Are you thinking about or planning an out-of-hospital birth with a midwife and wonder what kind of care you will receive after baby arrives? Each midwife has a postpartum plan that ensures both mom and baby are cared for, but their plans may vary depending on other support systems in place, such as the baby seeing a pediatrician, mom following up with a physician, or other factor in the midwifery practice. The following postpartum plan provides a typical overview of what a midwife offers.
Immediate Postpartum
Within one to three hours of birth, after the baby has fed well, a head-to-toe exam is done on your baby. Your baby is measured and weighed. The heart and lungs are listened to. Baby is checked from the ears and mouth to the toes for any abnormalities. Feel free to ask your midwife questions during the exam, and touch and talk to your baby during the process. The midwives prefer to start when the baby is calm and are as gentle as possible, but some babies object to the necessary handling and will cry.
Anywhere from three to six hours after birth or longer, the midwives will discharge mom and baby with complete postpartum instructions to the parents and arrange postpartum visits.
Ongoing Care
In most practices, midwives are qualified to provide routine newborn care up to six weeks postpartum. If at any time your midwife feels that your baby needs further care outside her scope of practice, you will need to see a pediatrician or family practitioner; or, you may choose to have your baby seen by a pediatrician at any time.
Telephone Visits
Your midwife or qualified birth attendant often check on mom within the first few hours or day of the birth by phone or text to make sure that everything is well with you and baby and will let you know when she will be out to see you. Throughout your ongoing care, keep your phone on and available and check your texts.
Home Visit(S) Within The First Three Days
You may have one or more visits during the first three days. Your midwife or qualified birth attendant will weigh the baby, check mom’s and baby’s vitals, provide support on breastfeeding, and may conduct the following:
- Newborn Metabolic Screening
- Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) Screening, if not already performed
- Hearing Screen
The Next Few Days – Home Or Office Visits
Midwives vary in where and how often they will see new parents after the initial postpartum home visits. They may see you in your home or ask you to come to the office. Some may wait a week or so to see mom and baby, while others may see you a few times during the first seven to ten days. At these visits, your midwife or qualified birth attendant will check on mom and baby’s health, discuss breastfeeding, and address any concerns the mother may have.
One Week To Fourteen-Day Home Or Office Visit
Many midwives like to see baby between seven and fourteen days to do a baby weight and to check on everyone’s overall health. At this visit, your baby should be gaining weight, which is an important milestone for your baby’s well-being.
Six-Week Visit
The six-week visit is focused primarily on mom’s health and well-being. Baby will be weighed as well. This is a good time to review the birth with your midwife.
The Birth Certificate
Midwives often file the birth certificate. If so, she will gather information for the birth certificate at one of your visits. In some states, the parents are responsible for filing the birth certificate.
