Comprehensive Maternity and Postnatal Care: Services, Support, and Recovery
Discovering you’re pregnant can be a very exciting and happy occasion. As you embark on this new journey, it can also be a little daunting, but the Coombe Hospital and Vhi Healthcare offer expert postnatal physiotherapy services and dedicated midwife support to help you through pregnancy and beyond.
Physiotherapy and Physical Recovery After Birth
The Coombe Hospital offers expert postnatal physiotherapy services to support women after birth. Our specialised team provides compassionate care and tailored support for a range of postnatal concerns including pelvic pain, back pain and pelvic floor concerns. In addition, we offer free postnatal physiotherapy classes, and we have created a series of videos designed to support your physical health and recovery after pregnancy.
In these resources, we discuss how to do pelvic floor muscle exercises. These exercises are important in preventing and treating urinary incontinence, prolapse and for strengthening ‘our core’. We also talk about how to gently strengthen your abdominal or tummy muscles after pregnancy and discuss diastasis recti (separation of the rectus abdominis, or “six-pack’ muscles).
Moderate exercise while breastfeeding has many benefits. It can improve mum’s health and has a positive effect on emotional wellbeing, improved energy, and reduced stress levels. Our postnatal class takes place every second Friday starting at 11am; to attend, please send an email to [email protected] with your name, hospital number, and date of delivery.
Maternity Care Options in Ireland
To help you choose the care that’s right for you, we’ve summarised the different options available. Every pregnant woman living in Ireland is entitled to free public maternity care under the Maternity and Infant Scheme. However, many women consider private or semi-private options based on continuity of care and accommodation.
Maternity Care Comparison:
| Care Option | Estimated Cost | Accommodation Type | Care Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Care | Free | Public ward | GP and a team of obstetricians |
| Semi-Private | Approximately €1,000 | Semi-private ward (if available) | Dedicated consultant’s team |
| Private Care | €2,500 to €5,000 | Private room (if available) | Same obstetrician throughout |
Under the Domino Scheme, your care throughout pregnancy will be shared by your GP and a community midwife. You will give birth to your baby in the hospital with the support of a midwife, and they’ll visit you regularly in your home for the first seven days after you leave hospital.
Vhi Healthcare Maternity Benefits
Vhi Healthcare provides a range of supports from fertility to maternity care through to baby's arrival. Our maternity cover includes cover towards delivery of your baby and hospital stay, as well as consultant visits before and after the birth. The Vhi Mum and Baby Bundle includes an extensive range of benefits available throughout your pregnancy and after the birth of your baby, such as:
- Baby Massage Classes.
- Breastfeeding Consultations.
- Foetal Screening and Early Pregnancy Scans.
- Baby Swim Classes.
- New online maternity classes delivered in conjunction with The Baby Academy.
Wellness and Specialty Classes
The maternity yoga classes include a range of options that focus on various aspects of pregnancy, including mixed flow pregnancy yoga and pregnancy yoga with a birth ball. Our pregnancy pilates includes six classes for our members that focus on various areas of the body, including lower body focus, full body movement, and stabilising and rehabilitating the core.
Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health
Looking after your emotional and mental wellbeing is at the core of a healthy pregnancy. One in six pregnant women in Ireland are at probable risk of depression during their pregnancy. Specialist Perinatal Mental Health services at the Iris Clinic can be accessed through hospital reception at 01 408 5200.
It is common to feel a little low a few days after your baby is born. The ‘baby blues’ describe weepy moments you may have during this time. Feeling overcome, emotional, and crying for no apparent reason is a very normal response to the massive change happening in your life. If you feel you could benefit from some help, you can access a range of counselling services through Vhi's Emotional Wellbeing Package.
Fertility Support and Investigations
For some people, getting pregnant is plain sailing but for others, it’s not so easy. Vhi Healthcare has a range of benefits and supports to help you on your journey. Cover includes a contribution towards an initial consultation and fertility tests like semen analysis and AMH (hormone) tests at a Vhi approved fertility treatment centre. There are several fertility benefits you can access from egg freezing to frozen embryo transfer and up to two cycles of IUI and IVF or ICSI, depending on your plan.