A local mum was one of the the first to use the services of a new home birth team set up by the health authority.
New mum Lola Wild was one of the first women to be helped by new Aveta Home Birth Team , giving birth to a baby girl, Tove, at home in Todmorden.
The Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust has boosted its maternity services by setting up the team, which will help more women to give birth at home.
Aveta is the Trust’s new 24-hour team of dedicated home birth midwives.
The service, launched ahead of recent NICE recommendations supporting midwife-led unit deliveries, or home births for low-risk pregnant women, provides bespoke support for mums-to-be-who want to have their babies at home.
The team aims to provide personal one-to-one care for women throughout their pregnancy, labour and immediately following the birth of their baby.
Care will usually be provided in a home setting at times flexible to meet the needs of individual women and their families.
Previously, community midwives combined cover for home births with other midwifery responsibilities which meant that this was not ideal for women or midwives at busy times.
Senior clinical midwifery manager, Joyce Ayre, said: “The new dedicated home birth team is a real development to maternity services at the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.
Women who want a home birth experience will benefit from having increased continuity of care and a midwife they are likely to know at their birth.”
The name Aveta has derived from Aveta, a Norse goddess of birth and lactation.
Lola said: “I was delighted to be offered and supported in the choice of a home birth and it was wonderful to receive one to one care enabling me and my partner to build a strong and trusting relationship with our midwife.
“Her care and support throughout labour was brilliant, and helped me and my partner to feel relaxed and confident in our plans for the birth and in preparing for parenting.”
Women interested in birthing their baby at home can contact a midwife from the team on 07825115367 for more information or can refer via their community midwife..