Better Births at Calderdale and Huddersfield

11/08/2026

Congratulations Courtney and family. Thankyou for sharing your birth story and lovely feedback.
Our little girl Paisley arrived at 3:36am on Thursday 23rd of July weighing 9lb 6oz and it was the most magical experience and couldn’t be more grateful for the support of the midwives at Calderdale birth centre.

After a traumatic birth at a different hospital 2 years ago, I was very anxious knowing I was pregnant with my second baby, but was reassured by the mental health team at Huddersfield and midwife Katie from calderdale birth centre took me under her wing for community appointments even though I was out of area.

The birth of baby Paisley was the best birth experience I could of wished for, Katie delivered my baby girl in just over 2 hours of me getting to the birth centre , I had my care plan followed exactly, and reassurance whenever it was needed. I couldn’t have wished for a better midwife.

I wanted to say a massive thankyou to the team at Calderdale who looked after us after the birth to make the transition as easy as possible and an overall incredible experience.

10/08/2026

Did you know that your baby starts to learn whilst they are growing inside you. Their brain is already making connections from you talking to them and responding to their movements.

Here are some short videos and other information about what you can do to help this process for your baby.

Babies' brains grow quicker in the first year than at any other time in their life! Here's how you can stimulate your baby's brain and boost their development.

09/08/2026

The main entrance at Calderdale Royal Hospital (CRH) will be temporarily closed from Monday, 10th August, until early October.

If you are coming to CRH from Monday you will need to use the Hospital Service Entrance on Dudwell Lane, the Women and Children’s entrance, or the hospital entrance from the A&E car park.

Drop offs, pick-ups, and taxis must use the Hospital Service Entrance on Dudwell Lane. You can still drop off at the main entrance if you are coming to the Birth Centre.

The temporary closure is so that we can widen the entrance way and install vehicle security bollards. It will make it easier for people to get in and out of the hospital entrance once the new multi-storey car park opens in early Autumn.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this essential work.

You can read more on our website 👉 https://buff.ly/HksGs4l

09/08/2026

As midwives, we are frequently asked about 'car seat safety' so we wanted to share some evidence based advice from the wonderful Lullaby Trust.

Please take time to read this and share with family, friends or anybody who may support you in caring for your baby to ensure that they are in an appropriate seat and moved from A to B in the safest way possible.

Choosing the safest car seat for your baby can be confusing. But your baby's safety and reducing the risk of SIDS is...

08/08/2026

If you have attending our hospitals over recent weeks, you may have seen our 'You have a choice' campaign?

Any decisions made through your pregnancy and birthing journey should be made WITH you. The BRAIN acronym below has been developed to help you to make fully informed decisions about your care.

Ask what are the...

Benefits?
Risks?
Alternatives?
Intuition?
Nothing?

Take as much time you need to make the right decision for you.

We employ around 6,000 staff who deliver compassionate care from our two main hospitals, Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary as well as in community sites, health centres and in patients’ homes.

07/08/2026

When mothers choose to breast feed their baby, some partners can feel less involved - Dad Matters have put together some helpful information to encourage bonding and attachment with your baby during this time.

Bonding with your baby is not about being perfect, it’s about being present. Every dad’s journey is different, but the small things you do each day make a big difference to your baby’s world.

06/08/2026

Here is a story from Pippa

Hi! I wanted to send a breast feeding story as requested on your page.
Throughout my pregnancy I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to breast feed. I had seen so many stories online of people struggling, and I just felt that I wasn’t going to be capable of doing it. I also found the idea of it quite unsettling.
Samuel was born via c-section and wasnt immediately placed on me due to complications. When we made it through to the recovery ward the midwife asked if I wanted to breast feed and I said I’d really like to try. Before I even had time to worry about how to do it or what to do, she had placed him near my breast and he had latched on! It felt like the most natural thing in the world. Over the next week or so we did experience some discomfort but nothing compared to what I had imagined. However Samuel had lost a significant amount of weight, and wasn’t re-gaining it. I thought I would be encouraged to switch him to formula, and I was so sad that my breast feeding journey might be over. The Calderdale midwives saw me almost every day for the first 3 weeks of his life, I also saw breast feeding support volunteers and I was able to attend the breastfeeding clinic at the library in Halifax their support is what got us through and allowed us to continue the journey. They helped with positioning, tongue tie and just general support. They also celebrated with me as he began to finally put on weight. Samuel is now 6 months old and is right on track with his weight, we are still exclusively breast feeding and I cannot thank the midwives and volunteers enough for their support during that first month, we were incredibly blessed.

05/08/2026

Another wonderful story from a midwife:
Hi, I’ve been breastfeeding for nearly 6 months now and had excellent support. Every Tuesday I go to nourish and nurture BF support group at Wellholme in Brighouse with the wonderful Kathryn and Polly. I also received excellent care from Miriam and Marilyn who assessed and divided by daughters severe tongue tie when she was a week old. Here is a picture of me feeding her at less than 2 weeks old in Manor Heath park ☺️
Just to add, I really struggled the first few weeks despite knowing all there is to know about breastfeeding, when it’s yourself it’s a whole different ball game. But after the tongue tie was sorted and Arabella started gaining weight, things got easier and with the support we were able to get back on track. I absolutely love being able to feed my daughter and give her everything she needs ☺️

05/08/2026

Lactation Consultants & Tongue Tie Support

Did you know we have five specialist Lactation Consultants working across our Midwifery and Health Visiting teams?
Marilyn Rogers, Rachel Dowdell are our midwives and Alison Walklate, Ciara schofield and Nicola Duncanson are our health visitors are all International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs). They are highly experienced and specially trained to support parents and babies with breastfeeding—offering expert help when you need it most.
IBCLCs hold an internationally recognised qualification and are here to support you at every stage of your feeding journey.
We also have three qualified tongue tie practitioners working across our services.
Marilyn Rogers and Miriam Paterson run the tongue tie clinic at Calderdale Royal Hospital
Alison Walklate runs the community tongue tie clinic at Broad Street Plaza
These clinics provide assessment and support for babies with tongue tie, helping to make feeding more comfortable and effective.
If you have any concerns or would like some extra support, please speak to your Midwife or Health Visitor—we are here to help every step of the way.

The picture shows, Rachel, Marilyn and Miriam. We also have Joanne Heavyside working within the maternity infant feeding team as our maternity support worker

04/08/2026

Claire's Story

The support we received in regards to breastfeeding has been second to none. First we had incredible support from my community midwife Ann Bibby (what a gem) before being referred for support from the Infant Feeding Team due to slow weight gain and issues with latching.

Rachel is a godsend. She spent hours supporting me, listening to my worries and validating every single emotion. My little one needed a frenectomy due to a tongue tie and this was arranged swiftly, with us being offered an appointment the following week.

I questioned whether I would be able to continue breastfeeding initially due to numerous concerns, however the incredible support we received in the early days has allowed me to breastfeed for 10 months and counting!!

Thank you so much🧸