if you had a home birrh did you...

[soandsosmum]

...have to go to hospital for the post birth checks for baby? If so, when did you go?

I've had 2 in different areas. For the first the MW sent me to the hosp for the checks the day after baby was born. It was a huge hassle with toddler in tow and then we were kept waiting around, then baby was feeding when paed came so we missed him etc. It was over lunchtime too and hosp was 40 min drive away. to top it off, an hour after we got back home a specially trained midwife turned up unannounced to do the checks at home .

For my last homebirth my midwife did the checks at home the day after baby was born . Tbh, unless I had concerns I think I might well have declined to go to the hosp again so soon after birth and delayed it a few days, even though in new area hosp was only a five min drive away.

I had DD at home and had to take her to hospital for the hearing test, at about 10 days old.

No not with my first 2 homebirths

DS2 was born in hospital after starting out as a homebirth.

No, MWs did some, GP appered the day after she was born and looked her over. I guess she had a hearing test at the health clinic when she was much older.

But she's 11 so things will have changed at least 3 times

Similar story - with my first two homebirths the midwife did the checks the following day. With the 3rd (in a different area) I had to go into hospital the morning after giving birth. I was left waiting around and they did some checks then we went home again which totally disrupted our recovery. If I had to do it again I would also have refused this 'service'.

My GP came out to me the same day, bless him. I think he was quite excited to be seeing such a new baby. He has 5 children of his own and is a right softy. I did have to go to the hospital for the newborn hearing test.

no. GP came out for Gp checks, everything else done by MW after delivery.

In all 3 cases, the GP visited us at home to do the checks.

I have heard though that they now expect new mothers to attend a drop in clinic at the hospital to do the heel prick test.

For my first the GP I was with at the time refused to come out to me as she didn't agree with HBs so a HB-checking MW (am sure that's not the technical term!) came out. This MW ended up delivering my next two so she looked after me and came back and did my checks for both as well.

Oh yeah, forgot about the hearing test. In both cases that was done at a local GP surgery a bit later (10 days?).

Wth DCs 1 & 3 heel pricks were done at home. With DC2 (homebirth) the postnatal services in that area were crap crap crap and I only got one MW home visit after the day the baby was born, and had to go to various different clinics for everything else, including the day 6 heel prick. In a rural area this was a pain,as it meant driving around. At my 10 days check to discharge me the MW examined my uterus whilst I tried to recline on a normal bucket chair with my bum perched on the edge , as they didn't even have a couch . I suppose I should be grateful the clinics weren't in supermarkets like they are in some areas .

I had dd2 in hospital after emergency transfer in labour but had her after 30 mins of being at the hospital

We were home an hour and half after delivery and dd2 had the checks at home by specialist MW

crikey I am laughing at the idea of 'dropping in' to a hospital. They are such easy places to access with paid parking etc aren't they?! Just where you want to go with newborn and possibly older DCs too right after giving birth.

Exactly Pesto, it's just rubbish isn't it - and it's a forty minute drive from where we are.

Ohforfoxsake- that is shocking about the GP, though not surprising I guess. One that came to see us described us as having gone down an 'alternative route' for having a HB.

GP came out later the same day to do checks, he had already told me I was mad for wanting a hb so didn't reiterate his point thankfully. He did manage to stand on my bare foot (with his shoes on) whilst there but that's another story!

I had to take dd to the hospital at 10 days old to have her hearing test, heel prick etc was done at home though.

Have had 2 home births, GP came out next or same day to do newborn checks.

I did have to make my way to the surgery both times to have Anti-D injection within few days of birth (apparently it can't be given at home).

We ended up in hospital at 5 days with first DC as he was jaundiced and not feeding properly, they did the hearing check while we were there. With DD I had to take her to a local health centre.

DD2 - had to take her to hospital the day after she was born, even though we had an appt time they stuck us in a room for 2 hours with a newborn and an 18 month old. We should have walked after half an hour TBH. DP went to complain paed came and checked her in 2 mins!

DD3 - no the midwife was trained in newborn checks and she did it the day she was born, she also cared for me my entire pregnancy and delivered her and did my post natal stuff, she got to know me and my family really well, she was fantastic.

My gp came out a few hours after ds2 was born to do newborn checks.
He is a lovely gp neo natal expert and loves hb so was excited
I wouldn't believe the midwives weight because he looked so tiny but strangely believed the gp who picked ds2 up in one hand and lifted him up and down a few times iyswim and pronounced him a good 7 1/2 lber this one (and he was exactly)

no, i've had 2 and didn't have to go in for either of them.
GP came out the same day to do it

everything was done for home at me btw... hearing check, heel pricks, the lot. didn't go into hospital for anything

I had to go in the day after - wasn't aware that you didn't have to in some places. Was bloody awful as I could barely sit down and the car journey was very uncomfortable

i didnt have to go to hospital... the midwife and my GP did all the checks at home in my bedroom.

we did have to go to the local hospital when she was about 10 days old though for a routine hearing check which they only do at hospital, but try to do it while people are in the birthing unit.
(This our local hospital, that has a birth unit but not the giving birth hospital, which you would be transferred to if you chose to birth in the birthing unit)
We could have course declined this hearing check if we wanted, but we didnt!

All done at home by community MW for me. Hearing test done in local clinic at children's centre. Only had to go to hospital for clipping of tongue tie :)

No.

I did take him to the GP for a hearing test, which was supposed to be at a hospital, but it's miles away from where I live so they send out staff to do them in the towns.

Nope. Midwife did some, and DH took DD2 up to the GP later in the day for some - it could have been the day after,but since she was born in the early hours and the GP is round the corner, it was easier to get it out of the way. Took no time at all.