Antenatal Health Visitor

[tam12302]

I am due to have a Health Visitor visit my home on Monday. I was just wondering if anyone knows what will happen during the visit please?

Interested as we have one on Tuesday

This is fascinating me too as I didn't get one with my son. How clean does my house need to be? 😂

We had one with my second but not with my first although the midwife did visit us at home with my first? The HV just came in and sat on the sofa and asked about things like safe sleeping, smoking drinking etc. Nothing that isn’t standard on midwife visits. I thought she might want to see the baby’s room but she didn’t.

I cleaned my house top to bottom but she just went in the living room and didn't move from the sofa. Most of the visit was about safe sleep and showing me how to breastfeed on a knitted boob...don't really know what either of us got out of it!

The don't check your house or anything don't worry. Just a chat about safe sleep etc and weighing the baby, in and out in 15 mins.

@TheOneWithUnagi Mine is coming a month before my due date. Will it still be the same kind of thing?

My baby was born last year. The health visitor visited us before and after birth.
Before birth she did want to look at my bedroom to see where baby would be sleeping at night.
I didn’t have anything at my house ready for the baby, everything was stored at my mums until after the birth. I had high pre-natal anxiety and didn’t want to jinx anything by having the cot, Moses basket, pram etc in my house. Sounds ridiculous when I think about it now but it worked for me at the time :)

@Farmersweeklyreader Ok, so it might be worth setting up the cot temporarily just for that day in case she wants to take a look. Noted.

Also, I totally get the anxiety over baby related items. I've got basically nothing ready for this one (with only nine weeks to go!) for similar reasons. Luckily this is our second child so a lot of the stuff we already have 😅

It’s nothing to worry about at all. They usually ask standard questions like checking you’re safe at home, understand safe sleep and might check your feeding preferences. Ultimately they’re also there to answer any questions you have so have a think as they’re usually very knowledgeable. I wouldn’t bother setting the cot up. If they do want to see where baby will sleep, it’s more so they can check there’s no mould and that the cot won’t be next to a radiator.

We didn't have a pre birth visit so unsure!

I had my son 9 weeks ago and the HV has been twice. First visit was just to see how we were getting on and give a rundown of her service, plus a general chat about the baby and how I was getting on taking care of him. Took about a hour, she just sat in the living room with us. Second visit was similar, discussed vaccinations which we advising we will be declining. She also gave us some highly fluoridated toothpaste for when his teeth come through which we also refused.

Sorry just realised this was about your antenatal not postnatal appointment 🤦🏼‍♀️ we didn't have a nursery until after baby was born and the next to me cot was set up when he arrived so there wouldn't have been anything for them to see. I'd guess it's just a chat. They aren't scary don't worry

It's really just an introduction so that you've met before baby comes.

They are not the parenting police, they are not there to inspect your house. It's a support service for you and baby in the early years.

And if they do ask to inspect your house just say no.

I've had HV on both pregnancies. I found them all rude. Wanted to know whether we rent or own. Wanted to see babys bedroom and moaned about cot being too close to window etc.

One said am I planning to BF I said no and she said well I'm ok with that but plenty of HV wouldn't (I don't think they are allowed to say anything like this anymore)

Once I had put the dogs upstairs as all they will want to do is bark and get excited, and she asked me to let them out to see what the breeds were. Cavapoos lol

I had one who said right so this is a teenage pregnancy then, even though I was 24, you'd think she'd have checked her notes first!!

So not great experiences on my side, but plenty of people do have much better maybe I have been unlucky, as all my midwives have been absolutely brilliant, even when home visiting. Just been unlucky with HV maybe.

Edit - just to add myself and my husband are working professionals accountant and lawyer, and we live in a well to do area in a nice house. So not really sure what any of it was about.

Housing was probably asked because, going back a while the forms asked for that information.
It could be because if you phone them about a housing issue later down the years they have some idea about your situation in your notes.
Remember : a HV team are there for all members of the family.

It's particularly helpful when a referral is needed to know extra info.

They will sit and chat with you and tell you about the service /team resources.
Answer any questions that you may have.

They have a huge caseload -like any job a few are lazy or not able to communicate as well as you'd hope but the majority are fine.

How did the appointment go?

Thanks everyone for the great comments, made me feel a lot less nervous about the visit. The health visitor was so lovely and it was just more of an introduction. She went through the service she’d provide once I’m discharged from the midwives, she gave me my red book to take to the hospital when baby is here and went through everything in it.

She was asking about my support network and partner, I’m lucky enough to have my mother in law live 200 yards from me so she was happy with the fact I have someone so close if I’m ever worried and need support. She asked lots of questions about how I’ve been feeling, if there’s anything I feel I need extra support with and basically just made me feel really at ease and very well supported.

she didn’t leave the sofa once like all of the comments said which made me feel better, I was so worried she was going to want a full tour!

overall it was a very positive experience ☺️

The first visit is really just to meet you, they are more relevant when baby is older and they can check with milestones.
My early visit was also helpful as she let me know where the local breastfeeding support could be found

How many weeks were you when they started doing this

Vaccinations save lives.

Give your baby his vaccinations.

Never in a million years. Have you read an insert? Have you seen the testimonials of mothers of vaccine injured children? You couldn’t pay me to inject anything that contains aluminium into my perfect healthy baby.

@boonpop98 Mine is coming when I'll be 35 weeks.

Goodness me, I do hope you aren’t feeding your perfectly healthy baby any food or water then as aluminium is present there too! 😱

What exactly are you trying to achieve? Vaccine injury and death is very real. The inserts themselves warn about it. There is a government compensation scheme for those whose lives have been ruined by vaccines. Why would I take that risk with my baby?