilet training
- Preparing your child for school
- Understanding children’s behaviour.
Professionals can send you information directly to your phone, computer or tablet with a click of a button, or you can self-register at Essential Parent Registration (external link).
Healthy Start Voucher and Vitamin Scheme
Good nutrition and a healthy, well-balanced diet are important during pregnancy and in the early years of a child’s life. It not only provides young children with all the vital nutrients they need to grow and develop properly, but it also lays down the foundations of healthy eating habits for later life.
The Healthy Start Scheme is a NHS scheme that helps people who are pregnant or have young children and are in receipt of benefits, to buy certain types of milk, first infant formula and fruit and vegetables.
The benefit is per child not per household and money is added to a prepaid Mastercard, this is automatically topped up every four weeks.
If you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have at least one child under 4 years old you may be eligible for the Healthy Start Voucher scheme. You can check your eligibility and apply online at Healthy Start Scheme (external link).
Free Healthy Start Vitamins are available for all pregnant women and children up to the age of 5 years across Wigan. You can collect these from your local Family Hub, or from your Health Visitor.
You can find your nearest Family Hub at Family Hubs locations.
Oral health professional training
We have created a digital training video to provide some understanding of the current picture of children’s oral health across Wigan. This can be used to help you to promote good oral health for the children that you are working with.