Your postnatal care

Following the birth of your baby, a midwife will do the following checks:

For your baby

• Encourage you to continue skin-to-skin contact with your baby for as long as possible
• Check your baby’s weight
• Examine and check the general wellbeing of your baby
• Put an identity label around each of the baby’s ankles if you gave birth in hospital
• Offer vitamin K for your baby and administer it with your consent.

For you

• Check bleeding after birth
• Check your blood pressure, temperature and pulse and make sure your womb is well contracted
• Examine you to check whether you need any stitches
• Offer you refreshments
• Encourage you to have a bath or shower and to empty your bladder
• Plan where you would like to continue your postnatal care.

It may be possible to go home within six hours of birth , if so, you will usually remain in the birthing room and your birth partner can remain with you until you are discharged home. Sometimes we may recommend continuing your postnatal care on our postnatal ward.

If you have given birth at home, the midwife will remain with you until she is confident that you and your baby are both well. The midwife will examine the baby and then make arrangements for your ongoing care and confirm these with you.