Pathway for parents or carers who are expecting
Your journey of preparation for birth and life.
Pathway stages
Bitesize stages for daily steps towards confident parenting and connected relationships
1. Welcome!
1.1 Welcome!
1.2 Moving through the course
1.3 A few questions
2. Helping you and your baby through pregnancy and birth
2.1 Welcome!
2.2 Who is around you?
2.3 How are you feeling today?
2.5 Having the right people with the right skills
2.6 How do you usually relax?
2.7 Relaxing and breathing for everybody
2.8 Breathing
2.9 Other ways to relax
2.11 Relaxing after birth
2.12 End of Module quiz
2.13 Home Activity
3. Getting to know your baby in the womb
3.1 Welcome!
3.2 Your experience of the Home Activity
3.3 Getting to know your baby
3.4 Your baby’s development
3.5 Your baby in the womb
3.6 Brain development
3.7 The baby’s position in the womb
3.8 The baby prepares for labour
3.9 The relationship with you and your baby’s development
3.10 End of Module quiz
3.11 Home Activity
4. You, your baby, and the stages of labour
4.1 Welcome!
4.2 Your experience of the Home Activities
4.3 Feelings during labour
4.4 Signs of labour
4.5 1st stage of labour
4.6 2nd stage of labour
4.7 3rd stage of labour
4.8 Instrumental delivery
4.9 Going to the operating theatre
4.10 End of Module quiz
4.11 Home Activity
5. Helping you and your baby through labour and birth
5.1 Welcome!
5.2 Your experience of the Home Activity
5.3 Support in labour
5.4 Active birth positions and coping during labour
5.5 Pain Relief
5.6 Support when you are home
5.7 End of Module quiz
5.8 Home Activity
6. Feeding your baby
6.1 Welcome!
6.2 Your experience of the Home Activity
6.3 Feeding your baby
6.4 Benefits of breastfeeding
6.5 Frequency of feeding
6.6 Mixed feeding
6.7 Breast milk and your baby
6.8 Positioning and attachment, expressing and winding
6.9 Feeding is part of the relationship
6.10 End of Module quiz
6.11 Home Activity
7. Who’s the Daddy now? – I’m the Daddy!
7.1 Welcome!
7.2 Father’s time with baby
7.3 Fathers and breastfeeding
7.4 Fathers – coping with other peoples’ opinions
7.5 End of Module quiz
8. After your baby is born
8.1 Welcome!
8.2 Your relationship with your partner
8.3 Why babies cry
8.4 Reassuring your baby
8.5 Baby safety
8.6 Baby blues
8.7 Your relationship with your baby
8.8 End of Course quiz
9. Congratulations!
9.1 Well done!
9.2 And what about now?
9.3 Acknowledgements
About this pathway
This antenatal pathway helps you prepare for your new baby’s arrival with confidence. Join this pathway to learn about labour, birth and connecting with your new baby.
Written by NHS midwives alongside clinical psychologists, this pathways is for all parents.
The important relationships in your baby’s life help shape their emotional wellbeing. We’ll help you prepare all the practical things for a safe labour and birth. We will also share ideas to help build a healthy relationship for your baby to thrive.
Along this pathway you will find lots of practical information about:
- Preparing for labour and birth – understanding your options, pain management, and hypnobirthing
- Postnatal care and recovery – taking care of yourself or partner after birth
- Feeding, soothing, and keeping your baby safe – tips for nurturing your newborn
- Breathing and relaxation techniques – to support both birth and emotional well-being
You will also learn about early brain development, emotional health for babies and how to care for your own wellbeing.