Going home

• After hospital
• Your lead maternity carer will...
• You should...

After hospital

After you leave hospital or Birthcare, a community midwife will visit you at home within 24 hours. If you gave birth at National Women's Health but live outside the Te Toka Tumai Auckland locality area, your at-home postnatal care will be provided by community midwives from your nearest hospital. 

The community midwife will arrange regular visits to check your health, your baby's health and to offer help for breastfeeding problems.

In the first week, you can expect at least two more visits if you went straight home after the birth. After the first week, the midwife will visit you every week until your baby is four to six weeks old. You will then be referred to the Well Child Tamariki Ora() provider you have chosen for your baby, as well as community support groups that you might find helpful.

Your lead maternity carer will:

• Visit you at home within the first 24 hours after leaving the hospital or Birthcare
• Organise visiting times that work for both of you
• Make sure you are well and your baby is thriving
• Give you support and guidance for feeding your baby
• Refer you to the right community support groups for you (with your consent)
• Provide postnatal care for you and your baby from the time you leave the hospital or Birthcare, up to six weeks.

You should:

• Make sure you are free and ready for your LMC visit so that they can make sure both you and your baby are doing well
• Make sure you have given your correct address and contact numbers on discharge from hospital or Birthcare
• Give your LMC plenty of notice if you need to change the time of a visit