health visitor coming to your house?

[xemmax]

now, i did know this was routine but i hadn't given it much thought. but just had the health visitor call and tell me that she is coming round in 2 weeks! what do they do? just have a nosey at your house? luckily mine is spotless and will be newly decorated but i feel a bit on edge and i'm not sure why.

 

[becs0375]

Mine was meant to come on Monday but cancelled!!

 

[emmi26]

dont worry hun they just come for a chat and to say hi. gives you a feel for them too i had one come when i had my daughter i didnt like her so i changed health visitors just phoned up the health visitor bit at my local hospital and told them to send someone else i got a lovely man the next time !!! see what you think see if you like them if not you can have another!!! remember they are only for advice !!

 

[MaybeMomSarah]

Are health visitors manditory? As in, can you opt-out of having one?

Just curious, really.

 

[newmommy23]

yeah I had mine come. kinda weird but they don't snoop or anything they just talk and make you fill out paperwork lol

 

[xemmax]

i don't mean this to sound rude but what's the point in them?! she never explained why she was coming just said that they try to visit first time mums before the birth. so then i assume they come after the birth to see the baby, too? so confused!

 

[MumOfPlenty]

So far as I know you can't opt in or out of having a Health Visitor.. but they are there to continue your aftercare after the midwives 11 days are up..

The HV will come round initially to introduce herself before you have the baby..

She will take a look at the conditions in which you live (I thought they had stopped doing this, but the last HV I had round for my son wrote down in her notes 'good conditions') - although I think it's dependant on area, tbh.

She will also ask about your history of PND, anything like that, any possible problems you can foresee. She will then come round again once the midwives have stopped to make sure you are ok and to ask you again about your mental health, how you are coping, whether or not you have support etc.

She will give you all the info you need about visiting times for the clinic etc and what they do there. She will weigh and measure bubs too.. and she will give you all the info on injections/immunisations, feeding etc. She is there as a point of call for you, essentially - anything you're worried about, is baby gaining enough weight etc, any other concerns you might have, she's the one to go to with them.

As someone esle said, if you don't like your HV, you can get them changed. It's just the same procedure as with your midwife, if you're not happy with them, then there's absolutely no point in them giving you care, because it won't be mutually beneficial to anyone, least of all bubs.

Health Visitors can be a godsend, especially for new mums, or even second time round mums! Mine have always been amazing when it comes to PND, I've even been able to request certain HV's from areas just out of mine to come see me as I've made such good friends with them. They aren't to be shrugged off lightly, although, if you find you're just not bothered with getting bubs weighed every week, or measured or whatever, then there is no obligation for you to go to see them after the initial visits. They will check on you again in 6 months or so, in my experience.. They are also absolutely brilliant with any issues you might have with older children too.

All in all, HV's are there for you.. and your wellbeing, but if you don't want to bother with one, you only have a couple of visits to get through and then they leave you alone anyway.

 

[emmi26]

its annoying after the birth to be honest if i can im putting mine off a bit. last time my daughter was a week old mw had just left i'd just settled her and the health visitor wanted to do all the exact same checks the mw had just done for her paperwork !!! grrr!!! would rather they waited till mw has finished!!

 

[aob1013]

Ooo mine never did, but i only made it to 34 weeks i guess x

 

[lushious09]

is it just me or does anyone else find this slightly intrusive ... you get home with your new baby trying to settle into a routine then you have a stanger come and "check your up to the job?"... thats how it comes across anyways ... i know they are there to help but i find they are more there to keep an eye on you

 

[MaybeMomSarah]

I've just done some googling to see if there is the option to opt out. I haven't found anything "official" saying you can, but I've seen a few forum posts where mums have requested to be opted out, they were sent the child's red book, and just attended regular visits to their GP.

I just find it a bit "big brother"ish. I know they are there to help, but I would like to be able to say "no thank you".

 

[MumOfPlenty]

To be honest lushious, the last two babies I've had I haven't even bothered with them past the initial checkups.. I never took them to be weighed, I've not taken them to be measured or anything.. So far as I'm concerned they're my babies and I'm pretty damn capable!

One of the HV's I had last was a right dippy sort.. She thought my son couldn't develop thrush through the milk he was on.. Funny how none of my other children have had it on different milks.. And how it cleared up right after we changed it Even the doctor said it was probably the milk! The new HV totally agreed with me and said she's not supposed to say anything but the other woman was known for being a bit giddy and 'not for everyone'

It is intrusive yes, but on the other hand, I'd rather they were there as a safety net than having nothing at all.. Especially for new mums, they can be just the right person sometimes - Someone out of the family loop..

My experiences of PND have actually been both helped and hindered by different HV's.. The good ones are amazing.. The bad ones.. They're not worth the time of day!

Plus, when they come for their visits, I have two very barky dogs so... They don't tend to stay that long, even if I shut the dogs away..

 

[going_crazy]

Last time, my health visitor came after the birth (maybe this is because I'm not a first time mum!)

I actually liked my health visitor - she was always there for me after the midwife signed me off! She never ever snooped around my house, just asked some questions, made sure baby was feeding and putting on weight etc and then arranged things like the 6 week check, immunisations etc. It was nice to have some one to talk to if I was feeling a bit down or if I had any concerns about baby. My Health visitor also put me in touch with local groups and made me aware of what was available in the area. We only had one home visit then we saw her at the clinic when we had baby weighed.

Might be different for others, but I think the health visitor is a good idea xxxxxxx

 

[xemmax]

mumofplenty thank you so much for the info!

i do think it's a little intrusive and feel like i'm going to get myself in a real tizz to make sure everything is perfect for when she comes. thing is, when people come round they can't believe that we're due to have a baby in nearly 3 weeks because there's barely any trace of him here! the pram is in storage, his cot won't be set up until he is born, he doesn't have a nursery and all of his things are either folded away neatly in drawers, stored obsessively neatly in underbed storage or in his changing unit which is covered to prevent it from getting dusty. (i'm obsessional about everything being orderly!)

i'm scared she might think i'm not prepared because there's no trace of a baby around besides a moses basket in the corner of the living room! in actuality, we've got everything ready for him - it's all just hidden away!

on the other hand i feel very reasurred that i will be receiving support after the birth as it terrifies me that i'll just be left to my own devices and i don't have a clue what i'm doing!

i think i'm being a bit silly worrying about it.......

 

[Kitten-B]

The info in this thread, esp from mumofplenty is great - thanks!!

Had no idea about any of this. I knew a midwife visited you a couple (?) of times at home after the birth but thought that was it. I'm all up for any extra help - i'm very reluctant about ringing my GP, midwife or hospital now with queries in case they're not important enough to bother them, so will be useful for me to have someone right there now and again to ask.

Glad I read this - would have been a bit disturbed about a call about a antenatal home visit out of the blue. And I do find that part a bit intrusive though, like they are testing me and my house ... already thinking about all the cleaning i'm going to have to do!

 

[MumOfPlenty]

Had no idea about any of this. I knew a midwife visited you a couple (?) of times at home after the birth but thought that was it.

Midwife comes round every day (unless it's a second or subsequent baby) after birth until 11 days.. Then they are supposed to hand over to the HV.. Who will arrange with you beforehand when to come round.

If you have issues going out, as time goes on, getting out and about or anything, they will still do home visits which can be a great help.

In all cases though, it should be as it is with the midwife - they will arrange with you when to come round.. They won't just turn up out of the blue

 

[xemmax]

Had no idea about any of this. I knew a midwife visited you a couple (?) of times at home after the birth but thought that was it.

Midwife comes round every day (unless it's a second or subsequent baby) after birth until 11 days.. Then they are supposed to hand over to the HV.. Who will arrange with you beforehand when to come round.

If you have issues going out, as time goes on, getting out and about or anything, they will still do home visits which can be a great help.

In all cases though, it should be as it is with the midwife - they will arrange with you when to come round.. They won't just turn up out of the blue

everyday?! i wasn't intending on getting dressed for the first 3/4/5/6/7 days

 

[MumOfPlenty]

everyday?! i wasn't intending on getting dressed for the first 3/4/5/6/7 days

You really don't need to get dressed for the midwife, bugger them, it's you that will have just given birth!

 

[emmadaisy]

just crashing the post!!
My little boy is 2 weeks old today, and Ive had 2 visits, 1 the day afterI came home from hosptial, and one few days later when he was 7 days old and that was it, people have told me they should be here everyday though.

 

[xemmax]

everyday?! i wasn't intending on getting dressed for the first 3/4/5/6/7 days

You really don't need to get dressed for the midwife, bugger them, it's you that will have just given birth!

PHEW! and yeah i'm going to be using the "just given birth" card for quite some time i think so they can suck it up!