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Emma's Diary labour information pack from the midwife at 34 weeks — what is it?

Updated · Checked · By MayTally research desk — Checked against official UK sources

How is the labour pack different from the Argos gift bags?

Emma's Diary puts three physical objects in front of pregnant people. Mixing them up is why the 34-week pack is hard to find in search: it is not a barcode at Argos.

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Three Emma's Diary objects
ObjectWhen the publisher describes itWhere it comes fromWhat it is
Pregnancy guideBooking / early pregnancy; 'available from your GP or midwife'Surgery or midwife stock, or the publisher's online guidePrinted magazine-style pregnancy booklet. Publisher says GPs and midwives review it and that it is aligned with NHS, NICE and Baby Friendly wording
Labour information packLate third trimester — historic RCM partner copy: 34-week check; brand third-trimester page: from the 32-week appointmentGP or midwife, if that team still holds stockGuide to Labour & Birth plus product samples. Historic RCM copy also mentioned baby-blues / postnatal-depression pages and Blue Top guidance extracts
Mum-to-Be / Bump-to-Baby gift packsEarly pregnancy, then from week 27Boots or Argos after a member voucher or app barcodeTill bags of samples and coupons. Terms: UK, one sample per customer
Rows compiled from Emma's Diary pregnancy-guide and gift-pack pages (gift-pack how-to dated 24 July 2026), the brand third-trimester to-do list, and historic RCM Alliance Partner copy on a UAT hostname. Live rcm.org.uk/alliance-partners on 10 September 2026 listed Slimming World and Pregnacare, not Emma's Diary. Ask the midwife whether the labour pack is still issued locally.

This is not clinical labour advice. NHS pregnancy and your maternity team are the health source. Emma's Diary terms say the sites do not replace professional medical advice.

Is it 32 weeks or 34 weeks?

Both figures appear on publisher-side pages, which is why the search query names 34 weeks.

  • Historic RCM Alliance Partner copy (UAT URL, still online on 10 September 2026) said the labour information pack is 'designed to be given to women at their 34-week antenatal check' and that packs are provided free to GPs and midwives.
  • Emma's Diary third-trimester to-do list tells readers to ask the midwife or GP for the pack at the 32-week antenatal appointment and notes that pack contents may vary.
  • NHS antenatal rhythm (first baby) commonly includes contacts around 31, 34, 36 and 38 weeks. The pack, if stocked, tends to appear at one of those later visits — not at booking, and not at Argos.

The live RCM Alliance Partners directory on 10 September 2026 did not list Emma's Diary. Use the UAT page only as a description of what the pack used to contain, not as proof your trust still orders it. Who runs the club is on Is Emma's Diary NHS or a marketing club?.

How do you ask for it without treating it as clinical advice?

  1. Ask at the next antenatal contact Use a short factual question: 'Do you still hold the Emma's Diary labour information pack?' Name 32 or 34 weeks if that helps the midwife search the cupboard. They may say the trust stopped stocking it.
  2. Do not skip NHS questions for the booklet Birth-place choices, pain relief, induction and feeding plans stay on NHS pregnancy and in your notes. The pack is a publisher booklet with samples.
  3. Do not expect an Argos barcode If the midwife has no pack, printing a gift-pack voucher still only collects the till bag — Your Baby Club vs Emma's Diary. That is a different object.
  4. If you want the text only Historic RCM news (2019) pointed professionals to [email protected] or 01628 535 482 for extra copies. Those contacts may be stale. The club's current contact form is the live route.
  5. Read the samples line Gift-pack and site terms say contents vary, are not cash, and carry no medical-authority endorsement. The same caution applies to labour-pack samples.

What if your midwife does not stock it?

That is common. Distribution is a surgery decision, not an NHS duty. Missing the pack does not change your antenatal schedule. Use the NHS pages for labour information and ask the midwife what local leaflets the trust prints. A club booklet is optional reading, not a ticket to a birth unit.

In short, is this the week-34 hospital-bag freebie?

In shortIt is a third-trimester publisher pack from some GPs and midwives, historically timed at 34 weeks and on the brand's own page from 32 weeks. It is not the Argos gift bag. Ask locally whether stock remains. Clinical labour questions stay on NHS pregnancy pages and with your maternity team.

Questions parents ask

Can I collect the labour pack at Boots or Argos?
Not as the labour information pack. Those shops scan member vouchers for the Mum-to-Be and Bump-to-Baby bags. The labour pack is surgery stock, when it exists.
Does the RCM still partner with Emma's Diary?
The live Alliance Partners page on 10 September 2026 listed Slimming World and Pregnacare. Older UAT copy still describes an Emma's Diary partnership and the 34-week pack. Confirm with your midwife, not with a cached college URL.
Is the Guide to Labour & Birth an NHS booklet?
No. It is Emma's Diary / Lifecycle Marketing print that the publisher says is reviewed by clinicians and aligned with NHS, NICE and Baby Friendly wording. That is a content claim. Official labour information is on NHS.uk and from your maternity team.
I am 36 weeks and nobody offered a pack. Have I missed a benefit?
You have not missed an NHS entitlement. The pack is optional publisher stock. Ask once; if the cupboard is empty, use NHS pregnancy pages and your notes.

Sources

Official pages first. If this page and the official page disagree, the official page wins.

This is information, not a guarantee of any payment, and not medical, legal or product-safety advice for your home. Prices and rules change; figures carry the date they were checked. Recall status comes from official records only — a product we cannot find is not a safety all-clear. Tell us if we got a fact wrong.