a free drop-in support group to provide guidance and assistance about caring for you and your baby
* held every Monday from 10am until 12noon at St Andrew’s Church
Beaulieu Road, Dibden Purlieu, SO45 4PT in the Rainbow room
* except for Bank Holidays
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A drop-in postnatal support group for all mums within the Waterside area – dads and partners are welcome too!
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There is a large, free, car park behind the church (Oak Road Car Park), with easy access to the church via
the footpath - the church is also on the bus route (see details below).
Please note ~ due to the high demand for the postnatal support group, we are offering another support group on Wednesday's from 11am-1pm in the Hythe Library for those people who are unable to attend the group held on Monday.
What can you expect?
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A warm and friendly welcome - there is no need to book an appointment - come along any time between 10am and 12noon
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Postnatal support for all mums - guidance and advice on postnatal health conditions and recovery, provided by our friendly, trained, experienced health coach
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Feeding support - for breastfeeding and bottle feeding
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Get your baby weighed
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General health and wellbeing advice and support from the Waterside Health & Wellbeing Coaches
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Meet new friends, and gain support through friendly chat and a cuppa
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Free support, free car parking, free refreshments
Maria is one of the Waterside Health and Wellbeing team health coaches - she is our prenatal, postnatal and peri/post menopausal wellness specialist.
She specialises in holistic health for women including: exercise, nutrition, sleep optimisation, stress management, mindfulness, mindset and hormone health.
​Maria is available to provide support and guidance relating to your postnatal recovery and motherhood wellness journey. If you would like her support, please speak to one of the staff members present at the groups, or email Maria via the Health & Wellbeing team.
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Katherine is a Care Coordinator for the Waterside Primary Care Network - she worked at Hythe Maternity Hospital and also the New Forest Birth Centre for over 20 years as a Senior Maternity Support Worker.
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She assisted midwives with labour deliveries, and provided postnatal care of all aspects to new parents. She gave parentcraft advice on the wards and in clinics, advising and answering questions on how to care for new-born babies.
Katherine has a lot of knowledge in infant feeding and ran a breastfeeding support group in Hythe and is now supporting a breastfeeding group in Totton.
Sarah is a General Practice Assistant for the Waterside Primary Care Network - she has worked at Southampton General Hospital in Paediatrics and at the Princess Anne Hospital on the Neonatal Unit, as well as a wide variety of other hospital and community settings.
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She has assisted doctors and nurses in all aspects of patient care, looking after premature and new-born babies, children as well as adults. She has helped families with feeding issues and given parent craft advice. She has been involved in caring for patients with a variety of medical conditions.
Sarah has a lot of knowledge in paediatric care and infant feeding and can offer advice, guidance and sign posting.
Jodie supports the group as a Waterside Primary Care Network volunteer. Jodie has two little girls, and lives in the New Forest. Her tricky breastfeeding journeys led her to train with the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers. She felt it was really important for new families to be able to access good support, right from the start.
Jodie has been running a breastfeeding class in Totton for 18 months, supporting families from all over the New Forest and city. She also volunteers with the breastfeeding team at Princess Anne Hospital.
How to get there .....
What happens if you'd like support but you can't attend the group?
If you would like postnatal or feeding advice and support but cannot attend the group, please look at the information on our website, there is a lot of detail on our Postnatal Support and Guidance pages that you may find helpful.
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Please note: This information should not be considered a substitute for professional medical care, so if you have further questions or concerns after you've looked at the website detail, please consult a medical professional.
For further information or support if you cannot attend the group: contact Katherine on 07436 848249.
Please leave a message if there's no answer, stating your name, GP surgery, contact number and what you need help with, e.g., feeding your baby or postnatal recovery, and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as they can.