# Newborn check at the hospital?



## donnalou

I had such a quick and easy home birth with my DD but the worse part of all was they wanted to me to visit the hospital on the day after she was born to have newborn checks done. I didn't go because I could barely walk, and the hospital is a 45 minute drive away and I was breast feeding on demand every 2 to 3 hours so to get to an appointment was impossible anyway My husband phoned the hospital and told them that I couldn't get there and the next day I had numerous phone calls from the hospital and the Midwives telling me that I had to go so we went, sitting in the car I was in so much agony and I think it really made the pain worse. When I had my 6 week check up with my GP he said that he would have come out to at home and done the check, I mentioned this to my Midwife and she said that she wasn't sure if a GP would be qualified to do this. This time it will be even more difficult getting to the hospital with a toddler as well and my husband may not be around to drive me.

As anyone ever refused to go to the hospital? or had a GP do the checks?

Thanks Ladies


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## Button#

When I had my first I was told that the GP could do newborn checks but they don't like doing them. I didn't have a home birth though so no actual experience of this happening.


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## Caite

Some midwives can do the nursery exam and will do it at home if necessary.


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## Feronia

Do midwives not come to your home to do them there? In Canada, midwives make several house calls to check on you and the baby and then you only have to leave your house at the 6 week appointment. I would have hated to drive to the hospital the day after my home birth!


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## donnalou

Apparently none of the Midwives in my Midwives group are qualified to do the check. At my next appointment I will ask about it again x


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## RaspberryK

I was booked for homebirth, had him at hospital but was sent home before any doctors were on duty so by homebirth midwife did it when he was a day old. 
I was told the gp would be able to do it in a home visit if necessary.
Xx


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## Kess

My IMW came back lots to visit and check on us both, and then I took LO to the Drs for his 6 week check. No-one ever asked me to go the the hospital. If they had I'd have taken any other option such as GP - one of the (many) reasons I'm pro home birth is I think it's daft taking vulnerable newborns and newly PP women to a place where many sick people are! I was recovered quite quick but wouldn't have wanted to drive and then sit waiting for an appt anywhere!


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## donnalou

Kess said:


> My IMW came back lots to visit and check on us both, and then I took LO to the Drs for his 6 week check. No-one ever asked me to go the the hospital. If they had I'd have taken any other option such as GP - one of the (many) reasons I'm pro home birth is I think it's daft taking vulnerable newborns and newly PP women to a place where many sick people are! I was recovered quite quick but wouldn't have wanted to drive and then sit waiting for an appt anywhere!

My sentiments exactly, last time the first I had heard about having to the hospital was just after giving birth when the Midwife rang the hospital. One of the reasons that I wanted a home birth was because I didn't want to expose my newborn baby to germs at the hospital. Thanks for your opinion x


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## Pearls18

If you and the MW are happy the baby is ok I would decline until you are comfortable to travel unless they are willing to have someone come to you. I believe it's 72 hours they like baby to be seen but they can't force you.

They have to be specially trained, our home birthing team is very new so I had to go to hospital for it and it was the worse experience of the whole pregnancy and reiterated to me why we selected a home birth all along. All the home birthing MWs in my area are getting this specific training though so that women don't need to go in to hospital.


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## BunnyN

It's not like they can make you go. If you are comfortable not having them done right away you can say you don't want to go in or just say you have made other arrangements and then go to your GP a few days later. 

We hired an independent MW so it is different from your situation. She came to the newborn checks the day after LO was born and the heal pick test 4 days after. We didn't go to see a doctor for ages.


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## smallpeanut

I was told the same, but luckily the next day, they just sent me a MW who could do the exams. Luckily, she found my baby had severe jaundice within 24 hours and we ended up on the nicu ward for a week. He didn't even look that yellow but his readings where the highest the hospital had seen in over two years. I'd advise to get the checks done. Just to be on the safe side :)


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## Pearls18

smallpeanut said:


> I was told the same, but luckily the next day, they just sent me a MW who could do the exams. Luckily, she found my baby had severe jaundice within 24 hours and we ended up on the nicu ward for a week. He didn't even look that yellow but his readings where the highest the hospital had seen in over two years. I'd advise to get the checks done. Just to be on the safe side :)

Thank you, you're right, I thought it would be obvious to see of something is wrong but obviously we are not trained so I retract what I say about declining, maybe just see if there's a way around getting them done without doing the long drive :) sorry you had to have an NICU stay.


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## smallpeanut

MarineWAG said:


> smallpeanut said:
> 
> 
> I was told the same, but luckily the next day, they just sent me a MW who could do the exams. Luckily, she found my baby had severe jaundice within 24 hours and we ended up on the nicu ward for a week. He didn't even look that yellow but his readings where the highest the hospital had seen in over two years. I'd advise to get the checks done. Just to be on the safe side :)
> 
> Thank you, you're right, I thought it would be obvious to see of something is wrong but obviously we are not trained so I retract what I say about declining, maybe just see if there's a way around getting them done without doing the long drive :) sorry you had to have an NICU stay.Click to expand...

Tbh I think I'd have declined a hospital visit if we didn't have the midwife come to us direct. So it's a good job really! Xx


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## BunnyN

Did the MW do a blood test? LO Didn't get any blood tests at her newborn tests.


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## smallpeanut

They didn't on mine. My MW referred me to hospital because Joseph wasn't feeding or latching and seemed quite lethargic. At the time, I didn't think anything of it. I thought I couldn't breast feed right and that he had tongue tie.


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## Kess

smallpeanut said:


> They didn't on mine. My MW referred me to hospital because Joseph wasn't feeding or latching and seemed quite lethargic. At the time, I didn't think anything of it. I thought I couldn't breast feed right and that he had tongue tie.

It's funny how different MW react differently. My LO wasn't feeding right, he would suck a couple of times and fall asleep, and slept lots (not at night, mind...). MW said he had a tummy full of gunk and would feed more once he passed that through in a few days, and called LLL for me who advised ways of keeping him awake to feed, and encouraged skin-to-skin etc. It did work.


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## smallpeanut

I know. She was fantastic. She stayed with me for a few hours observing him and said better safe than sorry (she was the MW who delivered him too bless her) .. Good job she did. My daughter was jaundice but never needed treatment and she was by far, a lot more yellow!


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## Mrs Cupcake

we had our new baby check done at home after the homebirth but not until day 3! i thought they were coming the next day but because we had such an easy delivery and baby was well and they were busy they left it until day 3. was so nice them coming to us!

ive got a planned homebirth this time.


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