Experience of Health Visitors?

[TeaandToast87]

What’s everyone’s experience with Health Visitors? Do you find they are useful? Do they visit a lot? I have a home visit on Thursday but not really sure why.

How old is your baby?

Mine was fine, just offered some advice and info and checked me and partner were doing ok

Mine is wonderful. Had pre baby visit - is that what you have?

Patchy

The official MN opinion is that HVs know nothing and new mums are better off without them, as they of course know everything about their new baby.
Any thread about HV always end up along those lines

I’m not a fan and generally only have them for the first 2 visits after birth then say I’ll come into clinic/see GP if concerned. My reasons are I feel they’re of much more use to first time mums/people who are struggling or require support so should focus on them. I called them when my eldest was 6 months old in a state about his sleep, they said some awful things to me on the phone (basically accusing me of not cuddling in the day enough) then told me they’d take it to the patch meeting and discuss if I was worthy of help 6 weeks later they called trying to arrange a visit by which point I’d googled and sorted it myself

I had a wonderful health visitor. I spent a month in hospital after having DD and was very incapacitated when I finally got home. She liaised with my GP, breastfeeding counsellors, district nurse etc and got me lots of help and support. She was also just a shoulder to cry on when I felt overwhelmed by what I had been through and couldn't imagine ever getting better. Very sadly I just found out that she died a couple of months ago.

Mines is brilliant. She's so understanding. Helped me when I decided I couldn't breastfeed anymore which was nice because GPS were basically calling me a bad Mum. I've heard some aren't great though so I guess it's the luck of the draw

Mine were normal people with a sound knowledge of breastfeeding, formula feeding, weaning etc. Far from the Gorgons they are often portrayed as.

My last one came out with some corkers, including asking my DB and SIL how they could afford their (perfectly normal) house and insisting DS didn't have a tongue tie (he did). My new one seems wonderfully normal and supportive.

I loved mine and found her very supportive and helpful. Bump into her now and again and she still makes a fuss of my eldest, now 7.

They get a rough reputation on here. I know of one in RL who seldom tells strangers what she does.

Not at all helpful. Just a bearer of NHS leaflets. I can google those myself.

I had the same one with first 2 dcs. After first, my answer would have been "meh" as she did the standard visits and then left me to it, but with dc2 I had breastfeeding problems and called in a state asking for help. She was there within a couple of hours, got me an appointment with a lactation consultant and visited me every day until things were better.

I needed to be confident asking for help and advice and had I done so with dc1 she would have given me the support I needes

I found mine pointless. I went along with the basic visits for a quiet life but they were a complete waste of time.

Mine supported me through postnatal depression and a horrific experience I had a result. She was calm, non judgemental and so, so supportive, at a time when I really felt I wasn't deserving of any kindness. Her actions and sympathy helped me accept I wasn't a monster and probably saved my life.

I had three different ones for the first few visits, they were lovely.
Moved to a completely different county and my new one saved my life and my relationship with my DD (2 years old). I didn’t want to admit I had PND, but she knew. I remember sitting with her whilst I was miscarrying twins, she took my hand and said ‘you need to look after you so you can be an amazing mum to your DD’. She made an appointment with my GP and really was a massive support.

mine was a lifeline!
the home visit builds a relationship & gives your HV a baseline so she can spot if somethings wrong with you later on

I want to be positive about HVs, I am generally very pro all HCPs, but to be honest all my experiences of them have been negative.

Mine is lovely, I’d like to keep in touch!

My youngest DD is 3, I haven't seen our HV since she came to do the 27 month check, which my daughter "failed". Thankfully we are supported well by other health care professionals. Our local trust has spread HVs so thinly that after standard visits you won't be seen unless there is a high level of need. So despite my DDs health issues and my own mental health issues we aren't high enough up the list to get more support.

Health Visitors are qualified nurses or midwives who have done further training to gain the Health Visitor qualification. Many now have a degree in Health Visiting and most are nurse prescribers.

They work closely with your GP and will run child health clinics where you can get your child weighed and you can get advice.

I'm a HV and recently gone back from mat leave after having my first baby. I've gone back a different HV for sure. They have changed everything since I've been off and introduced more visits which is proving very difficult with the same number of children on my caseload.

My experience as a FTM was 'you're a HV, you know what you're doing' which wasn't great. I struggled a lot with anxiety and my HV wasn't supportive. Pity because she's really nice as I know her through work.

As with all things, we are getting stretched and it's proving very hard to meet demands of the service. I go home very stressed and worried and am contemplating returning to nursing.

As with many professions, a very mixed bag I think. My first - dreadful, box ticking exercise, seemed unable to help in any practical way, just delivered leaflets and was always late. Second - seems very nice, well informed and professional and although it is early days has already made an effort to help in a useful way.

Around here you don't get a named health visitor you just see whoever happens to be in the children's centre when you go in. All of the ones Ive seen have been pleasant enough but not very knowledgeable. They moved our children's centre to one miles away and I haven't bothered to go since, the gp or pharmacy are my first point of call if the children have any health problems.