As soon as you find out you are pregnant, contact your GP or local midwife service.
You should do this as early as possible to get the care you need. This should be in the first 8 weeks of your pregnancy.
A GP or midwife will give you advice about staying healthy and answer any questions you may have.
Telling your GP
At your GP appointment, the doctor will have an initial discussion with you and refer you to a local maternity unit.
If you live in Camden but aren’t registered with a doctor, find a GP near you.
Refer yourself to a midwife
Alternatively, you can book an appointment directly with one of the 3 maternity units in Camden:
University College London Hospital
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, 25 Grafton Way, WC1E 6DB
Phone: 020 3447 9400
Website: https://www.uclh.nhs.uk
Royal Free Hospital
Pond Street, NW3 2QG
Phone: 020 7794 0500, use extension 3616
Website: https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk
Whittington Health NHS Trust
Whittington Hospital Labour Ward, Gordon Close, N19 5NF
Phone: 020 7288 3482
Website: https://www.whittington.nhs.uk
Supporting you and your baby
The hospital maternity team are here to support you during pregnancy. They will provide antenatal care and give you information about:
- keeping yourself and your baby healthy
- pregnancy vitamins you need to take
- screening tests to check on your baby’s development
- managing long-term health conditions
The maternity team will ask about other things which can affect you and your baby, including relationships, housing or money problems. Your appointments are confidential and will help you put support in place.
Staying healthy
Your midwife will give you advice about how to keep you and your baby healthy. You can get free vitamin D and Healthy Start supplements from your nearest children’s centre.
A healthy diet is especially important during pregnancy. If you are on a low income, you may be able to receive free milk, fruit and vegetables from NHS Healthy Start. The NHS Start for Life website has more advice on healthy eating.
If you smoke, quitting during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do to give your baby a healthy start in life. Giving up smoking can be difficult, but you can get support from the Camden Stop Smoking Service.
Bump to Baby group
If you’d like support with preparing for labour and becoming a parent, you can join one of our Bump to Baby groups. This course for expecting parents has 5 sessions which last 2 hours each.
Each group consists of 10 to 12 parents as well as 2 trained group leaders. You can come on your own or bring a partner or family member.
If you’re unhappy or unsure about being pregnant
You may have mixed feelings or be unhappy about being pregnant. If so:
- contact your GP
- call the Family Planning Association helpline for free confidential advice: 0845 122 8690