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Pregnancy and birth

During your pregnancy you will be offered a number of antenatal appointments where you will see a midwife or sometimes an obstetrician (doctor specialising in pregnancy).  

They'll check you and your baby's health, give you useful information (for example, about a healthy pregnancy diet or antenatal screening) and answer any questions you might have.

Your first appointment will be your booking appointment at approximately 8 – 10 weeks and this is then followed by further appointments including dating scans.  

If you're expecting your first child, you'll have up to 10 antenatal appointments.  If you've had a baby before, you'll have around seven appointments, but sometimes you may have more, for example, if you develop a medical condition.  NHS 111 Wales has a lot of helpful information for your during and after your pregnancy.

Pregnant women are entitled to time off work for antenatal appointments, You can find information about your rights on the GOV.UK page 'Pregnant employee rights'.

When you are thinking about where to give birth there are a range of birth choices available. The Birth Place Decisions leaflet explains the options to help you plan.

You can find information about the maternity and neonatal units in your health board by clicking the links below.