From Bump to Baby: A Guide to Support for New Parents in Rotherham
This report explains national and local support services available to new parents in Rotherham. The aim is to provide clear information about financial support, health services, and practical help for families.
Challenges Facing New Parents
Many new parents face difficulties during pregnancy and after a baby is born. Some common challenges include:
- Financial pressure due to the cost of baby supplies such as clothes, nappies, formula milk, and equipment.
- Mental health challenges, including anxiety, stress, or postnatal depression.
- Lack of knowledge about available support, particularly for first-time parents or families new to the UK.
- Limited support networks, especially for single parents or families without nearby relatives.
- Work and childcare balance, including understanding maternity and paternity rights.
As well as these challenges, many new parents feel very tired because they are not getting enough sleep, which can make everyday tasks harder. Becoming a parent can also feel overwhelming, especially if things are not what they expected. Some parents may find it difficult to get help because of long waiting times, lack of transport, or not having access to the internet. Others may feel uncomfortable asking for help due to cultural beliefs or worry about being judged, especially when it comes to mental health. All of these pressures can make early parenthood more difficult, which is why it is important that support is easy to access and clearly explained.
Because of these challenges, it is important that parents know about the support available to them.
Support available in Rotherham
Bump, Birth & Beyond
The service that will support families who are pregnant and have children under the age of 3 years old.
We will deliver early years services directly to families in their own home or in a local community venue through one-to-one sessions and also support them to access existing community services and group activities.
We aim to work with partner agencies to support access to services, tackle barriers, reach communities and reduce health inequalities.
We can help with Family support
- We know looking after your family can be tough at times. We support parents, carers and families with guidance and activities so children and young people can feel safe, happy, healthy and hopeful.
Website: Birth, Bump and Beyond
Health Visitors
The Rotherham Children’s Public Health Nursing service incorporates the health visiting and school nursing teams along with other community practitioners to promote healthy lifestyles and to provide advice and support for children, young people, families, and carers. The Health Visiting team will offer everyone visits to check on their child’s development and to give parents the information and support they need as their child grows.
These visits may include:
- atenatal contact - before your baby is born
- new birth visit - before your baby is 14 days old, 6 to 8 week contact & 3 to 4 month visit
- 1 year development review - between 9 to 12 months
- 2 year development review - between 2 to 2 and a half years
The Health Visiting team can provide further support to parents by providing:
- development checks for your child
- information and advice on physical and emotional development
- advice on establishing good sleep habits
- information on keeping your child safe, reducing the risk of accident and injury
- breastfeeding advice and support & healthy eating and introducing solid foods advice
- immunisations
- help and advice on minor illnesses
Parent & Baby/toddler classes
Parent and baby classes are essentially a "two-for-one" deal. They are designed to support your baby’s developmental milestones while providing you with a much-needed social lifeline and practical parenting tools.
Think of them as a structured way to get out of the house, meet people in the same "sleep-deprived boat" as you, and help your baby figure out how their body and the world work.
Parent and baby classes in Rotherham:
Bloom Baby Classes
Telephone: 07803704982
Email: mary@bloombabyclasses.com
Website: Bloom Baby Classes
Baby Sensory
Telephone: 07806780134
Email: Rotherham@babysensory.co.uk
Website: Baby Sensory
Frith Space
Email: enquiries@hopian.org.uk.
Address: 18A High Street, Rotherham, S601PP.
Mental Health Support
Talking Therapies
Talking therapies can help with many different problems, including:
- difficult feelings, such as low mood, worries and stress
- depression, including postnatal depression
- anxiety, including social anxiety, phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia
- bipolar disorder
- personality disorders
- coping with a long-term health condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or chronic pain
Website: https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/talking-therapies/
Andy's Mans Club
ANDYSMANCLUB are a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free to attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online. We want to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and help men through the power of conversation. #ITSOKAYTOTALK
Website: https://andysmanclub.co.uk/
Samaritans
We're waiting for your call - Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. We're here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Telephone: 116 123
Website: https://www.samaritans.org/
Healthy Start Card
One of the most helpful but not well known schemes is The Healthy Start scheme. This helps families on low incomes buy healthy food and vitamins during pregnancy and early childhood.
You may be able to apply for a Healthy Start card if:
- You are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have at least one child under the age of 4, and
- Your family’s monthly take-home pay is £408 or less from employment.
Money is added to the card every four weeks.
What you can buy
The card can be used to buy:
- Fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables
- Plain liquid cow’s milk
- Fresh, dried, or tinned pulses
- Infant formula milk
Families can also receive, Healthy Start vitamins for mothers & Vitamin drops for babies and young children.
For more details on how you apply for the Healthy Start Scheme: Apply Here:
DADPAD
It is the essential guide for new dads, developed with the NHS. It is aimed at dads but is useful for a wider audience. DadPad is best utilised as early as possible during pregnancy, around birth and beyond. This resource includes guidance for babies and children up to the age of two. You may find this particularly useful to have during paternity leave.
As a new dad you will feel excited, but you may also feel left out, unsure or overwhelmed. DadPad can help by giving you the knowledge and practical skills that you need.
What’s included?
Information on helpful topics including antenatal care and the Midwifery Service, Health Visitor team, feeding, the human baby, holding, crying, sleeping, changing, and much more.
Accessing DadPad
To access DadPad, download one of the below apps and enter your postcode to access the resource.
Download DADPAD on the App Store
Download DADPAD on Google Play
