Midwife home visits during pregnancy

[pinkclouds]

Hi, I booked in with my midwife a few days ago and she booked all my appointments in for my whole pregnancy, two of them are home visits I've never had this before with my other children when pregnant only after their births and feel a bit like there checking up on me.
Does anybody else have these home visits? My youngest is 7 so is this a new thing?

 

[Bumpontherun]

My youngest is five so maybe I'm out the loop too but no I didn't have this. It also wouldn't work for me since I work full time - I couldn't just hang around waiting for the midwife to turn up. I think I'd say I would rather attend a clinic.

 

[MindUtopia]

That's relatively normal. Here, if you are just with the normal community midwife team, you have your booking appointment at home and then usually the rest at the surgery (or at least you did 5 years ago, though they may do more now). I'm with the home birth team this pregnancy (had a home birth last time too, but they didn't actually have a team) and I have all of my appointments at home. Often it's because the longer appointments take so much time (your booking can take 2 hours) and it costs the NHS a lot of money to take a room out of use so you can sit and talk with the midwives that long when they need to see other patients. So it's easier and cheaper to do it at home and doesn't waste the space. It also means they can do them at days and times that are convenient for you. I know when I was pregnant before, appointments were only every other Wednesday 1-3pm. If you couldn't make that time slot, that's the only time the surgery was free, so you missed your appointment as it's small rural service. But the community midwives are out and about every day so it means they can be more flexible if they just come to your house. Personally, I love it. I hated having to go into the surgery last time and plan my whole life around it. I just work from home that day, so I can just get on with my day and they pop in when it's time.

 

[maryanne1987]

My midwife home visits occasionally. It's nothing to be worried about. Mine does booking in and birth plan appointments at a home visit. Sometimes if clinic is fully booked too she will home visit instead. I honestly don't think it's anything to be worried by? They are long appointments so it's nice to have them at home and I'm never going to complain about not having to travel. I'm sure you could request them to be done elsewhere if it's really bothering you.

 

[Noodlebear]

Hey! I'm a student midwife and it is very common practice now to have at least one home visit. Part of that is to try and make the whole process a little less clinical, especially that lengthy booking visit where you have to ask some fairly personal questions - it just doesn't feel as nice to be sat in a stuffy room at a doctor's surgery! Obviously another aspect of it is safe guarding. My home looks like a bomb has gone off at the moment but they wouldn't bat an eyelid, it isn't to check up on anyone or make anyone feel uncomfortable but sometimes it can help identify women who may be going through depression, who need some guidance regarding safe environments for babies etc. Absolutely nothing to worry about, I remember having them with my son and fretting each and every time so I do understand haha xxx

 

[pinkclouds]

Thanks all for the replies
I'm not worried about it I just found it a little strange as I've never had this before.
My home visits are not for booking in or birth plan as I went to the clinic for booking in, I'm having my 16 and 28 week appointments at home.
Ah well I'll just be thankful I don't have to go to clinic for those appointments, but knowing me I will be making sure my house is spotless so probably be more easier going to clinic

 

[Noodlebear]

That's what I'm like - spend my whole morning deep cleaning the house and then when they arrive give them a "sorry for the mess!"

 

[MindUtopia]

I find it's a good excuse to clean! We usually only clean, I mean like deep clean, when we have house guests or when our babysitter is coming over. I've been so tired and not wanting to have people over or go out for a meal for months (I had a mc before this, so I've literally been in 1st trimester for what feels like 6 months now...), that actually the midwife appointment was a good reminder we needed to clean! And yes, some of them are just to check up that you are okay. You can tell a lot about someone when you visit their home. I don't mean that in a checking up on you way, but if you genuinely were struggling, it would be more obvious. My midwife was saying, when we did the CO reading (where they have you blow into a reader to test your CO levels, basically tests if you are exposed to cigarette smoke), they had a mum recently who blew a 20 on it and claimed to be a non-smoker. But she said, she literally sat there and watched yellow stains drip down the walls while they were talking from all the tar on them, so it meant she was able to offer her some resources to help her stop smoking because it was so obvious she was a heavy smoker but was too embarrassed to say anything. So a little bit of it is just to learn more about you, but it's also just easier and cost saving. I'm surprised though that they've booked you in all the way through already. Here we definitely only book appointment to appointment as they never quite know what will be happening that far out since it's such a small team. I also don't know my schedule well months in advance either, so works for both of us.

 

[pinkclouds]

Mindutopia- yeah it is a good excuse to have a good clean
I know what you mean about the checking up on you, I do feel like they do it to get a better idea of you but it's only a good thing if things are picked up on if there's a problem and people will get the help they need

I thought it was strange that I was given appointments for the whole of my pregnancy, I've had a look through at them when I got home and I know some of the times are not right for me due to school runs so will have to change them anyway so seems a bit pointless to make them so far in advance

I ended up booking in late and only have 3 weeks until the 16 week home visit so not long to wait now

 

[Feronia]

I'm also a student midwife, and here in Canada midwives mostly only do home visits if you're planning a home birth. It's just to get an idea of where things are so they aren't struggling to find things in the moment. We also leave PPH drugs in the fridge and plan a flat area for resuscitation equipment.

When I asked my preceptor what else we're looking for at home visits she said "mostly to make sure that there aren't things like free roaming pit vipers or a dog fighting ring in the backyard." 😂

 

[pinkclouds]

I always thought home visits were for when you wanted a home birth but obviously not, sounds like normal practice for antenatal appointments too