Oxfordshire Baby & Parenting Guide | Page 23

ca ll th e 19 id m The birth is over and you’re at home with your beautiful but worrying bundle. Who do you call when you just don’t know what to do with your baby? The BBC drama Call the Midwife! was one of the channel’s biggest hits for years when it aired early in 2012, showing just how fascinated we are by midwives and the vital role they play during the pregnancy, birth and first week or so of your new child’s life. But then they hand over to the health visitor, so what do the two professionals do and when do you call one… or the other? its pre-pregnancy size, and taking your blood pressure • giving advice on common and minor health issues such as postnatal constipation • helping with feeding difficulties • ensuring that the family is happy and adjusting well. ! ife w They are there to help you with any problems you may encounter when raising your child, most commonly at special baby and child clinics run in your GP’s practice or at children’s centres. The sort of issues they can help with include: • postnatal depression and the ‘Baby Blues’ – by helping You should be given the to assess whether you community midwives’ number are at risk and to provide for any questions you might information and support, have or concerns you want to often in the form of informal raise. New parents can often counselling be anxious and midwives are • difficulty with crying, feeding happy to provide a reassuring The early days… and sleeping service before discharging you • behavioural problems in midwife care in a couple of weeks’ time. After nine months of toddlers, such as tantrums pregnancy the midwife will be • potty training Handing over to the health a familiar figure to you but the • referrals to other healthcare visitor job she does from now on will professionals, where After 10 to 14 days, you will be rather different. For the first necessary usually then be referred on to ten days or so after the birth • general health and wellbeing your GP practice’s health visitor of your child, the community questions. midwife team will be your first – a nurse who has undergone Over the years, you and your extra training to specialise in port of call for minor matters child will get to know your relating to the health of mother the physical, emotional and health visitor pretty well and social development of children hopefully will build up a good and child. and babies. They are able to Someone from the team will relationship, so it is important provide support and advice call around on most days to to feel comfortable with them. to you at any time until your see how everyone is doing. If for any reason you are not child is five and support the This includes: happy, talk to your GP practice • assessing how well your baby wellbeing of babies and their and ask for another person to families. is doing by checking their take over your care. weight and seeing if there are signs of jaundice, as well as FURTHER doing any standard checks and tests INFORMATION • seeing how mum is doing by checking her stitches, feeling www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk if the uterus has returned to www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/familyinformation