Health visitor - 10 day visit - what do they do?

[Daisysandviolets]

Everyone seems to make out that health visitors are awful but I've got my 10 day check and just wanted to know what to expect as I thought it was just like having a midwife?

In my case, they told me how to access support for non-English speakers (I assume because my husband is non-white, clearly his foreign name is more important than his Cambridge degree) and gave me an out of date list of children's centre opening times.

Yours may be less shit.

Ours went through all the support available in local area, contact numbers, details on baby weigh clinics, details about safe sleeping, info on vaccination schedule and some first aid leaflets. Only a short visit as I didn't have any concerns really - I've had no problems with any of the HV team I've seen.

Went through how to access support etc asked lots of questions about how I'm feeling. Info about safe sleeping. Baby was also weighed. I really liked mine, she was really nice and helpful.

HV are more about your child. With your permission support you parenting and with monitor your child’s development. If everything is OK you wouldn’t hear from them very often unless you contact them.

I know a lot of negative things about the HV, but had no problems at dd's 10 day check. She just asked questions about dd, weighed her and asked questions on my health after birth, gave information on local children's centres for when they reopen. I was very surprised as I was terrified as a ftm.

They check where the baby sleeps (even if the midwife already did that!) Wish someone had told me- I hadn't cleaned up and was mortified.

They do much similar things to the midwife and then tell you about what they can offer.

I am finding my health visitors helpful when they come they weigh her, asking if there is anything I'm worried about. We had our 2 month check the other day I asked about a face rash (baby acne) and sleep/feeding (reflux suggested speaking to gp) she has since phoned me back and suggested speaking to the infant feeding team about a fast letdown. For me they are there for all the niggling questions you spend the early hours of the morning Googling and sign post you to the appropriate person for support.

Mine have been lovely, asked how I was getting on, gave me numbers of places to get support if I needed it. Last time she also picked up jaundice in DS and got me an appointment to get him checked.

Mine was awful, constantly tried to put me on anti depressants eveythough I had no mental health issues. Was almost like she was on commission. Even offered to get me a prescription “just in case”
She also told me I MUST do baby led weaning, that 10pm was too late to put baby to sleep (even though she would then sleep for 8 hours straight) and that if she cries at bed time I should do the controlled crying. She was generally very bossy and unhelpful and I only saw her twice, never booked another appointment with her.

My HV team were generally useless at best and awful at worse. I’m opting out this time around.

Very much depends on your health visitor I would say. I deal with two different ones in work. One is amazing and so helpful the other is like a wet weekend.

Are you actually getting to see one in person?? Lucky you! Mine are still on phone calls. IME they weigh baby, ask if you've got any feeding issues, talk you through your red book and do a PPD check. All of this is very flimsy and they're not really much use for anything!!!

Is this visit the important one where they do the heel prick test and hearing test?

Gosh I just looked at my children’s red books. Had them together as youngest had vaccination last week.

Saw the writing of one health visitor that really really annoyed me. She was so anti breastfeeding. The others were fab. You get good and bad ones.

@CornishTiger

Is this visit the important one where they do the heel prick test and hearing test?

Not in my experience. We had to go and see one in a medical setting for that.

I’ve checked and both mine were done at home.

Mine visited me at home . It’s been 1.5 years so I don’t remember exactly what was said but we talked a lot about where baby was sleeping , how nursing was going , she looked over baby and asked a lot about how I felt .

I remember I was nursing when she stopped by and my DS fell asleep on the boob. My health visitor advised that a baby should never fall asleep on the boob and they should go down drowsy but awake 🙄 ! All my DS ever did was nurse or slept so I was like wtf ?!

Anyway it was shit advice and I always nursed my baby to sleep the first few months , if not longer . He’s 19 months now and is a great sleeper and goes down fully awake and self settles and has since he was 10 months old .

Totally unrelated but that bad advice really stood out and annoyed me 😂 🙈