Are 6 week postnatal checks failing new mothers?

[TooMuchNutmegCanKill]

I'm still cross about mine and that was a few years back!

Examples:

Kept waiting with a tiny baby in a room full of sick people for over 40 minutes. No hello, no apologies.

Was having a few health issues post birth (as you do) and not once did the GP check me over.

No referral to specialist despite symptoms indicating this was clinically necessary.

Actually rolled eyes and said they had "just logged out of the system" when asked about recent test results.

Got annoyed when I refused hormonal contraception.

Did not address my concerns re baby and kept repeating "all perfectly normal".

Left room while I was still there changing baby, without so much as a goodbye.

Is this normal practice? Please share your experiences of the 6 week check.

Mine was fine. My GP surgery is brilliant. The waiting room is large and generally only has a few people in it. The GP was kind and caring.

I'm very happy to hear that @Cornishmumofone but I suspect you'll be in the minority from what I've heard from other mums.

Mine was also really good. Spent a long time with Baba then moved onto me, no pushing hormonal contraception as I was bf. Really reassuring and helpful TBF.

Had my 1st in 2023. I’d had recurrent APH’s and the placenta gave me a parting PPH too after my section. Hb was in the bin, narrowly avoiding a transfusion by 0.3mcg. GP said they don’t check hb levels just because I feel tired, as it’s probably due to having a newborn. Asked me if my incision looked ok and tried to force contraception. Then sent on my way, no other questions. I said I kept having flashbacks to bleeding out on my bathroom floor, she just gave me a half arsed sympathetic smile and turned back to her computer 😅

Had my 2nd in 2025. GP did all the baby checks and said I was fine. I again asked about Hb levels as I’d had a significant PPH and two long tears downwards and upwards with an MROP (VBAC) Got told this appointment is just for my baby and if I needed an appointment I’d have to make one. A year on I’m still having issues and on a waiting list.

Postpartum aftercare is non existent. I don’t expect a song and dance to be made, but to do at least the gate minimum - checking stitches, surgical sites etc.

Mine was terrible, despite having a normally great GP. No referral for physio, no check of stitches after a significant tear, no asking how I was with a history of PPD. They did coo over how cute the baby was, and were thorough for their checks at least. Vibe was very much "appointment is for baby".

I was also breastfeeding @ChickenBananaBanana.

It was put down as a 'refusal' in my notes, despite the GP not bothering to ask exactly why I didn't want it.

DS1 was during Covid so it was a phone call. The call itself was fine but I had a c section which opened a little a week after so my wound was never checked by anyone after that.

DS2 was in person and it was a great and very supportive GP who I still try and see for the DC if I can.

Mine was really excellent. With my first she saw the early signs of PND and referred me for further support, even when I thought it was just tiredness. I do believe that some areas are terrible.

They checked the baby fine, and were also very clear that the check was not for me. 6 years later I still haven't managed to do anything about what I'm pretty sure is a prolapse. It continues to cause issues. I'm also pretty sure I had PPA.

I've never been great at asking for help for myself, my second child had issues requiring various hospital stays, and I just don't have the bandwidth to get help for myself. I realise that's not really their problem, but I do think that women's health would be a lot better if there were some checks on new mothers.

The strange thing is, this surgery is a very good one and usually offers a high level of patient care.

All new mothers in the UK should be offered a postnatal check either alongside the baby's check or at a separate appointment.

• NHS website states,

Your GP surgery should offer and provide you with a postnatal check. You can request an appointment for a check yourself, especially if you have any concerns.

Your postnatal check can be done immediately before or after your baby's 6 to 8 week check. But it can also be done at a separate time if you would like it to be.

You'll be asked how you're feeling as part of a general discussion about your mental health and wellbeing.
You'll be asked if you still have any vaginal discharge and whether you've had a period since the birth.
Your blood pressure will be checked if you had problems during pregnancy or immediately after the birth.
You may be offered an examination to see if your stitches have healed if you had an episiotomy or caesarean section.
If you were due for cervical screening while pregnant, this should be rescheduled for 12 weeks after the birth.
You'll be asked about contraception.
You may be given advice about the use of vitamin D supplements if you're breastfeeding (vitamin D should help both you and your baby).
If you're overweight or obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, you may be weighed. Your doctor should give you weight loss advice and guidance on healthy eating and physical activity.

• NICE guidelines state,

There are recommendations defining
principles of care for women including
specific recommendations about what topics
should be covered in postnatal contacts
with the midwife and at the GP 6–8-week
check. Guidance around follow-up of
pregnancy-related pathology such as venous
thromboembolism, mental health problems,
complex social factors, hypertension, and
diabetes is signposted. There are at least 25
topics suggested for the GP to cover in the
maternal 6–8-week check — a lot to include
— and like so much of general practice,
a seemingly ‘routine’ consultation can
become complex when multiple problems
are identified, or there are comorbidities to be
followed-up appropriately, and IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO RUSH OR OMIT THINGS.

Bare minimum for mothers should be a blood pressure check, examination of stitches and feeling whether the uterus has returned to normal size.

My son had a thorough check, nothing for me. Not even a blood pressure check and I had been very ill with preeclampsia/HELLP syndrome.

I've had 3 all great with babe and absolutely shockingly shit with me.
First time was by far the worst. By the third I didn't even get checked at all "do you have post natal depression, heres some hormonal contraception you've said you don't want."

Why would breastfeeding mean a different approach on contraception advice?

If BF you want to avoid the combined pill but can have the progesterone only pill/implant/coil

I had mine in the USA, zero scheduled checks, only if you made (and paid) for an appointment for you. Babies have just one 2 week check up after discharge following the birth, no home visits and the next time you see your paediatrician is for 8 week vaccinations. I was surprised at the lack of care being British

My boys are in their thirties now, but the 6 week check was thorough - you weren’t expected to take the baby, just for the mum. (Scotland). Baby was checked by the midwife/HV.

Scotland here.

babies 2017 adopted but placed at two days.

2018 c section
2020. C section

never had a six week check by a doctor.

2020 never had a home visit from a midwife or health visitor and that was with a history of post natal anxiety.

only appointments were vaccinations

Because it's very difficult to get pg while bf (although not impossible!). This is not an old wives tale, although obviously if its important that you don't get pg you need some kind of contraception.

My 6 week check was impossible to even get. My baby was born extremely premature and I was virtually living in the Nicu. The community midwives didn't seem to speak to the hospital and left me shitty notes at home complaining that I was out when they called even though i had been given no appointment (where did they think I'd be?).

In the end one of the lovely NICU nurses arranged for a hospital midwife there to see me for the 6 week check.

I'd been referred for physio for spd but when I tried to attend as I was still having problems after the birth they discharged me and said I had to go and get referred again via the GP as the clinic was for pre natal problems only.

When DC was finally discharged, he was on a lot of meds. The hospital said I would need to see the GP for repeat prescriptions. When I went to see him, he was really shitty with me and claimed to know nothing about my birth or DC issues - despite having both our discharge summaries. They had refused to do any investigations into why I was so utterly exhausted all the time. He insisted i had PND even though I knew i didn't as id been depressed before. Eventually I was diagnosed with dangerously underactive thyroid (TSH of nearly 100, normal is under 5) .

It was all really shit and disjointed and difficult and i was made to feel like a nuisance for giving birth not in my booked hospital - it was an emergency, Id been at work!!

Don't really see why it's referred to as a postnatal and in the mum's name if it's to check the baby? I don't think I even took my baby, not the second time anyway, and they did check me over. Strange how it's so different in different areas!
OP, as for keeping you waiting and not being particularly friendly, that seems to be the case for everyone I know at the GP these days. Not heard a good thing about ours from anyone.

Hormonal contraception can affect your milk supply and I exclusively breastfed so used condoms instead.

My 6 week check was just an opportunity for them to push contraception and tell me their thoughts on breastfeeding, the GP literally couldn’t cope because I couldn’t tell her how many ounces of milk the baby was getting (because EBF) and dismissed all issues with the baby then tried to push hormonal contraception on me despite me being very clear that I couldn’t have it and didn’t want it. I was in my thirties and knew how babies were made and was happy with condoms (and wasn’t even thinking about sex after my birth) so it seemed really pushy and rude when she had time for this sales pitch about contraception but no time to actually check or solve the issues with me/my baby. I expected better. This was only a few years ago.

They really do seem to treat post natal women like idiots!

It is insulting that they have time to discuss (the largely non existent) sex life but not deal with actual problems.

It makes me so angry when I hear of women basically treated like naughty school girls.

If only men had the babies, eh?

I didn’t even get one with ds2. I was told when I tried to book it that they don’t do them anymore. Absolutely bonkers.

So under our health board, you can be referred straight back to maternity at the 6 week check with no waiting list if you have a problem still.

I STILL HAD A PROBLEM but I didn’t know what was normal, what was still healing and what hadn’t healed correctly. The GP said, “yeah, it doesn’t look healed but we’ll have to see what happens.” She sent me on my merry way, no scheduling a follow up to find out what would happen or suggesting going back to maternity to find out why it might not have healed.

Instead, completely misunderstanding my issue, I went to a private physio who very kindly inspected, realised it was a gynae issue, not a physio issue and wrote to my GP.

The GP reinspected. After looking she said, “Have you had sex yet?” I said no. She said, “Yeah, that would probably be very painful.” In the sort of way you might remark on how inconvenient a bus running late is. She then said she would refer me to gynae and told me what they would likely need to do. The waiting list in 2 years. I wouldn’t be on this waiting list if the GP hadn’t tried to “wait and see” at the 6 week check.

That's terrible. Mine was really good. She did a full check of the baby (reflexes, temp, tracking eyes, physical exam, etc) then examined my stomach muscles and c-section scar. She asked about bleeding, feeding, and support that I had. She then opened up the chat to anything I wanted to discuss, and ended with a conversation, and prescription, for contraception.