Meet the pregnancy experts

Tommy’s midwives hold in-store information sessions, to help close pregnancy information gap

On Thursday 29 July, Tommy’s midwives will be at Asda stores across the country to offer expectant and new mums advice on caring for their child during pregnancy and after birth.

The ‘Let’s Talk Baby’ sessions form part of the charity’s ongoing information drive to educate more women about health in pregnancy. 

New research by the charity, released today, shows that more than one in five mums-to-be (21%) feel in the dark about what to expect during the first half of their pregnancy. 

The study found that while a third of women felt well prepared and very knowledgeable during their pregnancy (34%), 32% said they didn’t know whether what they were feeling was normal, with over a quarter (29%) saying they had no idea what to expect.

The results also showed:

• Over half (55%) of women felt there was a definite lack of information available, or that they were in the dark or unprepared prior to their 20 week scan.
• 25% approached their own mums first for advice about their pregnancy, with 18% approaching their midwives first. 
• 44% said they would have benefitted from an advice source they could go to with their questions.
• 16% often felt afraid to ask questions about their pregnancy as they didn’t want to appear like they weren’t in the know.
• 22% of mums with a child aged 0-1 felt there was a definite lack of information available prior to their 20 week scan, compared to 18% of women with a child aged 4-5.
• In the north-west, 26% of women felt well prepared and very knowledgeable during their pregnancy, compared to 44% in Northern Ireland.
  

By offering practical advice to women in all stages of their pregnancy, as well as guidance on caring for their baby once it is born, the ‘Let’s Talk Baby’ sessions aim to provide mums and new-mums the opportunity to speak to Tommy’s pregnancy experts, and ask the questions they’ve not had time to ask before or have felt embarrassed about asking.

Tommy’s midwife, Annette Briley, says: “The first few months of pregnancy can be the most exciting and awe-inspiring times of any woman’s life, but can also be the most exhausting and worrying”. 

“With this mix of emotions is also a real thirst for knowledge, and unfortunately a lot of the information out there is unvetted, or offers conflicting advice.  Research is revealing new findings all the time about the best ways for women to keep their babies healthy, so it is vital that mums-to-be get the most up to date information from both their midwife and other credible sources such as Tommy’s.”

Tommy’s exists to save babies’ lives by funding research and providing information on the causes and prevention of miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth, and provides a free information service – staffed by midwives – via the telephone and via the web.  Asda is helping Tommy’s aim of giving every baby the best chance of being born healthy with free events such as ‘Let’s Talk Baby’.

At the ‘Let’s Talk Baby’ event qualified midwives will be holding pregnancy information sessions within the café areas at participating Asda stores, from 6.30-8pm, on Thursday 29 July.  Topics will include the different stages of pregnancy and what happens at each stage for both mum and baby, as well as advice on breastfeeding and baby care.

The remaining 30 minutes of the event will consist of a question and answer session, giving attendees a chance to talk within the group or individually to the Tommy’s midwife or an Asda pharmacist.

This event takes place in conjunction with Asda’s Baby event which runs from 24 July to 8 August 2010.

For more information go to www.tommys.org/asdastores

Tommy’s

We believe every pregnancy should have a happy ending, so we work to fund medical research into the causes of premature birth, stillbirth and miscarriage, and provide a free information service that educates all parents-to-be about health in pregnancy.

Our information service is informed by our medical research and includes a telephone midwife service, a comprehensive website and free books and leaflets promoting health in pregnancy.

By 2030 we want to halve the number of babies who die during pregnancy or birth.

Tommy’s registered charity number is 1060508 and SC039280.

To speak to a Tommy’s midwife call 020 7398 3483 or visit www.tommys.org

Asda

Asda has been a proud supporter of Tommy’s for over 10 years, raising valuable funds for the charity’s research through a combination of in-store promotions, activities and events.

About the survey

The research for Tommy's was carried out online by Opinion Matters between 08 / 06 / 2010 and 21 / 06 / 2010 amongst a panel resulting in 838 mothers of children under 5-years-old. All research conducted adheres to the MRS Codes of Conduct (2010) in the UK and ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines. Opinion Matters is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act (1998).