Please view below the various roles:
At each postnatal visit and contact your Midwife will offer information and advice on a wide range of issues, including your health and wellbeing and how to deal with common health concerns.
In addition, they will also offer guidance to enable you to assess your baby’s wellbeing, including infant feeding and identifying signs and symptoms of common health problems seen in babies, and how to contact a health care professional or an emergency service if required.
The Community Midwives are supported by Maternity Support Workers (MSW). They are an integral part of the team and, while they do work independently and may visit you at home, they liaise with the midwives throughout their working day.
MSW’s provide support with infant feeding, guidance on new-born care including monitoring jaundice levels, baby’s weight in the first 10 days and completion of the day 5 new-born screening blood tests.
When you have been discharged from Midwifery care, your medical care and support is continued by your Health Visitor and General Practitioner.
When your baby is born, the hospital sends a birth notification to your Health Visitor. Your Health Visitor may visit you at home prior to the birth of your baby. However, it is usually 2 weeks after the birth of your baby when the Midwife has discharged you from their care.
At this first contact, the Health Visitor will assess the health needs of you and your baby and offer advice regarding health and wellbeing and run the baby clinics.
In addition, they may also weigh and examine your baby.
This information will be recorded in your Child’s Record Book (The Red Book).
If they have not contacted you by Day 14, please contact your GP.
Please contact your surgery after being discharged from hospital to let them know you are home, and make yourself and baby a follow-up postnatal appointment to see your GP. This should take place between 6-8 weeks post-delivery.
Please discuss contraception and your next cervical smear with your Midwife, GP, Health Visitor or Family Planning Clinic.