Forgotten about.

[polkadotx]

I am starting to get reaaaally annoyed with how I've been forgotten about since given birth.

At first I totally understood covid has changed things slightly but it's starting to take the mick now.

My daughter is 6 weeks old. She wasn't assigned a health visitor for the first two weeks of her life (born July) even though I was referred in April for one. (Fair enough, covid, at least she eventually got one!) but the health visitor has seen her once and arranged a telephone call today for her second "visit" as she isn't allowed to see me face to face more than once because of covid. Weird but ok.

In the mean time I've needed advice. I've texted and rang her. No reply. Left voicemail. No reply. I've rang the hotline for health visitors three times and had to leave voicemails. No reply.

Now I get it. We are all so busy playing catch up. But it's my daughters health. Surely they need to at least be able to give basic help? If it wasn't for the GP I'd have no one to ask for advice and they're swamped aswell. My daughter is allergic to cows milk protein and it took me so much longer to get it sorted as no one seemed to be around!!!

Just posting as frustrated and needed to rant. 🙁

arranged a telephone call today for her second "visit" as she isn't allowed to see me face to face more than once because of covid. Weird but ok.

Not weird. Pretty standard in these times.

Aside from that, I hear you. Its irritating to get nothing back after multiple attempts at contact.

Agree pretty standard although far from ideal. This was my experience of HVs 7 years ago way before COVID
What do you need her for?

It’s terrible... I dread to think how many mums/babies are suffering because of this. Save the nhs has gone too far and now it’s risking people’s lives and mental health.

My sister had a baby April and the after care has been disgraceful. Baby’s weight was dropping loads, no one would come to weigh or even check for a tongue tie. MW told my sister to take baby to GP for a medical reason, GP wouldn’t see 3 week old!! It’s shite and I feel for you. Just keep ringing and ringing and pushing to be seen.

This makes me so cross! Where in the UK are you?
I am a HV and was not doing face to face contacts as I was shielding. I arranged a colleague to visit at 14 days and 6 weeks and I then either rang or video called the families on my caseload weekly.
I am sorry you have been forgotten. Do you have a contact number for the overall HV service to chase this up?

@MrsPatrickDempsey

Hiya!!

I'm in lovely Cornwall. I spoke to the health visitor finally this morning and she is going to ring me every two weeks now to check in. She did apologise, I can't fault her because she herself is a lovely person, but it's just the not getting back to me that's frustrating. Even if we got a "we are really sorry we are so busy but I will get back to you" an acknowledgment so I don't feel in the dark!

I've got postpartum anxiety and my little one has CMPA so it's felt like a long six weeks of no contact! Hopefully it'll get better now she realises my frustration 🤞🏼

Unfortunately this isn't exclusive to Covid, the HVs where i am have always been utterly shite. They never return calls and don't seem to have the foggiest clue what they're on about most of the time.