Maternity triage

You may be referred to maternity triage by your GP, community midwife or you may contact us yourself if you need help or advice. We see women and birthing people from 20 weeks of pregnancy, up to 6 weeks after the birth of your baby.

When you ring maternity triage, you will speak to a midwife on the phone and they will take a history from you, listen to your concerns and give you appropriate advice on whether you need to come into hospital to be seen in maternity triage, antenatal day unit (between the hours of 9am to 5pm), Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (UECC), stay at home or even be seen by your own GP.

It is helpful if you tell us about anything that might make you high risk in your pregnancy when you ring. This can sometimes affect your care.

Please call us with any concerns you may have, no matter how big or small. We are here to help.

Reasons you might contact maternity triage:

• Abdominal pain
• Vaginal bleeding
• Abnormal discharge
• Generally feeling unwell
• Suspected infection or high temperature
• Severe itching on the palms of your hands or feet
• Suspected labour including premature labour (if you are having regular, painful contractions)
• Waters breaking at any point
• Raised blood pressure
• A change in the pattern of baby’s movements
• Problems with vision (blurring, flashing lights or spots, difficulty focusing)
• A persistent headache
• Postnatal concerns up to 6 weeks after giving birth

You should start to feel your baby move around 16 to 24 weeks of pregnancy. If this is your first baby you may not feel them until after 20 weeks of pregnancy. You should feel your baby moving right up to and during labour. It is not true that a baby moves less towards the end of the pregnancy. 

In the beginning movements can feel like gentle flutters and these will turn into kicks and jerky movements as your pregnancy progresses. If you have not felt your baby move by 24 weeks please tell your midwife and they will check your baby’s heartbeat and movements for you.

There is no specific number of movements that is considered normal. During your pregnancy, you will need to be aware of your baby’s movement pattern. A reduction or change in your pattern is what is important and contacting maternity triage is essential to check your baby’s wellbeing.

You should call maternity triage immediately if:

• your baby is moving less than normal for you
• your baby has stopped moving or you cannot feel them move anymore
• there has been a change in your usual pattern of baby movements

If you have attended the maternity triage for a change in your baby’s movements and have returned home but are still concerned, you should contact the maternity triage again. You should not delay in seeking help for your baby’s movements, no matter how many times this happens.

We do not recommend using a home monitoring or doppler device or phone app to check your baby’s heartbeat yourself. This is not reliable and does not check the health of your baby. Even if you hear your baby’s heartbeat this does not mean your baby is well and you should always contact maternity triage where a midwife can monitor your baby correctly.

More information about baby movements in pregnancy (Tommy's - the pregnancy and baby charity).

When you arrive at maternity triage you will be greeted by a member of staff and shown to a clinical assessment area or asked to sit in the waiting area if we are busy. We see women in order of clinical need so there may be a short wait to see a midwife.

If you do not understand what is happening to you or you have any worries or questions, please ask a member of staff. If your condition changes whilst waiting, please inform us. Please feel free to bring your birthing partner with you to triage for support.

During your assessment, the midwife will listen to your concerns, take your medical history and record information to help her make a plan of care for you.

We might do one or more of these tests:

• temperature
• pulse
• blood pressure
• oxygen saturations
• urine testing
• CO2 (carbon dioxide) testing
• abdominal examination
• baby’s heart monitoring
• vaginal examination
• blood tests.

You may need to see a doctor during your time in maternity triage, depending on the reason for your admission. You may be admitted to the Labour Ward or Maternity Ward for any ongoing care or observations following your review.

If you are attending with suspected labour

If you are not considered to be in established labour following an assessment, you may be advised to return home and wait for the contractions to become longer and stronger before you return. Your plan of care is personalised to you and your needs so please discuss your wishes with the triage midwife.

The comfort of your own home is widely regarded as the best place to be during the early stages of labour. Coping strategies will be offered before you leave.

If you are discharged home, you are welcome to contact maternity triage for further advice at any time. We know things can change quickly so if your symptoms or concerns persist or worsen, you must ring us back because we may need to see you again.

We hope that your visit to our maternity triage is a good experience and we welcome any feedback that may help our department.