After you have your baby, your midwifery team will want to make sure you are recovering from the birth, and that your baby is healthy and feeding well.
When thinking about postnatal care, bear in mind that day one is the day after your baby’s date of birth, day two is the day after that and so on.
You will have at least three appointments with a midwife after the birth. Ideally this will be with your named midwife or a familiar member of the team. This is not always possible, because it is important for you to be seen at certain specific points and your midwife may not be working that day. Your named midwife will make sure to see you where it is possible.
A basic postnatal check will be carried out for both you and your baby each time you see a midwife from the birth until you are discharged from maternity care. Most women will be discharged after a week and a half to two weeks. Some women and babies will be supported by midwives a little longer, up to one month after birth.
At each postnatal check, you will be asked questions about yourself and your baby. All the questions are important ways of picking up any problems. Don’t be surprised to be talking about all sorts of body fluids!