Understanding pregnancy, labour, birth, and your baby

Understanding pregnancy, labour, birth, and your baby is a free programme available to parents-to-be, their partners, and supportive family members or friends. It is designed by Togetherness, an NHS emotional health team sharing evidence-based teaching and learning about emotional wellbeing and preventative mental health in the UK and around the world.

Delivered over six weeks, you will explore the key stages of pregnancy, your baby’s growth and brain development, relationships, childbirth, and what to expect when your little one arrives. Based on the Solihull Approach, the programme is designed to support expectant parents and families. Sessions are facilitated by Family Support Workers, Health Visitors, and Midwives, creating a welcoming space to learn, share experiences, and connect with other parents-to-be.

WEEK 1 – Helping your baby and you through pregnancy and birth

• Recognise and understand your feelings
• Recognise what/who helps you process your feelings relating to your baby during your pregnancy and birth
• Think about the support needed during pregnancy

WEEK 2 – Getting to know your baby in the womb

• Get to know your baby and develop your relationship
• Understand the positions of your baby in the womb
• Understand how your baby is developing: brain, sensory and physical development

WEEK 3 – You, your baby and the stages of labour

• Get to know your baby through the labour and birth
• Understand signs of labour
• Understand stages of labour

WEEK 4 – Helping you and your baby through labour and birth

• Understand active birth positions
• Understand the process of labour – including how the baby helps
• Think about pain relief
• Think about support in labour and at home

WEEK 5 – Feeding your baby

• Bonding and developing a relationship with your baby
• How to keep your baby safe
• Baby blues and postnatal depression
• Different ways of feeding your baby and the support available

WEEK 6 – Caring for your baby

• Practical aspects of caring for your baby
• Supporting your baby’s emotional health
• How to hold your baby
• Feeding, winding, settling to sleep, bathing / washing, changing baby’s nappy.

Interested in attending in person?

Sign up on eventbrite

Prefer to learn at your own pace?

For those who prefer a more flexible learning option, this learning pathway—and many others—is also available as an e‑learning course. Visit togetherness.co.uk and use the access code GEYAP for free access.