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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Midwife visits after baby is born?

26 replies

Susieloo · 08/05/2012 20:20

This is probably a daft question but I'm due to have my first baby by section in mid July and some colleague's told me today that the midwife will visit me after the birth, at home every day for about a week to ten days-this is all new to me and I just wondered if this is right? Does she have to come every day?

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Indith · 08/05/2012 20:25

You should get a visit the day after you get home then other visits will depend on what you want/need until the MW discharges you and passes you on to the HV. Visits are to check you and baby over and make sure all is ok so a couple are pretty fixed for standard checks, others depend on how you feel.

scarlettsmummy2 · 08/05/2012 20:27

My midwife visited me nearly every day with first baby, but only twice with the second.

ReallyTired · 08/05/2012 20:30

I think a lot depends on your area. In our area they make the mums come into a postnatal clinic at the week ends and you only get one to two visits.

You get visited by the health visitor at two weeks.

Chubfuddler · 08/05/2012 20:31

Depends on how busy they are tbh, and how much (if at all) you need or want their help.

DameHermione · 08/05/2012 20:35

every day for 10 days!!!!!!!!!!!! HA! no chance.

you'll be lucky to get a visit the day after you go home, followed by maybe one on day 5 for newborn bloodspot test and weight, maybe one day 7 and/or day 10.

you'll probably be encouraged to actually go to a clinic rather than have a home visit after day 5.

postnatal care is the crappest of crap as it's the easiest bit to cut back and back

RobinSparkles · 08/05/2012 20:40

They visited me every day with DD1 but every few days with DD2. I'm not sure whether this was because they were busy when I had DD2 or whether she was my second baby.

After the MW discharge you the Health Visitor will come. I saw the HV a handful of times with DD1 but with DD2 she seemed to be round all the bloody time more often. I think she was just checking that I was coping with two .

ISpyPlumPie · 08/05/2012 20:42

Think it does vary from area to area and also on how much support you want/need. I had three visits in total with DS - one the day after we came home, another when he was six days old to do heel prick tests and the last one when he was two weeks, following which she discharged me. The hv also came round to weigh him on day 12.

I found this level of visits fine - she wasn't there long and it didn't feel too intrusive. I'd had a straightforward birth and DS was healthy/feeding well so didn't feel I needed to see her more often either.

According to DM years ago it was standard practice for the mw to visit everyday for the first ten days irrespective of how you or the baby were doing, so possibly this is what your colleagues are referring to. I think this service should be available to those who want it but personally it would have done my head in

Good luck.

Original poster

Susieloo · 08/05/2012 20:48

Thanks everyone you are ace, really don't want (I don't think anyway) her to come round everyday, seems a bit much!!

OP posts:

mamas12 · 08/05/2012 20:48

Yep every day until she discharges you and baby and then hv takes over.
If you get a good one Like I did it was brilliant to just ask those 'stupid' questions and and voice those niggly 'is this normal' things .

Then if you get a good hv like i did and she reccomends a baby/parent that she thinks are like minded people going there you'll end up making good friends for life. And she spotted my pnd for me too.

That was my first baby experience the 2nd one well, not so much but knew what to ex[ect then

mamas12 · 08/05/2012 20:49

babyparent group!!!

ItWasThePenguins · 08/05/2012 20:49

Mine came day 2 and day 5 i think.

Certainly not everyday, and you do get a say!

difficultpickle · 08/05/2012 20:51

Depends on your circumstances and your midwife. Ds was born 7 weeks prem. When my midwife could be bothered to come and see me on the ward (in the hospital where the midwife was based) about three days after ds was born she said that she could cross me off her list to visit as ds wouldn't be home any time soon.

I saw other midwifes visiting mums and babies in SCBU but my one cba to do so.

Chunkychicken · 08/05/2012 20:53

Think my lovely (but talk the hind leg off a donkey) MW came quite a lot because she liked my DH's cups of coffee!!!

Catsycat · 08/05/2012 20:55

Here you can have a visit from the mw every day until the cord stump falls off (usually around 10-12 days) if you want / need it. Then you get visited by the Health Visitor, I think it started out weekly, then fortnightly, eventually they get you to go to clinic for appointments.

I had daily visits from the mws with DD1, and found it reassuring as I'd had a CS and I wanted my scar checked, as well as thinking I should have DD1's progress checked on. It didn't really occur to me to say I didn't need the visits, until the HV turned up unannounced for her first visit, just as we were going out, then I told her it wasn't convenient. With DD2 I only had about 3 or 4 postnatal visits from the mw - I had had a CS again, but felt more confident about that, and of course about looking after a baby, as I'd done it before.

This time, unless there is an actual health issue with me or the baby, I'll go for the minimum of visits, as you end up waiting around all the time for the mw to come, and it gets old pretty quickly.

You don't have to agree to every appointment they suggest - if you don't want daily visits you can say so.

judgingamy · 08/05/2012 20:59

After about 5 visits I did get asked each time if I wanted a visit the next day. I always took the visits, cuz I was nosy about how much weight DS put on.

SootySweepandSue · 08/05/2012 21:04

It will depend on your hospital. I didn't get a single visit and if I wanted to see a MW I had to get myself to the hospital! They were too busy for home visits.

HamblesHandbag · 08/05/2012 21:08

I had daily visits for about 10 days I think.

I don't know if that was what everyone gets or just because I had pre-eclampsia so they were keeping an eye on my BP following delivery.

HandMini · 08/05/2012 21:12

We had visits on days 2, 5 and 10 (first baby). I live in central London. Another friend who lives round the corner asked for more, because she had trouble feeding and got daily visits. I think it's very much dependent on how much you need/ask for. To be honest, I think daily visits is a but much, esp as you may have lots of other visitors.

thefurryone · 09/05/2012 09:29

Mine would have come every day if I'd needed her to, I was having lots of trouble with feeding so she came for the first three then missed a couple but would call to double check that nothing had happened since she decided not to come. She came in the morning so never clashed with other visitors.

Luckily I have a lovely midwife so it never really felt like an intrusion.

Try not to worry about it too much, it may seem like a bit much now but you may end up being grateful for the support.

melliebobs · 09/05/2012 12:48

Every day sounds a bit much. I was discharged on a Monday (after a 6 day stint in hospital) mw came round the Tuesday. Was happy with me and baby and asked if I wanted her to visit the next day. I didn't see the need. She then came on the Thursday. Again happy with me and bubs so told me to go to see the mw at the health centre on the Monday and we were discharged.

nosenose · 09/05/2012 12:51

Never heard of daily visits - two max three where I am

Original poster

Susieloo · 09/05/2012 15:15

Thank you everyone, seems to be fairly flexible depending on how I'm coping which is good, thank you

OP posts:

ItsMyLastOne · 09/05/2012 22:04

It was 3 days after I left hospital before I happened to be in when the mw came round. Then she came round once more and discharged me.

PestoPenguin · 09/05/2012 22:19

With DC1 I got daily visits for over a week and then every few days until 21 days because of ongoing feeding issues. It was invaluable support. with DC2 I got one visit the same day she was born (homebirth) and after that had to go to a clinic. It was only 2 years later, but a different area. I was v shocked and even as a confident 2nd time mum felt v undersupported. Since then I've had another baby in a 3rd area and got about 3 visits in the first week after a homebirth. I know from talking to MWs that in the latter 2 areas there's not a cat in hell's chance of even a first time mum getting the level of support I got with DC1, in fact it would be impossible in the first area now too . I would never have predicted wanting or needing that level of support, but we genuinely did. They even came to the hospital ward to visit me after we were readmitted in DC1's second week.

I would hope families that are struggling are able to get more support if needed, but from what I've heard 1-3 visits seems pretty standard now. In some areas clinics are held in supermarkets . It's shocking how much postnatal care has changed in less than a decade.

BiscuitNibbler · 09/05/2012 22:19

I had daily visits for 12 days by the midwife (and for about half of those she had a HCA or trainee midwife with her), as well as every other day visits from the district nurse (had problems with my cs scar not closing properly) for about 3 weeks, and two HV visits once the MW had discharged me.

Sometimes I felt like my home was a branch of the local health centre.

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