How Leeds parents are preparing for birth and beyond

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are precious; the time children go from enjoying their first smiles and laughs, to taking their first steps and speaking their first words. For parents, getting the right support and advice on how to give their baby the best start in life is crucial, ensuring that their child is healthy and develops meaningful relationships with the people and world around them.

In today’s child friendly Leeds blog, we discover more about a programme that’s been launched for new parents called: ‘Preparation for Birth and Beyond’ which provides advice and guidance about how parents can give their babies the best start in life.

In the video, some of the first expecting parents to enrol on the course share their experiences, and talk about the advice and support they had from the Leeds Early Start Teams and Leeds Midwifery service. 

Over six weeks participants undertake sessions in:

• Our developing baby
• Changes for me and us
• Giving birth and meeting our baby
• Caring for our baby
• Our health and well-being
• People who are there for us

Research has found that parents-to-be not only want to know more about birth preparation and practical tasks, but they also benefited from support as they become parents. These ideas lay at the heart of the ‘Preparation for Birth and Beyond’ programme, with both mums and dads invited to attend the course by their community midwife following their 20-25 week scan.

Dr Ian Cameron, Director of Public Health with Leeds City Council, said:

 The course is very interactive and encourages families to develop confidence in their own strengths and abilities. It also places great emphasis upon explaining to parents about baby’s brain development before birth and how they can support their babies to feel secure and attached in their relationships with their caregivers. It is all about giving them the very best start in life.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the ‘Preparation for Birth and Beyond’ programme, information is available on the Leeds Family Information Service website.

What support do you think should be offered to would-be parents? How did you respond to experiences shared in the video? Why not let us know by leaving us a comment in the comment section below….