Post birth care

[Ladybabyboo]

Hello! Does anyone know whether postnatal birth centres exist in UK? I’m from NZ but having my first in London. All the research I’ve been doing shows postnatal care in the form of home visits or certain appointments.
What I’m looking for however is a place to go straight after birth for 3-4 nights. They teach you how to breast feed, bath, care for the baby etc and look after you. You get all meals cooked etc. In NZ it’s called “birth care”.

Does anyone know if anything exists in UK and what I should be searching for?

Any guidance would be much appreciated!

X

I’m not sure it exists in that form, but people hire post natal doulas to come to their own homes who would provide this service.

Only in a private maternity hospital where you can pay extra to stay longer.

In this country you have to consider yourself lucky if you get any kind of care post birth, funding cuts & just the fact that maternity wards are too busy for staff to give proper care to post natal women. If you want the kind of care you describe your only option is to pay for it.

My midwife told me there's a midwife-led birthing centre in Stroud that has a 6 bed postnatal facility where I could be transferred to from hospital if I wanted after birth. They help with recovery, breastfeeding etc. It is still just NHS so I'm sure they will be understaffed etc, and it's probably not the quality of care you're used to, but maybe something to look into.

Not that one specifically I mean, just small birth centres local to you!

Not sure OP but I hired a postnatal doula and it was amazing

Postnatal doula or maternity nurse

Yes, there are places that do that. There's a midwife led unit near me where you can go for aftercare. It's standalone - not attached to a hospital. Friend of mine recently gave birth on hospital labour ward then went to the unit for three nights. It was her second and she said they were far more attentive than post natal ward on hospital.

That's all I know about it. Don't know if you have a UK midwife yet, but they would know what's available to you. I can't believe there isn't a midwife led unit in the whole of London that wouldn't offer the same thing if we're getting it in the provinces!

There is a centre near me where you can stay for up to 5 nights. I’m told it’s a wonderful place. But spaces are limited and it’s first come, first served so no guarantees.

A postnal doula sounds like she would fit the bill, or a woman who offers 'home angle' service, which is something available in the Netherlands I believe and covers more of the domestic side. There's one local to me who is a qualified midwife who does doula work instead now. Tbh, if the father of the baby is on the scene, this is what he should be doing.

Oh, and Independent Midwives can be hired for the postnatal period, I had one after my second and she was just brilliant, she discharged me at 10 weeks pp, although was visiting weekly by then.

I went to Chippenham Birthing Centre for a night after the first night in Bath hospital (we were being monitored for infection so had to stay). There was no bathing etc but the midwives were only looking after me that night as there were no births, so I had constant breastfeeding support, a lovely lounge to sit in, and a lounger for DH to sleep in. I actually think they're closing the postnatal beds sadly.