If you are thinking of starting a family, you will find information and useful contacts here.
If you are pregnant, you should contact your GP. If you are not already registered with a GP, follow this link to find details of surgeries on the island.
During the course of your pregnancy, your care will be led by the island's maternity services and then, once your baby is born, the team of Children's Community Nursing Service.
The next link will let you find out about maternity and family benefits that you may be entitled to.
If you hold an employment-related housing licence, subject to the maternity leave package offered by your employer, you are able to take up to one year's maternity leave without this affecting your employment-related housing licence, so long as you return to the same job for the same employer and on a full-time basis within a year of the start of your maternity leave.
If you wish to return on a reduced hours basis, you should to discuss the hours you want to work. But you should note that, other than in exceptional cases, it is not normal for employment-related housing licences to be issued for a person working part-time hours.
Once your baby is born you will need to register his or her birth at the Greffe. If you are planning on travelling with your baby, you may need to apply for a passport, although this depends on where you are travelling to. For journeys to the UK and within the Channel Islands there is no passport control, however, some carriers require photographic ID for security reasons. Please contact the company you are travelling with for a list of their requirements. For journeys to countries outside of the UK and Channel Islands, all passengers must hold their own passport, regardless of age.
New parents need support for all sorts of reasons and there are a number of organisations, both on and off the island, which can help. Some of them are listed here:
Islandmums (for local parenting information, activity and event guides)
Sands (supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby)
Relate (helping couples who are having difficulties in their relationship with one another)
Guernsey Mind (for support and advice on postnatal depression)
