Bumps To Bambinos - Group Pregnancy Care for Young Mothers-to-be!

Young mothers-to-be and their unborn babies are much more vulnerable during pregnancy with research showing increased risks of low birth weight, premature delivery, poor mental health, discrimination and social isolation. These concerns are compounded by pre-existing risk factors that include higher rates of domestic violence, substance misuse, social services involvement as a child and poverty.

This results in not only an impact on the mother's health but also the child's development and future life prospects.

Bumps to Bambinos is based on the group pregnancy care model which has been shown to improve maternal mental health, enhance breastfeeding rates, improve pregnancy outcomes and build a social support network for new mothers. Mothers with a due date within the same month come together for their antenatal care and education in a safe, woman-centred environment. This is not a model of care that is currently funded by the NHS and although there are groups such as the NCT that offer the social aspect of this model - the costs of this are simply out of young mother's reach. Whilst I am unable to change the past, I really hope to positively influence the future for these families.

I am so passionate about this and am performing some research as part of my masters to try to gain evidence to prove the benefits of this type of care for younger mothers with the aim to improve short and long-term outcomes for both the mothers and babies. If this model was to be adopted by the NHS in Gloucestershire, there would be huge saving implications also so the benefits will extend to other areas. However, this is not something I can fund on my own and I would be so grateful for any support - this money will not go towards funding my costs as a midwife but the costs of the venue and equipment required to make this project a success.

I thank you all for your support :) Jenna xxx