red books for babies - when are they normally issued?

[mindalina]

Just curious really. Am 25 weeks and saw the midwife today. Bumped into the health visitor who looked after me when my first child was born and she has given me a red book for the baby I'm now pregnant with, with her name and contact details in it. Do you normally get your red book this early or is she just staking her claim to me before I am assigned to a different HV? She is bizarrely fond of me, which I'm not complaining about because she's lovely and was a huge help to me when I got PND and wotnot with DS, it just seemed very early to be giving out a red book.

I got mine when leaving hospital with both DC

Eventually this will be the norm as HVs should be seeing all women antenatally. In most areas however the red book is still given after birth in the hopsital.

Mine was given at birth, in the postnatal ward. If you are happy to have her as your HV I suppose it is harmless - perhaps she thinks it might be handy to have a number to contact in the early days before she comes to visit? Seems a bit bizarre though - the red book is totally useless until the baby is born! If you would rather have a different HV then all it takes is a single phone call.

Is that so mrsJM - that's interesting and a very good idea. My HV was fab and I think things would've worked out better for me if she'd been around sooner.

Oh yes I am more than happy to have her again - she was fantastic with DS and breastfeeding advice and spotting my PND and packing me off to her therapy group to fix it and generally is such a lovely charming lady. She was saying today what a nice baby DS was and I said he has grown into a lovely boy and she said "Of course he has with you bringing him up" oh I just wanted to melt.

But yes I thought it was bizarre to be given the red book so early - I think it must just be because I had such a struggle last time and she is pre-empting any difficulties on my behalf. In which case I am very touched actually - I'm quite surprised she even remembers me after five years and god knows how many mums and babies.

It depends on where you live, different trusts do different things.

In some areas you will get them at the hospital once the baby is born. In others you will get them when the HV comes to do your new birth visit and in other areas you will be offered an antenatal HV appt so will get one then.