Chelsea and Westminster receive 7,000 Wellbeing Wallets

MAMA Academy are thrilled to announce the safe arrival of 7,000 Wellbeing Wallets today at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust thanks to funding from the charity, Teddy’s Wish.

MAMA Academy have developed Wellbeing Wallets as a means of relaying key health messages to expectant mothers to have to hand at all times, and are now in a position to provide the wallets free of charge thanks to the donation from baby loss charity Teddy’s Wish.

The wallets are robust plastic zip-lock pouches in which pregnant women can keep their handheld antenatal notes, which they are expected to keep with them as their pregnancy progresses. The wallets ensure the notes are kept protected, but they are also colourfully printed with important advice regarding the mother’s health, and that of her baby. This ensures that key messages such as monitoring babies’ movements become second nature to the woman as she carries the wallet with her.

The information contained on the wallets complements the work of the new NHS ‘Saving Babies’ Lives’ stillbirth care bundle and is in line with safer pregnancy messaging by the Department of Health and Sands. The wallets are also supported by The Royal College of Midwives.

When mothers (with a wallet) reach their third trimester, the London Maternity Strategic Clinical Network plan to carry out an audit to determine the impact of the wallets on self referrals to the day assessment unit, particularly in response to a reduction of fetal movements. This will help establish whether the wallets improve access to maternity units and in the longer term reduce the trusts stillbirth rate.

Last year MAMA Academy received a funding boost from NHS England to provide 75,000 wallets across the country. Donations from organisations like Teddy’s Wish are helping to provide even more, with an increasing number of trusts now purchasing their own.

The wallets are typically given to mothers at the first booking appointment and are currently being distributed in 30 NHS Trusts nationwide. Trusts can request a free trial box of 100 wallets by emailing contact@mamaacademy.org.uk. Mothers also have the opportunity to purchase their own wallet directly from the MAMA Academy website for only a couple of pounds if their local trust does not yet offer them.

Initial feedback from fourteen trusts included mothers feeling more confident in knowing when to call for advice, and midwives using the wallets as a checklist, as well as a way of informing mothers of local classes such as breastfeeding and smoking support. Trusts also reported that the introduction of wallets had not led to an increase in admissions.

One Trust stated: “One mum who self-referred to hospital with fetal movement concerns had an immediate emergency c-section due to an abnormal CTG, reported that she had rung because she had been promoted by the message on her wallet . She felt she may not have done so if she didn’t have the constant reminder in front of her.”

Feedback received from women already using the wallets has highlighted the multiple benefits of their use. One mum said: “MAMA Academy’s Wellbeing Wallets are practical and informative. It gave me more confidence in myself and in calling the midwife for reassurance. I think mums sometimes feel they don’t want to bother health professionals but the wallet stressed the importance of speaking out if you are unsure or nervous”.

MAMA Academy Chief Executive, Heidi Eldridge, has been delighted with the positive feedback already received. She said: “The UK has one of the highest stillbirth rates in the developed world and all maternity providers should be working to reduce this. We are thrilled to be able to provide Chelsea and Westminster with a means to give more babies the best chance of arriving safely”.

“Teddy’s Wish are thrilled to be partnering with the MAMA Academy” said Jennifer Reid, Co Founder of Teddy’s Wish. “The loss of any child is a tragedy and we are dedicated to substantially reducing baby loss in the UK. The MAMA Academy Wellbeing Wallet is a simple yet effective way of communicating the most important messages in pregnancy to mothers and midwives alike. We believe the wallets have the potential to have a dramatic impact on reducing stillbirth in the UK”.

About Teddy’s Wish:

Teddy’s Wish was set up in August 2014 to honour the memory of Edward Louis Reid who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) four months earlier. Funds raised support potentially life-saving research into SIDS, neonatal death and still birth and helps provide support services for bereaved families.
For more information, please visit our Wellbeing Wallet page or order yours today from our online shop.