Hospital antenatal clinics
Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy – 01592 729089
Queen Margaret Hospital – 01383 627033
Hours - 8.30 to 17.00 Monday to Friday
The antenatal clinics at Victoria and Queen Margaret hospitals offer pregnancy screening such as ultrasound scans and blood tests and care from the Obstetric medical team.
If you have some additional risk factors in pregnancy you may attend this clinic more than the community midwife’s clinic, for example if you have any medical conditions or if you are expecting twins. There is a weekly combined diabetic/obstetric clinic for women with diabetes in pregnancy. We also offer specialist clinics for women who need to be seen by other specialty doctors or allied health professionals such as anaesthetists and dieticians.
Senior Charge Midwife – Lianne Hood
Community Midwife Clinics
Antenatal care is provided mainly by your midwife or a member of her team and usually takes place in GP surgeries or health centres throughout Fife.
Community midwives are trained in the care of pregnant women and their developing baby for health, well-being and risk and they carry out all appointments as long as there are no problems identified in your pregnancy.
If your midwife identifies any concerns then she will refer you to the hospital team but will she will usually continue to work in partnership with them to care for you.
Women are advised to attend regular appointments, see schedule of care: with their midwife throughout their pregnancy.
Community Midwife Teams
We have a number of community midwife teams supporting the following areas:
North East Fife - 01334 465848
North East Fife - ext 55848
Letham, Levenmouth, - 01592 643355
Interim Team Leader – Claire Roscoe
Central Fife Team Kirkcaldy, Kinghorn, Glenrothes, Lochgelly area - 01592 643355
Meadows and Letham Team - ext 22075
Riverside Team – ext 22078
Ravenscraig Team – ext 22076
Team Leader – Stephanie Archibald
Queen Margaret Hospital Team - Burntisland, Dalgety Bay, Inverkeithing, Dunfermline, Rosyth, Cowdenbeath and West fife Villages - 01383 623623
Bruce Team ext 24133
Canmore Team ext 24202
Erskine Team ext 24733
Carnegie Team ext 24633
Team Leaders – Pamela Leask
Early Pregnancy Clinic
NHS Fife offers an Early Pregnancy Clinic (EPC), based within the maternity unit at Victoria hospital. The service is available to pregnant women between 6 weeks and 12 weeks +6 days since their last menstrual period with pain and/or vaginal bleeding.
This is an appointment only clinic.
Hours: Monday -Friday mornings (with ultrasound scan appointments)
Weekends 9-3 pm (no ultrasound scan appointments)
Contact: 01592 729706 - 24hrs
Maternity Daycare services
Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy 01592 729185 ext 29328
Queen Margaret Hospital 01383 627033 ext 22533
Hours: Monday-Friday 0830-1630
We have two units as part of Maternity day care services – one is based in Victoria Hospital whilst the other at Queen Margaret Hospital.
The purpose of maternity day care service is to provide additional care to patients during their pregnancy when they are not suitable for community midwife care alone. Often additional tests and monitoring are needed so that the condition of the mother and baby can be assessed and treatment can be provided. Sometimes this care can be given in day care units to avoid the need for an overnight stay in hospital.
Referrals are often made by medical staff but also your community midwife, maternity ward, antenatal clinics and maternity triage staff can also refer you to this area. The unit is staffed by midwives but have access to medical staff if required.
Some of the reasons you may have to attend include:
- High blood pressure
- The baby not moving as much as usual during pregnancy
- Underlying medical conditions
- Additional blood testing
Senior Charge Midwife: Rhona Falconer
Midwife: Linzy Marshalsey
Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU)
Tel: 01592 729187
This is a 24 hour emergency telephone and outpatient service for women who are 14 weeks pregnant and over. It is staffed by midwives and is located within the Maternity unit at Victoria Hospital. If you are less than 14 weeks and have bleeding or abdominal pain you should contact the Early Pregnancy Clinic on 01592 729706 (24 hours).
The MAU midwives provide telephone advice to women experiencing problems relating to their pregnancy such as bleeding, feeling unwell, pain, blood pressure problems and baby not moving.
You may be asked to attend the assessment unit for review following the telephone consultation or given advice to see your GP, community midwife or self care at home.
You will be advised to telephone back if you have any more concerns, questions or if support is required.
If you are over 37 weeks pregnant and in labour please contact the labour area, which you have chosen to have your baby in.
Senior charge midwife: Kate Millar
Parent education classes
NHS Fife offer a variety of parent education information on Badgernet app. Currently no face-to-face sessions available.
The Scottish Government is now offering a free online Parenthood course for all families expecting a new baby: https://inourplace.heiapply.com/online-learning/
- access code 'tartan'.
Sessions include the following topic areas:
Labour
- Signs of labour
- coping with labour
- benefits of remaining active during labour and different positions,
- How your birth partner can support you in labour.
Early days
- Physical and emotional changes after childbirth.
- Baby care advice
- Safe sleeping advice.
- Baby health checks.
Infant feeding
- Feeding decisions.
- Feeding cues, patterns and frequency.
- Successful breastfeeding.
- Health benefits.
Better beginnings
- Healthy diet in pregnancy
- Benefits of being active
- Alcohol and pregnancy
- Smoking and pregnancy
HypnoBirthing
NHS Fife is happy to be able to offer women who may require extra support in pregnancy free* HypnoBirthing® classes. Currently this involves women who are deemed “high risk” in pregnancy for physical or mental reasons, women with a previous birth trauma, those with a significant fear of birth, those requesting a homebirth, and women that qualify for the Best Start grant in pregnancy.
Participating in the HypnoBirthing Programme enables women and their birth partners to take control of the most important event of their lives, and build a stronger connection with their unborn baby. It explores the myth of pain as a natural accompaniment to birth, and explains why and how you can have a calmer, easier birth. The fear surrounding childbirth is the very thing that keeps the body tense, causing the pain that we see and hear so much about. HypnoBirthing teaches women to release that fear in order to achieve the experience of gentle, instinctive birthing.
HypnoBirthing helps to shorten labours, reduces the need for pain relief and interventions, therefore improving recovery time and enabling better bonding with the baby. Babies are more alert at birth, have better sleep patterns and feed more easily in their first weeks. As a consequence of all this, mental health is usually improved postnatally.
HypnoBirthing can be used in all birthing circumstances and enables women and their partners to feel in control, no matter how the baby arrives.
Receiving antenatal education and information from your HypnoBirthing midwife, and using the techniques of relaxation, positive thinking, visualisation, breathing and physical preparation, we will help you achieve a happy, comfortable pregnancy, culminating in a very Happy Birth-Day!
Speak to your midwife if you would like to be referred to Sarah Westland for these sessions*.
*There is usually a nominal fee of around £30 for course materials, although these can be borrowed if required.
