Last week saw the launch of the Birth Preferences Card across our Maternity Service.

The card, co-produced by our Maternity team and the Maternity Voices Partnership Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, aims to enable service users to discuss their birth preferences with their care team and support partners in full.

This will also assist clinicians to have a clear visual guide of women and birthing people’s preferences during their birth experience.

The Birth Preferences Card will be shared with service users at their 28-week appointment for them to take home and reflect on, before completing it with their midwife at their 32-week appointment. This will then be reviewed again and amended if needed at their 36-week appointment with their midwife.

The card will then stay with them throughout their birthing journey to ensure their preferences are known by their care team and it can be amended at any stage as clinical needs or preferences change.

Emily Evans, Service User Chair for the Maternity Voices Partnership Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, said: “I am really excited for the launch of the Birth Preferences Card, I hope it empowers people to have more conversations about their preferences and ensure they feel fully supported during their birth experience.”

The Birth Preferences Card was produced following feedback from service users through a User Experience (UX) card.

The User Experience (UX) system is an initiative which ensures women, birthing people and their families are listened to and that their voices are heard by asking recent maternity service users, support partners and staff to complete UX cards.

UX cards are a simple way for those we care for to provide feedback, capture their needs and explain how they think those needs could be met, which then shapes developments in our Maternity Service.