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Original poster

Does the health visitor come every day after baby is born?

32 replies

butterfly92 · 23/08/2016 08:04

I am due in October and I have my first HV this week and I am quite nervous about it to be honest! I am a FTM but this will be my OH third child so he knows what he is doing. All I have been hearing is bad things like if I refuse to have one they will get suspicious and get the SS involved and stuff like that

I also heard they visit every day after baby is born which I really don't want to be honest! I want them to come and do check ups on baby I don't mind that but I definitely don't want any visitors every single day! Can I refuse this? I just don't want to be bombarded with visitors every day as it is

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Afreshstartplease · 23/08/2016 08:08

It's a mw who comes at first if I remember rightly.

I'm expecting DC4 in October. The only problem I remember having with mw/Hv visits after the birth was not having an actual time they were going to turn up at!

I don't recall it being every day though?

ElsaAintAsColdAsMe · 23/08/2016 08:09

The midwife comes every day for 10 days. The health visitor comes a few times, but you could just say that you feel like your coping and will call if there's any issues. They don't call ss as a matter of course for asking for minimal contact with them.

YokoUhOh · 23/08/2016 08:10

I saw the HV for DS2 at about a week, and then again at 6 weeks. The MW comes on day 2, day 5 and day 10 (it might be more for first children).

The HV visit is mainly to check that you're feeling okay, we didn't focus much on the baby.

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Advicepls7080 · 23/08/2016 08:11

It depends on your area and birth etc.

My midwife came the day after I came home then 5 days after then a week after and signed me over to the HV. My HV came weekly for a month due to having an eating disorder. Then that was pretty much it until he had his review last week!

catkind · 23/08/2016 08:14

Goodness no, I think we had two home visits total. Normally a midwife will visit you about the day after you get home with baby, and a few days later to check you and baby are well. About 10 days old they sign you off and after that an hv will visit and sign you in to their system, give you the red book for recording baby's weight and jabs and stuff. I think hv may have visited one more time with my first. After that they encourage you to go to a weighing in/hv clinic if you have any questions or minor concerns.

Maybebabybee · 23/08/2016 08:14

Good god every day?!?!

I had the midwife the day after (no other midwife home visits) and the health visitor 2 weeks later.

Trinpy · 23/08/2016 08:19

The health visiting service is really stretched so unless you actually need help from them you will most likely barely see them.

The antenatal visit is unusually just to give you your baby's red book, a load of leaflets of breastfeeding/sids/etc and ask questions to assess whether you will need more support.

You then see them around 10 days after the birth for the newborn hearing test and measurements. You might see them one more time or more if you need them.

The mw visits most days for the first 10 days but it may not be every day. It really depends on how much you need them.

You can ask the hv how things work in your area?

Timetogrowup2016 · 23/08/2016 08:19

I had midwife day 1,5 and 10. Hv come maybe on day 16 ish. She's visiting again when dd is between 8-12 months for a review however I have requested more contact with them but it's not compulsory

Crazycatlady83 · 23/08/2016 08:20

I think it depends on your area, but I doubt they would come every day! In our area, the midwife came round the day after we were released from hospital, on day 5 and day 9. They then handed over to the Heath visitor - they came on day 10, we had an appointment for the 6 week check and then we went to the surgery for a 10 month check. Otherwise we went to the baby clinic to weigh the baby once a month and obviously had a number to call if there were any problems.

The health visiting service is the same as any other service and you have the right to refuse if you wish. However, I found my health visitor helpful so I would just go with an open mind, don't be nervous as they are there to help! I think they unfairly get a bad reputation sometimes!

WalrusGumboot · 23/08/2016 08:20

Definitely not every day! But they are always available on the phone if you need to contact them on a non visiting day.

Advicepls7080 · 23/08/2016 08:21

It really must be different everywhere because I got the redbook and the hearing test the day my son was born.

Also midwives seem to work differently across the country. In Liverpool you will see the midwife 3 times after giving birth in Knowsley it's every other day for two weeks apparently and they share trusts!

namechangedtoday15 · 23/08/2016 08:24

Crikey!! Definitely depends on area. I don't even remember seeing the midwife at home - she certainly never came more than once and I think I got a phone call from the HV rather than a visit.

Mouthfulofquiz · 23/08/2016 08:24

It varies in different areas. This time (third baby) the midwife phoned me when I got home (same day as baby born) then I had to take him in to hospital clinic to be weighed two days later. Then on day 4, midwife came to see me and then once more a few days later. Then one health visitor visit. Why not just call your midwife and ask what they usually do once you come home?

Northernlurker · 23/08/2016 08:28

The midwife will visit more if you're unwell or struggling with the baby. Legally they are obliged to attend to postpartum women and if they are prevented from seeing you - your partner refuses them entry for example - they can call in the police to help them in carrying out their duty. You don't have to see the hv at all. You don't have to have the baby weighed frequently either.

ceeveebee · 23/08/2016 08:30

I had twins and had one home visit from midwife and two from health visitor, but then we weren't discharged from hospital until day 8 so they saw plenty of us in hospital!

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 23/08/2016 08:31

Don't rule it out,you might be really grateful for help/advice once the baby is here.

superram · 23/08/2016 08:32

If you live in London this won't happen. Midwife came day after we came out of hospital then once more with my first. Had 2 midwife visits with my second but only as I needed stitches removing. I think hv came twice with first and maybe once with second but really don't remember so wasn't much!

LariyahSpen · 23/08/2016 08:34

Definitely not every day. They usually come after your first full day home with baby. So say you came out of hospital on a Monday they would probably come the Tuesday afternoon or the Wednesday.

That's how it was with me.

I loved my midwife coming because I had about 4 million questions to ask her

MrsJoeyMaynard · 23/08/2016 08:37

Every day visits wouldn't be normal here.

DS1 - premature, so midwives had already handed over care to the HV team by the time he was discharged. Because of him being premature and needing extra measurements for a while, we had "extra" HV visits - but these were once a week, not daily.

We had the midwife over 2 or 3 times with DS2 before he was handed over to HV, and as I recall, the HV only came over once when he was newborn.

We got the baby's red books when the DC were discharged from hospital.

Nuttypops · 23/08/2016 08:38

It depends where you are. I think I saw the midwife the day after we got home, then 4 days later. The HV came at 10 days and told me to then come to the clinic for anything else after that.

sharksontheplane · 23/08/2016 08:41

I had every day for a week.
I definitely remember this as I hate being stuck in the house and they don't give you a time and I got in trouble for going out.
I had been in hospital for weeks before due to pre eclampsia and also a week after so just wanted to get out.

Frusso · 23/08/2016 08:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SummerRains · 23/08/2016 08:44

Here the midwife visits you the day after you are at home from hospital, when the baby is 5 days old and then when the baby is 10 days old. Anytime between 9 and 5 with no specific time given where I live. Then if the baby and mother is well you are discharged to the health visitor. Who visits sometime between day 10 and day 14 here if possible.

Then next time see a HV is at 6 week check, then at 1yr check. The 4m check cancelled. So 3 appointments in total. Only 1 at home - rest where they work, unless c section and they do home visit for 6 weeks. HV gives appointment times.

Even if you want more checks from HV there are none here as they are overstretched. Have to drive to nearest baby weigh place and there are no HV there - it is a self weigh place with a staff member to show you how to use the scales. There is a clinic once a month with a HV but not your named one.

Squidgling · 23/08/2016 08:48

Baby had jaundice and lost 12% of birth weight so we weren't discharged from hospital until day 6, then the midwives visited every couple of days to weigh baby until finally signing us off them at 4 weeks when she got back to birth weight. The hv only came to the house at 2 weeks and 6 weeks. Then I took baby to clinic to be weighed monthly from 2 months. I think it all varies depending on your circumstances.

NickyEds · 23/08/2016 08:49

I got red books and had hearing tests at the hospital (although dd had to have hers repeated)then with dd (2nd baby)I had mw visits on days 1, 5 and 10 at home then was discharged to the hv who came at 2 weeks and....erm, one other time? It was different with ds because I needed bf support and a tongue tie snip so saw more mw at my request (went to the hospital MAC dept) an the infant feeding specialist.

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