Going home

You’ll probably have mixed feelings about going home. It’s normal to be both excited and nervous. Remember you will have support from your midwife and your health visitor or public health nurse.

How long you’ll stay in hospital

Hospitals in different parts of the country have different policies. However, if mum and baby are both doing well, you’ll usually be getting ready to go home somewhere between 6 and 24 hours after giving birth, depending on how you are feeling. If you’ve had a Caesarean section, or if you or your baby need extra care, you might need to stay in hospital for a bit longer.

Confidentiality and your notes

In Scotland, mums look after their own medical notes. You’ll take these notes home from hospital with you. After that they’ll be used by your midwife and then your health visitor or public health nurse to ensure that you and your baby get the best possible support.

Although your notes are completely confidential, if there is any aspect of your health – or your baby’s – which would benefit from the input of another specialist, your GP, midwife or health visitor or public health nurse is allowed to share that information.

Getting support

You may want to arrange some support for the first few days at home. It may sound obvious, but partners, friends or family can help by making sure there’s a clean and tidy house to come home to, rather than a sink full of dishes and a washing machine waiting to be emptied.

Also that there’s food in the fridge and the toilet is clean! You will want your home to be a safe and welcoming place for the newest member of the family. That includes making sure there’s a safe place to change your baby, where she can’t fall.

Support from healthcare professionals after the birth

In the first ten days after you’ve given birth, you’ll be looked after by a midwife both in hospital and at home. After this you’ll be transferred into the care of a health visitor or public health nurse. You’ll also need to register your baby with a GP.

The role of the health visitor

Your health visitor or public health nurse takes over your care from the midwife ten days after the birth of your baby. He or she can be a real source of support and information and has a great deal of experience in looking after families with babies and children. He or she will invite you and your baby to attend a child health clinic where you can ask questions, discuss baby care and have your baby’s health and growth checked.

You may also be given a Personal Child Health Record (the Red Book) for you to write down information about your baby’s growth, development, tests and immunisations. You should take this with you to any appointments with healthcare professionals. Your health visitor, or public health nurse will be on hand and will support you as your confidence as a new parent grows – he or she may give you a number to call if you ever need any advice about your baby.

Remember, you are not alone. A healthcare professional will always be on hand to help and you’ll get numbers to contact them in normal working hours and at night, call NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24, if you need help or advice.