Caring for your baby at home

When you and your baby go home, you will continue to receive community postnatal care.

Community midwife visits

A midwife from your team will visit you and your baby the day after you have returned home from hospital between 8:30am and 5pm.

If you and your baby are well you would normally expect to have 2 further postnatal contacts with the team. These will usually be at a local postnatal clinic where you will be given an appointment time. More appointments after your baby is born will be offered if needed or if requested.

During the appointments you can expect feeding support, your baby being weighed, the newborn blood spot screening test (heel prick), additional support and advice based on your own needs.

Some of the visits and tests may be undertaken by Maternity Support Workers (MSW) who have been specially trained to perform these tasks. The midwife will discuss this with you before any contact with an MSW.

Health visiting team

The health visitor will contact you whilst you are still under the care of the community midwifery team to arrange an appointment to see you. This will be planned for 10 - 21 days after your baby was born.

GP postnatal appointment

When your baby is approximately 6 weeks old, you and your baby should have a postnatal check-up with your GP.

The GP surgery will often send you an appointment, but if you don’t receive one by the time your baby is 4 weeks old please ring the surgery to arrange an appointment. Some surgeries combine the postnatal check-up with your baby’s first immunisation appointment at 8 weeks.

Keeping Babies Safe - Never Ever Shake Your Baby

This animation was produced by DDSCP to give parents and carers practical tips about how to respond when their baby cries for long periods of time, doesn't sleep or settle.