Postnatal Care

If you need stitches, we will offer to stitch you as soon as possible. It is better for your healing. Afterwards we will provide your well deserved tea and toast!

Most babies will feed during the first hour or so following your birth. During this time, a midwife will check your baby top to toe while s/he is in skin to skin contact with you. This precious time is best uninterrupted by a shower, which you can take later. Babies love the closeness of this early skin to skin contact which can be continued for as long as you wish.

A midwife will have already checked your baby over following the birth of your baby.

We also offer and advise you to have a detailed examination of your baby before you go home. This examination is done by either a pediatrician or midwife specially trained in undertaking this check.

During working hours, your baby check can usually be done more or less when you are ready, and a minimum of six hours following your birth. However, if you are keen to go but the six hours after your birth falls ‘out of hours’ we can’t guarantee that your baby can be checked until the next day. The check entails a full top to toe examination which includes listening to the heart for signs of an abnormality as well as a hip check.

We aim to offer you the opportunity to have your baby’s hearing check done before you leave the hospital. If we do not manage to get this done before you leave then we will send you an appointment.

fter giving birth, you can decide whether you are feeling up to going home after about 6 hours or so, or want to stay with us for longer. Your on-going care will be arranged with you, for example:

• If you have had you baby at home, your midwife will ensure that you have contact numbers for calling a midwife should you need one urgently. She will otherwise plan to visit you the next day.
• If you have had a normal birth on the birth centre or delivery suite, you may choose to go home shortly after the birth, such as 6-10 hours. We support and encourage this choice.
• If you have had any problems during the birth or have had an epidural, spinal anaesthetic or a Caesarean section, we will encourage you to stay.  If you are staying you will be transferred to the postnatal ward.

Please ask for any help you need during your stay. All our staff are trained to help to look after you and to assist you to feed your baby. We want you to have a happy stay and benefit from your time with us.

We do ask that you keep your luggage to a minimum – there is limited space to store large suitcases

• After a woman has given birth she will be transferred to a bed in our postnatal area
• Women who've had an uncomplicated birth usually stay for 6-24hours after the birth
• If a woman has been transferred to our labour ward during the birth she can come back to the Birth Centre postnatally
• Security is paramount at Darent Valley Hospital to ensure babies are kept safe at all times.  The Trust has an identification-band system for new-borns and their mother, and staff are required to wear ID badges with controlled access to all maternity wards
• Protecting the privacy and dignity of all our women on our maternity wards is applied at all times so mothers for example, breast feeding, having catheters removed after surgery etc. have privacy from other patients and their visitors. 

We will provide you with the opportunity to see a midwife following your birth either at home or in a clinic. Presently, in parts of the city, we are establishing a postnatal clinic service. We will discuss this with you before you leave the hospital.

You will be seen by a midwife between 10am and 4pm.

Whether you have your care in the clinic or at home your local team of midwives will provide postnatal care for you for a minimum of ten days after the birth. You will not usually receive care every day but usually you will have a minimum of three contacts with us. Sometimes care is provided for up until six weeks after the birth.

The community team will:

• Weigh and carry out routine screening tests on your baby with your informed consent
• Check both you and your baby remain healthy
• Explain various choices to promote good health for both you and your baby
• Offer family planning advice
• Discuss the prevention of cot death.

• Plus answer any questions or queries you may have.