Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/1388210
60 Maternity and Obstetrics 2020 | NMH Annual Rep t The classes available are as follows – 1. An early pregnancy class (1 to 20 weeks gestation) with input from a midwife, physiotherapist, dietitian and pharmacist. This class is held once a month. 2. For first time mothers and partners we run a day course both am and pm, twice weekly. This includes labour and delivery in the am, with breastfeeding and postnatal care for mother and baby in the pm. Breastfeeding is encouraged and the management discussed; the initiation rate for 2020 was 72% dropping to 69% on discharge. The parents can decide to do it all on the same day or to do it over the two days. 3. A refresher class for previous normal births are run three times a week. 4. Previous caesarean birth classes are run twice monthly. 5. Elective caesarean birth classes are run once a month. 6. Twin birth classes are run every five weeks. 7. Young teen birth classes are run every five weeks. 8. One to one classes are run twice weekly or more if requested. 9. Formal lectures to medical students and midwifery students are carried out when required. C hildbirth education has sought to give women and their partners a more active role in the birth experience while at the same time helping women to understand the physiology of childbirth and the appropriate interventions that may be necessary during the process of labour and delivery. It promotes confidence in mothers and their partners to meet the challenge of childbirth and early parenting. In the hospital courses of classes are run as a team effort with the specialized knowledge and skills of the midwife, physiotherapist and dietitian coming together to offer a comprehensive structured education to the mother and her partner. Overnight, the pandemic forced us to rethink how we provide our antenatal education service. COVID-19 presented many challenges to us all, personally and professionally. It has been an especially difficult time with increased anxiety for expectant mothers and their partners. It left mothers feeling isolated and vulnerable. In response to the sudden suspension of face-to-face antenatal education classes, we were forced to quickly adapt and rethink how we would connect with our mothers to be, and continue to provide an equally effective education for them. Through a multidisciplinary approach using collaboration and technology, we adapted the classroom-based model to a virtual model of live, interactive antenatal education classes. On April 30 th , the first virtual antenatal class took place. This could not be achieved without the support and goodwill of colleagues. Following that, a comprehensive programme of classes has been developed. All these classes are presented live with time for questions and answers. Our attendance rate for our virtual antenatal education session was 73% for nulliparous which is the highest on record! The virtual classes for multiparous women and the early pregnancy sessions commenced later in the summer. Electronic evaluation of classes suggests that the virtual classes are proving an excellent substitute. For the staff, it has been a steep learning curve but we are very proud of our success. While the online platforms are effective in imparting knowledge, our primary focus should concentrate on face-to-face classes in the future. However, there is a strong case for blending learning with virtual / face-to-face classes in the antenatal education going forward. Antenatal Education Midwives Megan Smith, Michelle Greene and Bronwyn Nicol at Neonatal Resuscitation training Proud Mam & Dad, Aisling O'Farrell & James Flanagan with their newborn baby Fiadh who was born at 12.19am on Christmas Day 2020.