Following birth and going home

As soon as your baby is born we encourage you to hold your baby and have skin-to-skin contact. Close cuddling with your baby will keep them warm and help them to adjust to life outside the womb. This is a special time as you get to know each other.

For women who have had a very straightforward birth you will be offered and encouraged to have an early discharge from the unit.

Whether you have given birth at home, in one of our birth centres or on our labour ward, we will be there to support and guide your transition into parenthood. Our team of community midwives, health visitors and support workers run regular local drop-in sessions, usually within your local Children's Centre, to support you and your baby, looking after your health and wellbeing.

Adjusting to life with your new baby

• Set realistic expectations. New parents should not expect perfection (or anything close to it) from themselves, their partners or their children. Life will be challenging for all parties involved.  New parents should keep in mind that they are going to feel like they make mistakes. You should try to accept these feelings and find humour in them, reflect and learn from them.
• Take special care to nurture relationships with partners, family and/or friends. Communicate frequently and try and find some quality time for yourself and those close to you. Identify suitable external networks which can support and guide you through those early weeks.
• Assess your priorities. New parents should reserve their energy for taking care of their babies/children. Prioritise the tasks ahead each day in order of importance, keep it achievable and flexible to enable you to review each step as your day unfolds.
• Get out of the House. It is important to take gentle exercise and fresh air is  good for both mum and baby. Going for a walk to the shop or park can help you to stay healthy after birth.

Never hesitate to contact your community midwife or GP if you are not feeling yourself or have concerns about your baby or partner.

Birth reflections

When you go home we will ask you to fill in this form upon which you can give us feedback about your experiences of the care you received both during pregnancy and labour. You are not obliged to complete this but we value your comments and can utilise this information to improve the services we offer. If you would prefer to speak to someone in confidence, you can include your telephone number or call the birth reflections team on 01296 316019.