6 week check info needed please....

[notsoslimnow]

hi all.does anyone know what happens at the 6 week check? who does this is it the midwife/doctor? does this change if you have an independent midwife? any info would help,many thanks.

[whomovedmychocolate]

The six week postnatal check is a bit of a non event. Officially you should be given the post natal depression assessment questionnaire, asked about bleeding, given advice on birth control and the baby checked over.

But it normally goes like this:

Doctor "cute baby, you feeling okay?"
You: "Thanks, he's lovely, yes I'm fine"
Doctor "great, we'll send you a smear appointment in due course".

[notsoslimnow]

ah ok! so this is something you go to the surgery for then.do you still have smear appointment made if its not due?

[madmouse]

Both you and baby have a check with gp. You will just be asked how you are doing, healing down below, pains, sleep, mood etc.

baby will have head measured, hips checked, checked that s/he tracks with their eyes and any problems/concerns discussed.

It was very low key for me, but then it was after a total nightmare and three weeks of icu/scbu so it was easy.

my son was referred for a hip scan just to make sure but he was fine.

[expatinscotland]

Doctor: Have you gotten your referral letter for the psych consult?

Me: Yes.

Doctor: Using birth control?

Me: Abstinence is very effective.

Doctor: Do you feel you need to increase your sertraline dosage, or do you want to wait to see the psych?

Me: I'll see the psych.

Doctor: Ok, then, bye.

[madmouse]

so is my doc the only one who actually felt my tummy to check my uterus?

[BetsyBoop]

Ours are done by the practice nurse

quick BP check (I'd had high BP at the end of pregnancy both times)

I also had blood test last time to check iron levels as I had a severe PPH

the usual "have your thought about contraception" chat

"Oh and your smear is due, make an appt for that when you've stopped bleeding" (bled for 8wks PP both times )

and of course

"how are you feeling, are you coping ok?" (i.e. "do you think you have PND?")

as others have said, a bit of a none event really...

[NotAnOtter]

i am due mine in a week or so
i rang up yesterday and cancelled it
waste of time and money

[strawberrycornetto]

Can I crash with a question. I missed my check too. I had a cs at 37 weeks due to obstetric cholestasis. I didn't get a follow up with the consultants, only with my surgery which I didn't bother with because I knew it would be pointless, as discussed above!

But, I now realise I don't have any advice about the possibility of any further pregnancies (it was my 2nd with OC and a CS).

Does anyone know if I can contact the hospital and ask for a follow up now or is it too late? DS is almost 6 months old.

[MrsTittleMouse]

Mine was rubbish. The usual PND questions and blood pressure and she (the GP) was keen to get me out of there. I told her that I was in a lot of pain in my scar and that it wasn't healing properly, and she told me to have lots of sex. And she asked about contraception - I felt like asking if she'd heard that my vagina was in a lot of pain all the time. But I refrained and just pointed out that as we're infertile there isn't much point.

[EyeballsintheSky]

Mine was dead simple:

Dr: Have you had your six week check yet?
Me: No
Dr: Well we'll have to organise that.

Last I heard of it, no one mentioned it again. I guess at 7 months it's too late now?

[DontNeedAnything]

Here the HV does weight, head circumfrance ff/bf baby type tick the box stuff. HV also does the Edinburugh (or is it Glasgow; or is it something else) scoring thing for PND.

Then there is a 6 week baby check, where GP reads the info the HV has measured/recorded, and check it looks "OK" I guess. He also does a physical exam of baby, clicky hips, follow up any minor birth defects (DD3 had positional Talipees which needed a further follow up)heart murmurs...

Then there is a 6 wk postnatal (mum) check which is actually done in a double appointment with baby check. As far as I recall it consisted of BP, contraceptive advice, verbal check of blood flow and asking whether sex was OK (despite the fact I had just said that I was still bleeding ). Also a chance to bring up any concerns - which I did as I still had profoundly swollen ankles....

Baby check is reasonably important IMO, postnatal check less so, but may as well get it done at the same time.