Work

If you enjoy your work and the company of those you work with, you may have rather mixed feelings when the time comes to stop work before your baby is born. Try to make the most of these few weeks to enjoy doing the things you want to do at your own pace. It is also a good opportunity to make some new friends. You may meet other mothers at your antenatal classesor you may get to know more people living close by, now that you have more time to stop and chat.

You may have decided that you are going to spend some time at home with your baby or you may be planning to return to work, either full or part-time, fairly soon after the birth. If you know that you will be going back to work, or even if you think you might be, you will need to start thinking about who will look after your baby well in advance.

It is not always easy to find a satisfactory childcare arrangement and it may take you some time.

Any decision you make about childcare will be determined both by your income and the kind of facilities available locally. You may be lucky enough to have a relative willing to provide care. If not, you should contact your social services department (in Northern Ireland your local Health and Social Services Trust) for a list of registered childminders and nurseries. Few nurseries take babies and prices are usually high. You may also want to consider organising care in your own home, either on your own or sharing with other parents.

Care in your own home does not need to be registered but you should satisfy yourself that your carer is experienced and trained to care for babies. Contact the National Childminding Association.

Information provided by Health Promotion England.