Before you are discharged home with your baby or before the Midwife leaves following a homebirth, you will be given information and advice to help you care for your baby safely and look after your own health and wellbeing. You will be given the contact number for the Maternity Ward (Ward 23) which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, should you have any non-urgent concerns about yourself or your baby.
The following will be discussed with you:
- Advice for parents carers of babies less than 3 months during Coronavirus (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health)
- Building a happy baby (UNICEF)
- Caring for your baby at night (UNICEF)
- Child benefits (Gov.uk)
- Contraception (NHS)
- Feeding your baby (MCHFT)
- Guide to immunisations for babies born on, or after 1 January 2020 (Gov.uk)
- Instruction video of how to administer Dalteparin, Low Molecular Weignt Heparin (Pfizer)
- Is your baby or toddler seriously ill? (NHS)
- Know your breasts (Breast Cancer Now)
- Meningitis Baby Watch (Meningitis Research Foundation)
This link takes you to resources. The leaflet provided on discharge can be found under: Symptoms and disease information for patients > Meningitis Baby Watch. - Never shake babies (ICON)
- Perinatal Mental Health (MCHFT)
- Postnatal Exercises (Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecology Physiotherapy)
- Registering the birth of your baby (Council)
- Safe Sleep (Lullaby Trust)
- Screening tests for you and your baby (Gov.uk)
- Signs and Symptoms of Newborn Jaundice (MCHFT)
- TB/BCG Vaccine (Gov.uk)
Follow up appointments
You will receive a home visit by a Community Midwife within 36 hours following discharge from hospital or after the Midwife has left following a homebirth.
Visits will be planned according to you and your baby's needs.
A visit from a Midwife or Community Support Worker will be arranged for when your baby is five days old, to weigh your baby and carry out the Newborn Blood Spot test (more information can be found on Screening tests for you and your baby). This may be a home visit or a community based postnatal clinic.
Further visits with a Midwife can be arranged depending on your wishes, and the needs of you and your baby. You are likely to be discharged from midwifery care between 10-14 days after birth if you no longer require midwifery support. A Midwife can continute to visit you up to 28 days following the birth of your baby, if this is what you require. These may be home visits or community based postnatal clinics.
A Health Visitor will visit your home when your baby is 10-14 days old. To find out more about Health Visitors and the service they provide in your area please visit the following links:
