In-person antenatal classes 'empower' women

A retired midwife offering free face-to-face antenatal classes after Manx Care withdrew its provision has said they are important to help women feel "empowered".

Jan Ulyatt started running monthly four-hour sessions in January to help prepare women for giving birth after the healthcare provider's Parentcraft Education Programme ended in September.

She said the process helped those expecting a baby "feel less frightened".

Manx Care has published a series of online videos as an alternative, and has now pledged to introduce a "blended approach" to include some in-person classes in the autumn.

Manx Care said the autumn changes would "follow a thorough consultation with our women and families to ensure we can tailor our offerings to meet their diverse needs effectively".

Launching the videos on Friday, the healthcare provider said they offered an "accessible version" of the information previously delivered face-to-face that could be watched when convenient.

The timing and limited place numbers of the previous classes had meant not all expectant mothers could access them and group sessions did not suit everyone, it said.

Head of midwifery Regan Baggley said the move to videos had "not been a cost-saving measure" but was "more a resource matter at this time", due to a worldwide shortage of midwives.

Ms Ulyatt said while she welcomed the healthcare provider's pledge to introduce a blended approach, it felt "aspirational", with "nothing definite".

Since January, an average of 20 couples had attended each of the retired midwife's classes, which she said proved there was a "huge demand" for them and were "filling the gap" left by the removal of the government-funded sessions.

She said the interaction helped women "feel less frightened about the process" and enabled them to understand "what is happening to their bodies".

"They feel more empowered, they feel that they do have more choices, we talk about birth plans if there are certain things they want they can have," she said.

She had written to Manx Care highlighting the "severe absence of choice within the current maternity provision" and urging the health body to provide home visits for postnatal appointments.

Home visits, she said, could better pick up poor feeding, early signs of postnatal depression and maternal or neonatal infection as well as helping a woman heal from labour and bond with their baby.

"I just feel that when someone is not supported in the most vulnerable time in their life then that can go on to lead to issues later," she continued.

Calling for women to continue to lobby and provide feedback to the health body, she said it was important women got "the service they deserve".

Responding to the call for home visits, Manx Care said community midwives called all women on discharge from hospital to conduct a telephone triage.

Appointments for women would then be scheduled to take place at home, in a community postnatal hub, on the maternity unit or in the maternity outpatient clinic according to their needs, it added.

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