First ever 'Baby Week' in Hull announced

Midwives in Hull are opening the hospital doors to support the city's first "Baby Week".

The team at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital will host a unique 'Baby Carousel' to commemorate the start of the week-long event, organised by the Hull Early Help Partnership.

Baby Carousel events welcome all new parents and expectant parents, providing the chance to explore stands, gather information, and converse with professionals on a variety of topics including: eating well during pregnancy, pre and post-natal exercise, home birth and hypno-birth, baby car seats, feeding and bathing, safer sleeping techniques, changing a nappy, baby massage, safety in the home, mental wellbeing, and support to stop smoking.

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This special Baby Carousel will commence the week’s celebrations on Wednesday 13 November, from 6:30 – 8:30pm at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, with no booking necessary.

Geraldine Hotham, Childbirth Educator Project Lead says: “The Baby Carousel is a valuable opportunity for new and expectant parents, family and loved ones, to access important information and connect with other families in a friendly environment.

“As well as being exciting, becoming a parent can also be a daunting prospect, so it’s important to be able to cut through some of the noise and receive advice straight from the experts. A happy, healthy, comfortable, and positive parent is the best thing for any child’s health and wellbeing.”

Visitors to the event will also be invited to join one of Hull’s fastest-recruiting family studies to date. The Born and Bred in (BaBi) Hull and East Yorkshire study is examining factors that influence child and family health. This research has the potential to shape and enhance family health for future generations.

Participants will be joining a large group, as local research midwives have already exceeded their one-year recruitment target three times over in just eight months, with over 1,400 people now registered to participate. All individuals scheduled for pregnancy care at Hull Royal Infirmary are eligible to join the study.

Sarah Collins, Lead Research Midwife for the BaBi Hull and East Yorkshire study says: “We know life becomes a bit of a whirlwind for new parents, so the great thing about this study is that it’s not time consuming for people to help out, and that may be part of its appeal.

“BaBi Hull and East Yorkshire will look at the factors which may impact children’s health and then use this data to make service improvements or to highlight changes within our community which could give future generations the chance to grow up healthier and happier.

“There’s no need for us to ask questions, to weigh or measure the baby, or for parents to keep a diary; it’s as straight forward as giving us consent to access data for the purpose of our research. And if people later decide they don’t want to take part, that’s no problem either.”

Find out more about Baby Week in Hull here, or for more information on the BaBi Hull and East Yorkshire study, click here.